Babies and children love to browse through books well before they can read, and if children can explore their books independently, it helps to plant a love of books and reading from right from the crucial early years.
Here are some ideas to get your kids loving reading!
- Have lots of books around the house!
Studies show that more books in the home lead to greater academic achievement in children. 8 out of 10 kids who have books of their own at home are more likely to be above average readers*. And if you’re a confident reader, you’re more likely to do better at school, and love reading more. Kids love getting books as gifts and treats. Give kids the feeling of ownership by putting their books in a special kids bookcase or book box.
*Source National Literacy Trust, Book Ownership Report 2011.
- Let kids choose their own books
“Let children choose their own books, from an appropriate selection. This helps build a lifelong love of reading.” Building Blocks US Dept Health and Human Services
What’s more, kids do judge books by the cover! They need to see the front covers of books (and the often beautiful artwork), rather than the books’ spines to decide whether it’s worth picking up or not.
If kids can choose what they read, then they enjoy reading more. Nerdy Book Club has 5 great reasons to get children to take control over what they read. Publishing expert Michael Norris also advises parents NOT to equate reading with ‘good’ behaviour!
- Read real (print) books together
Reading together is a brilliant way to end the day, to have a cuddle or while away a train ride, and of course, starts children off on their journey of reading. Despite the hype about ebooks, most parents still prefer print books for their kids. Print books give young children a complete sensory experience; touch, smell and feel of the pages as they turn them, and which builds up their love of books and reading.
3 out of 4 parents and kids, plump for print books for bedtime stories*. Kids get to use all of their senses, and often kids’ books use flaps or pull outs to add to the story (like the surprise ending in Abigail by Catherine Rayner, or the classic Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell.
*Source Reading is Fundamental/Macy’s 2013
What do you think? Have you made a reading corner at home? How do you get your kids browsing?
This is a guest post from Tidy Books who make brilliant bookcases that get kids reading. To find out more, visit Tidy Books.
Thanks for the tips – we have been trying to get our son to read more. It is really hard to get him interested when all he wants to do is play video games.
Every night as part of my grandsons’ routine, they walk in together to our book shelf and choose 3 books they want their Daddy to read to them. They absolutely love this part of the evening. I love watching their love of books grow more and more each day!