On Wednesday morning, Hiba Academy Hangzhou Primary School hosted a parent workshop titled 'Helping Your Child with Reading at Home.' The session was led by the Deputy Head of Primary, Angela Hutchinson, and the Assistant Head of Primary, Richard Orme, with ELI teacher Alison Li providing live translation for parents throughout the workshop. In a relaxed yet focused atmosphere, parents came together to explore a topic that feels familiar yet always merits deeper reflection: how families can play a meaningful, sustained role in supporting children's reading development.

At the beginning of the session, the speakers invited parents to rethink the true purpose of reading. Reading is not only a tool for language acquisition but also a vital way for children to make sense of the world. Through reading, children gradually build vocabulary and grammatical understanding in both Chinese and English, forming connections across different language systems. At the same time, reading nurtures imagination, critical thinking, problem-solving skills and the ability to sustain attention. Perhaps most importantly, the quiet moments that reading creates offer children emotional balance and provide families with valuable opportunities for meaningful interaction. Regardless of language, reading has a lasting, positive impact on children's learning and development.

At Hiba Academy Hangzhou Primary School, reading is not treated as a standalone task, but as a natural and integral part of daily classroom learning. Pupils engage in reading every day through guided and reciprocal reading activities, learning phonics, vocabulary and comprehension strategies with the support of their teachers. When encountering a new text, children are encouraged to make predictions based on the cover and illustrations, ask questions and clarify meaning as they read, and finally summarise and express their understanding in their own words. This clear and well-structured 'reading cycle' helps children move beyond simply reading to thinking deeply and communicating confidently.

The workshop also highlighted that reading at home does not need to replicate classroom practice in full. Instead, families can adopt a more straightforward, relaxed approach. Rather than occasional long reading sessions, short and regular reading routines are often far more effective. Reading four to five times a week for ten to fifteen minutes at a set time in a calm environment can make a significant difference. Allowing children to choose their own books also helps build a sense of ownership and enjoyment of reading.

Many parents expressed concern about whether their child's pronunciation is accurate when reading aloud. In response, Mr Orme offered an important reminder: talking about the book matters far more than correcting every sound. Understanding the story, sharing feelings and expressing ideas are far more valuable than perfect pronunciation. Parents can look at the cover and predict the story together before reading, pause during reading to ask questions such as "What is happening now?", and encourage children to retell the story and share their favourite parts afterwards. These simple conversations play a crucial role in developing comprehension and expressive skills.

Another common question from parents was whether they could still support their child's reading if their own English proficiency is limited. The answer was a reassuring "yes". Parents can discuss a story's content, images, and emotions in Chinese using simple questions such as "Who?", "Where?", and "What happened?" Audiobooks and videos are also practical tools for exposing children to authentic English. Making mistakes along the way is not something to fear; confidence, engagement and enjoyment are what truly motivate children to keep progressing.

On a practical level, the workshop shared a simple and effective strategy: selecting one to three new words from each book, writing the English word and its Chinese meaning on sticky notes, and encouraging children to read the words, make simple sentences and add drawings. Placing these notes around the home helps integrate language learning naturally into everyday life, rather than confining it to a desk or workbook.

At Hiba Academy Hangzhou, we firmly believe that children's reading development thrives through the joint support of school and family. The school provides a structured reading curriculum, a wide range of reading materials and reading records, while families contribute through daily encouragement and feedback. When parents have questions or concerns, open, ongoing communication with teachers is encouraged. Through this close partnership, children grow into confident, happy bilingual readers, supported by a consistent, nurturing learning environment.

The workshop concluded with an open discussion and Q&A session, during which parents shared their experiences and explored new ideas together. For Hiba Academy Hangzhou, parent workshops such as this are not only opportunities to share practical strategies but also a reflection of our long-standing commitment to supporting family education and strengthening home-school partnerships. We look forward to continuing this journey alongside our families, accompanying our children further along the quiet yet powerful path of reading.