Quick Tip – Continue reading to your children every day even when they can read independently – ideally until they are at least 10 or 11 years old.
Quick Tip – Join your local library – they have lots of friendly librarians who are happy to give advice and events to encourage children of all ages to read a wide variety of books.
When parents ask me, “Which books do you recommend for my child to read?” I always suggest they spend an hour or two in their local library, browsing with their child and chatting about the books they are drawn to.
There is lots of research to suggest children who are taken to the library from a young age learn to read more easily and do better in school. Libraries welcome young children and often have special story sessions, reading competitions and other events. Older children and teenagers also benefit from frequent opportunities to explore new books and revisit old friends. Going to the library is a perfect rainy-day activity. It gives us all a chance to examine lots of different books and make our own choices. Best of all, it’s free!
For under-fives, visiting the library will involve letting them investigate lots of books then snuggling up and reading some together – libraries usually have cosy corners or comfy floor cushions where you can sit together and share books. For school-aged children (5-11), consider making two piles of books, one for books children would like to read by themselves and another for books children would like you to read to them.
If we want children to enjoy reading, we should continue reading aloud to them way beyond the time they are able to read for themselves. When adults read to children, they can relax and enjoy the experience together. Not only does this emphasise the importance we place on reading, but we also help model the next stage for children, introducing an increasing vocabulary and complexity of ideas.
Time spent exploring books with our children is invaluable. Things to discuss when choosing a book include:
- Looking at the front cover and title, what do we think this book is going to be about?
- Can we tell from the cover if this book is fiction (a made-up story) or non-fiction (not made up – true facts and information)?
- Have we read anything by this author or illustrator before?
- On the back cover of the book, there is usually a ‘blurb’ – a short piece of writing giving some snippets of information about the book in order to entice us to read it. Read the blurb together before opening the book.
- On opening the book, look at the endpapers, title and contents pages. Chapter headings often give great clues!
- If this is a book your children would like you to read aloud, try reading the first two or three pages together. Give children plenty of time to look at and discuss any pictures and make predictions before turning each page. If possible, close the book at a particularly interesting or exciting moment and see how children react – are they disappointed you’ve stopped and ask for more? If so, that’s a book worth borrowing!
- If children intend to read the book themselves, encourage them to apply the ‘five-finger rule’. To do this, children first make a fist then, while they read a page, each time they meet a word they cannot read (or figure out from the context) they release one finger. If they have released all five fingers before they reach the bottom of the page the book is probably too difficult for them to read alone. If a page contains too many unknown words, children cannot grasp the overall meaning and will struggle to make sense of what they are reading. Suggest this book is one you can read to them first before they go it alone.
Nothing beats handling real books together. However, I’ve found two fantastic websites to encourage you and your children to explore books online. ‘Book Trust’ is the UK’s largest children’s reading charity and they have a special interest in supporting families reading with their children before they start school. They also have a lot of information on disability and books. ‘Love Reading 4 Kids’ has a ‘bookshelf’ which allows you to save a list of books you’ve read or would like to read. Furthermore, you can often download the first few pages of the book to try before you buy or borrow from the library. Both sites make browsing a pleasure because they organise books in various ways including by age group, genre, fiction and non-fiction, recommendations and literary prize-winners. They even have sections on, ‘if they like… they’ll love….’ and there are Kids Zones with quizzes and competitions too.
‘Love Reading 4 Kids’ https://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/ (there is also an adult version) and the Book Trust https://www.booktrust.org.uk/.