Reading is such an essential skill for life. It really doesn't matter what you do in life but just being able to follow the cooking instructions on the back of a packet or read correspondence from your bank or employer or even a joke inside a Christmas cracker makes life so much simpler. Despite its necessity however, it's becoming less interesting to children as they grow. So what do parents do to encourage their children to read?
Start them early. When my children were pre-schoolers, I had a plastic crate, in the corner of the lounge, packed with a range of children's books. Some were board books, others were beautifully illustrated early years story books. As they were so easily available, my children would frequently bring a book to read together and as they learnt what they were, they joined in or looked at them alone. Most importantly, they were inspired by them and enjoyed them.
Next, I'd strongly recommend joining a library; it's an inexpensive way to have access to a wide range of books. You can even join their digital library and have access to a wide range of free e-reader books; this is a great idea for older children.
Still, how do you get them reading? It's really clear to parents of younger children; the children trot out if school with their brightly coloured book-bag declaring, "I've got a new book!" or words to that effect. Each evening, the child reads their school reading book to their parents and revels in the praise and attention. However, once they leave the scheme reading books, usually by the age of 7, this enthusiasm, engagement and involvement subsides. And yet this is when most children need most encouragement.
Try out having two copies of the same book: one for them and one for you. Sometimes read together, out loud, other times agree to read up to a certain point then, meet to discuss what's happened, what you think might happen next. Encourage their curiosity. Discuss vocabulary - invest in a good school dictionary and thesaurus to deal with new words. Discuss what's not said - develop skills in inference. Ask them to explain/justify their thoughts based on evidence from the text. The more engaged they are by the story, the more motivated they will be to continue. My daughter started the Harry Potter journey this way and her and her father became great fans of the series, culminating in an enjoyable trip to the Harry Potter Experience.
You could even encourage a book club between friends. Add some pop, maybe some pizza and cake. It's about the involvement and encouragement and in a time when children are becoming increasingly attached to consoles and mobile devices, they need a distraction which motivates them. Maybe set a reward target too.
I'll leave you with a few facts. If a child reads for just 20 minutes per day, it's the equivalent to 3,600 minutes of school or 1,800,000 new words per school year. If they read for only 5 minutes per day, it's like 900 minutes of school or 282,000 words per year. If they only read for 1 minute per day, it's like 180 minutes of school or 8,000 words. Statistics. 'A small amount of reading per day makes an incredible difference' (Nagy and Herman 1987). Never mind the benefits to the child's ability to think, imagine, create, write, sleep, let alone read.
Final word. Let them see you love books and reading for pleasure.
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