For many children, reading for pleasure can play second fiddle to computer games or surfing the internet, meaning parents have an increasingly important role in helping encourage their kids to read
Spend time choosing a book
Learning about your child's likes and dislikes is an important part of encouraging them to become a reader. Start at the beginning by helping your child pick out a book they will enjoy.
Take a trip to your local library or bookshop and allow plenty of time for browsing. When you are choosing a book with your child, talk about the author and illustrators. Read the blurb on the cover and the opening pages to them or encourage them to read a little bit for themselves. Don't forget to be patient as early readers need time to make their choices.
Find authors and books that are suitable for your child's age group. The following may help you with ideas:
- Write Away reviews books for children written by education experts and practitioners and is easy to search under different age groups
- Love Reading offers booklists for parents
- ReadingZone provides book recommendations and children's book news
- Booktrust offers book recommendations and author information
Finding the right reading level
Use the Five Finger Test to find out whether a book is a suitable level for your child:
- Open the book somewhere in the middle and select a full page of text.
- Get them to read the page (aloud if possible).
- Put one finger up for every word your child cannot pronounce or does not know.
- If you get five fingers up for one page, the book is probably too difficult for them to read independently.
- If you do not hold up any fingers but they are reading very slowly, decoding every word, they may not enjoy reading this book.
Don't forget that reading can be demanding. A page of heavy text may be off-putting for a good reader who does not yet have the stamina to tackle long books with dense print. Explore books that are easier on the eye and less imposing.
Developing an independent reader
As children become increasingly independent they need their parents to support their reading. Trust your child to make their own choice of reading material, even if you feel that their choices are not 'worthy' or sufficiently demanding. They may prefer to read comics, magazines, fiction, and non-fiction or choose their own adventure stories. Remember that children, like adults, have their own reading preferences.
Boys and girls may have different reading preferences but it is important not to stereotype their reading. These days it is easy to find books that have been produced with specific girl or boy appeal. Be sensitive to their preferences without pigeon-holing their reading. Look out for books related to children's hobbies, current films and playground trends.
Reading books in a series can be very helpful for a child's reading development. Try not to be anxious if a child wants to read numerous books in a series and nothing else. Reading a familiar format can increase confidence and provide essential reading practice. Children who are allowed to indulge in such pleasurable reading are more likely to enjoy it and broaden their interests later on.
Get them 'hooked on books'
You can help enhance your child's reading experience by:
- Continuing to read aloud to them throughout the primary years. Many children will continue to enjoy this experience.
- If a child is resistant to reading aloud and associates this with younger readers, buy or borrow audio books. Play them during car journeys.
- Talk about your own reading interests. It is important that children see their parents enjoying reading too.
- Encourage children to find their own reading communities at the local library or on the internet. Try Stories from the Web or Cool Reads
Reluctance to read
Reluctance has many causes, many of which can be avoided with the above advice. However, if a child is reluctant to read because they find reading difficult there are resources that are specifically produced to help them. Barrington Stoke publishes books especially for children who find reading difficult.
Books for children by children
Egmont Books has launched a new range of books that put children at the heart of the storyline's creation. The 2HEADS series has been created by consulting hundreds of children through extensive in-school research sessions where they gave their feedback on all elements of the books including suggested storylines, illustrator styles, front cover visuals and character names.
The first series of 2Heads books is on sale now in all good book shops. For more information on 2Heads, visit www.2headsbooks.com