What is Guided Reading? – and Why Every Parent Should Make It a Priority

Remember curling up with a good book as a child? Life-changing moments for bookworms and, even if you had to be encouraged, possibly coerced, into reading as a kid, you will probably agree now, as an adult, that books are the building blocks of lifelong learning and that being read to was, in fact, a joy.

As a parent today, you have the incredible opportunity to nurture your child’s love of books and support their overall literacy through guided reading.

But what exactly is guided reading, and why should it be part of your family routine? I’m here to tell you why and give you some tips on how to make it easier. You’ll also see how to use our Reading Workbooks as a framework and discover some great book recommendations for the coming holiday.

Think of guided reading as a gentle way to help your child meet their reading goals while spending quality time together .

What Is Guided Reading?

Guided reading isn’t just reading aloud to your child (though that’s wonderful too!). It’s a form of shared reading, an experience where you journey through a text together, pausing to discuss, question and explore words, characters and themes. Whilst reading together, think of yourself as your child’s reading companion, rather than just their narrator.

Whilst reading with your child, you might ask, ‘What do you think will happen next?’ or ‘How do you think this character feels right now?’ These simple questions transform passive listening into active engagement with the story.

Why Guided Reading Matters for Exam Preparation

The benefits of guided reading go far beyond just improving reading skills. Here’s what regular guided reading sessions can do for your child:

Boosts comprehension: When you discuss a text together, you’re teaching your child to think deeply about what they’re reading rather than just skimming the surface. Comprehension isn’t just about recalling facts — it’s about interpreting meaning, and guided reading develops this. You can introduce simple reading strategies, like predicting or summarising, to help deepen understanding. Over time, your child’s reading comprehension skills will noticeably improve. As children grasp these patterns, their reading confidence grows, laying a strong foundation for future exam preparation. I’ve seen children who initially missed key plot points become masters at spotting subtle clues and connections after just a few weeks of guided reading. This means that when confronted with a new, unseen passage in an exam, your child will be better placed to understand it thoroughly and thus answer any questions on it accurately.

Expands vocabulary: Books introduce words we don’t typically use in everyday conversation. When you explore these new words together, you’re building your child’s command of English. Remember, today’s vocabulary word might be tomorrow’s confidently used term in an exam response!

Enhances creative writing: The stories children read become the building blocks for the stories they’ll write. When you discuss how authors create tension, describe characters or set a scene, you’re giving your child creative writing techniques they can use in their own writing. Furthermore, they will get used to the rhythms and constructions of sentences and use them in their own writing, boosting natural, intuitive language acquisition.

Develops inference skills: One of my favourite moments in guided reading is when a child’s eyes light up as they figure something out that wasn’t directly stated. ‘Oh! I think she must be sad because…’ These moments of inference – reading between the lines – are critical thinking skills, essential for comprehension exams in particular, but skills that extend far beyond books. If you’re wondering how to teach inference in reading, start by asking simple why-based questions like, “Why do you think the character did that?” These kinds of questions build the foundation for strong early reading skills that will support comprehension across all subjects.

Builds motivation: When reading becomes a special time with you rather than a solitary chore, children can develop a positive association with books. You’ll hopefully find your child wanting to continue the book on their own between guided sessions.

Introduces different viewpoints: Books allow children to step into someone else’s shoes. When you discuss different characters’ perspectives together, you’re nurturing empathy and understanding of diverse experiences, skills that are increasingly valued in comprehension sections of modern assessments, including school entrance exams. Guided reading also helps your child develop transferable exam skills, such as time management, close reading, and answering questions under pressure.

As Atticus Finch tells his daughter Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird:

Introducing Our Reading Workbooks: Your Guided Reading Companion

If you’re thinking, ‘This sounds great, but where do I start?’ or ‘How do I know if I’m asking the right questions?’ that’s where our Reading Workbooks come in. Available for the following ages and stages, they’re like having a professional reading teacher at your fingertips:

● 7+ Reading Workbook
● 8+ Reading Workbook
● 9+ Reading Workbook
● 10+ Reading Workbook
● 11+ Reading Workbook

Each Reading Workbook provides a thoughtfully designed framework that you can apply to any book or text you read with your child. Here’s what makes them special: they support consistency and structure in your guided reading time. Having a regular reading schedule alongside your workbook sessions helps reinforce good habits and builds stamina over time. Establishing a calm, predictable reading routine also helps children approach reading with focus and enjoyment.

Each workbook contains both fiction and non-fiction texts, allowing your child to experience different types of reading and genres in one place. The fiction section features an engaging story, while the non-fiction section provides facts on the same topic. This dual approach strengthens your child’s understanding of tone, purpose and structure — all essential elements of reading development. Some exams, such as the 11+ Sutton Eligibility Test, has a specific comparing texts comprehension section, so being able to compare, contrast and evaluate texts is a valuable skill to master. They’re also ideal for supporting primary school reading goals, helping children build core comprehension and vocabulary skills early on.

The beauty of our approach is in the carefully crafted questions that follow each text. These aren’t just basic comprehension checks – they may begin with information retrieval questions but as they progress, they invite deeper thinking and discussion. You and your child can work through these questions together, referring back to the text and discussing possible answers. There’s no pressure to write responses if you prefer to talk through them instead! These question sets are specifically designed to strengthen children’s comprehension, encouraging them to think critically and engage more deeply with the text.

Each workbook also includes a comprehensive word list that provides dictionary definitions, parts of speech, synonyms and antonyms for potentially unfamiliar words. This feature alone can turn vocabulary-building into a fun exploration rather than a frustrating obstacle. Plus, there’s space for your child to add your own words – creating a personalised dictionary that grows with their reading journey.

You can replicate this framework of reading, questioning, discussion and analysis as you branch out, discovering all sorts of books. If you’re stuck for what types of questions to ask, go back to your Reading Workbook to get ideas. Keep a paper dictionary/thesaurus handy as you read, so you can work out definitions, parts of speech, synonyms, and antonyms, like you did before. And ask your child to keep their own Vocabulary Notebook in which they can note down new words and phrases which interest them.

How to Use Our Reading Workbook for Maximum Benefit

● Make reading together a special time: Set aside a regular time for your guided reading sessions where you can both focus without distractions. Maybe it’s after dinner or before bedtime – whatever works best for the family.
● Read both texts together: Take turns reading aloud or read alongside each other. Pause whenever something interests either of you, even if it’s not where the questions fall.
● Pronunciation and expression: Think about delivery and how you and your child read to each other. Pausing after full stops and commas, or emphasising italicised words or interjections will help your child to understand more fully what they are reading, not to mention showing them why punctuation is so important for meaning.
● Explore the questions as conversations: Rather than treating the questions as a test, use them as launching points for discussion. ‘What do you think about this? Why do you think the author made that choice?’ Always feel free to add your own questions as the conversation naturally plays out.
● Refer to the word list (or a dictionary) as needed: When you encounter an unfamiliar word, use it as an opportunity to explore language together. ‘Let’s look this up in our word list and see what it means in this context.’ Never be afraid to say to a child you’re not sure of what a words means. Show them that adults use dictionaries too to improve their vocabularies and understanding.

Make connections to your lives: Some of the richest discussions come from connecting the text to your own experiences. ‘Does this remind you of anything we’ve done together?’

Begin Your Guided Reading Journey Today

The time you spend reading with your child today is an investment in their tomorrow. Our Reading Workbooks provide structure, guidance and inspiration for your reading conversations.

Ready to transform your reading time together? Our Reading Workbook is waiting to become your favourite guided reading companion!

Books for 7+/8+

Books for 8+/9+

Books for 10+/11+

Books for 11+/12+