We’ve put together some advice and activities specifically designed to help children using the Read with Oxford Stage 3 books. Have a look at our tips, downloadable activities and storytelling videos to get you off to a start. If you're not sure that your child is ready for Stage 3, try our simple test.

Approximate age: 4–5
School: Years 1 and 2 / P2 and P3 | Oxford Levels 4 and 5 | Book Bands Blue, Green
Guide to Read with Oxford Stages >

Reading at school

In Reception and Year 1 (P1 and P2 in Scotland), your child will start to learn about phonics, to link stories to their own experiences, and to use their developing reading skills to begin writing letters and simple sentences. For more information, have a look at our guide to reading in Reception.

Tips to support your child at home

How can you effectively support your child at home? Here are a few tips and ideas to help your child get the most out of their reading:

Try sharing a book together, especially if they are finding it challenging – you read one page and your child reads the next. You are showing them what fluent reading sounds like, and if they lose the meaning of the story while concentrating on reading the pages, they can pick up the meaning again while you are reading.
Talk about the books you read together. Let them tell you if they don’t like a book, and why. It’s OK not to like some books.
Get your child to make links between their own experience and how a character responds in a story.

For more advice, take a look at our page on starting to read, or buy our book, Helping Your Child to Read , specifically created to support learning with Read with Oxford.

Free activities

Try out our free activities to support your child as they develop their reading skills.