One of the positive aspects of life in lockdown is the chance to read more than usual. We all know that reading is fundamental to the development of children, both academically and emotionally. Countless research studies show the links between good reading skills from an early age and future success and well-being in later life.
Also, plays can be a fun way to encourage reading as the whole family can join in! There are a number of sites that offer plays for children including Lazy Bee Scripts. You sometimes need to pay a small charge to read these but there is a huge choice.
Children love to escape into an alternative reality and books will help them travel, have adventures, solve mysteries and learn fascinating new facts – but how do we encourage the more reluctant ones to do this? Read on for some top tips to help encourage your child to read for pleasure.
- Try listening to free books on Audible and get them to join the Barrow Hills ABC (Audible Book Club) classroom (Years 5-8).
- Surround your child with reading materials of all types.
- Enjoy the pictures first, tell the story before starting to read.
- Read to/with them. Choose a book and a time and do it regularly to make ‘story time’ a part of your daily routine.
- Find or create a reading nook, den or hidey hole for escaping to with a book.
- Be a model reader yourself and be seen giving time to reading regularly whether it is the newspaper, magazine or a novel.
- Praise your young reader and make them feel that their time spent reading is worthy and important.
- Let them choose the books that appeal to them, even if it doesn’t fit your own ideals – reading (almost) anything is better than not at all!
- Encourage a wide variety of reading activities especially in younger children from road signs to menus.
- Encourage enjoyment of reading in a variety of formats including things like animation, short stories, newspaper articles, non-fiction facts.
- Encourage them to take a book instead of a gadget next time you take a journey.
Below you will also find an updated list for May of recommended book titles by age (earlier lists can be found on the BHLibrary@Home section of the Community Counts page).
Mrs Emmett, Librarian