Reading is one of the most important skills that a child can learn. It provides the foundation for success in many areas of life, from academic achievement to critical thinking skills. Unfortunately, with the uprising of gaming technology and screen time, the amount of time that children spend reading has decreased dramatically in recent years.
As a result, promoting a love of reading in children is more important than ever. This can be done in a variety of ways, such as making reading materials available, setting aside regular reading time, engaging in conversations about books, and using technology to create a fun and interactive reading experience. By nurturing a love of reading in children, we can ensure that they discover the magic of getting lost in a good book!
Start early
It’s never too early to start promoting a love of reading. Read to your baby and show them books. When you register your child’s birth, they should offer you a library card and give you information about Bookstart (every child in England and Wales is entitled to a free Bookstore pack before they turn one).
Use the library
Libraries across Gloucestershire offer free Bounce and Rhyme sessions for babies and their parents/carers, it’s a great way to meet other parents and spend time bonding with your baby. Why not stay and browse the books afterwards, there are usually comfy chairs that you can snuggle up with a book in.
Let them see you reading
Whether it’s a cook book, a magazine or the latest true crime novel, children love to copy! If you model reading as a quiet, calming activity, you’re likely to get a little shadow who will come along with their own book.
Have books on show
If possible, have low bookshelves in their bedroom, playroom or any other room they spend time in across the day. Ikea spice racks work well as inexpensive, small bookshelves and you can even paint them to match your colour scheme. If shelves aren’t possible or practical for you, have small, open toy boxes or even just little piles of books in strategic places (e.g. the places where you spend most of your time).
Read the same books again and again
Honey could ‘read’ a number of books by the age of 2, she even came into the school I work in and ‘read’ a book to a year 3 class. Of course, she wasn’t really reading, but repeatedly listening to her favourite stories read aloud by anyone who came into our house, meant that she had quite a few stories memorised. Not only did this help in promoting a love of reading, her confidence and self esteem were also growing by the day as a result. Repeated reading is comforting for little ones, as they know what’s going to come next, it also reinforces new vocabulary.
Give book tokens
Or ask family members to give book tokens or reading subscriptions for birthdays or Christmas. Promoting a love of reading doesn’t just come from parents, as with most thing, it takes a village! The thrill of visiting a gorgeous bookshop and choosing a book to take home and keep is unrivalled! Why not make a day of it and shop for books, then grab a spot of lunch with the person who gave the voucher, make it a real occasion!
Don’t force them to read school books
If reading becomes a battle because they don’t like the books they’re bringing home from school, change the books. Promoting a love of reading doesn’t work if reading is a dreaded battle. The library has a whole section of ‘school’ reading books, sometimes just being allowed to pick the book can do the trick, other times, you might need to offer a ‘normal’ book, start with toddler books for brand new readers as they tend to only have one word per page (perhaps they could read to a younger sibling or one of their toys) and then move on as their confidence grows.
Read everywhere
Signs, information boards, leaflets… they don’t have to read the whole thing, but there’s so much value in having a go! Ask questions like ‘can you spot any sounds you recognise?’ ‘Can you see any common exception words (tricky words) you know?’ Normalise reading a book in the car (unless it makes you feel car sick), on public transport or while you wait outside swimming or dance class.
Be ready to listen
Listen to your child when they’re telling you about a book they’re enjoying. Ask them to read you an extract, then ask questions and make predictions together. Children love to know that their opinions are heard and considered important.
Share books with your older children too
Honey is a voracious reader, she goes through books like they’re going out of fashion. I often buy book bundles on Facebook Marketplace and pre-read them before I give them to Honey. She loves reading them and asking my opinion on a certain character or event.
If I like the sound of a book that Honey is reading (Ace almost exclusively reads footballer biographies at the moment, so I never borrow from him 😴 😂), I ask Honey if I can borrow it when she’s finished. Again, this opens up conversations and debates about characters, settings and events.
Keep an eye out for author events
We are incredibly lucky to live in a town where festivals are as regular as clockwork and the calendar always includes a fantastic literature festival. Look out for local book signings, author workshops and literature festivals where you are. Honey has made some epic memories meeting her favourite authors and getting to chat to them and ask them questions. She is so inspired by these interactions and mentions them often. She also loves visiting places that inspired the settings of her favourite books, namely Cheltenham Ladies College, which inspired Deepdean school in Robin Steven’s ‘Murder Most Unladylike‘ book series.
Promoting a love of reading in children is an important factor in their development. Creating a positive environment around reading and books is essential in order to encourage children to read. This can be done through introducing children to a variety of books and providing them with an opportunity to read in a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere. With the right tools and guidance, children can develop a lifelong love of reading. All of the above can help, but most of all… Keeeeeeep reading!
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