different, that they develop at different speeds and that there is no such thing as a typical child. So if your child is not yet at the reading stage I talk about, don’t worry, don’t get stressed, don’t nag your child, just enjoy the special time you spend together reading. It will stick eventually.
Each chapter has advice on the reading habit, what the reading home should be like, how to read aloud and with your child, a list of handy Dos and Don’ts and some broad pointers to developmental stages in childhood appropriate to the age range. All of this is based on my research with families and schools, as well as my personal experiences. There are also comments from three specialists: David Reedy, General Secretary of the United Kingdom Literacy Association and a literacy expert; Dr Amanda Gummer, a research psychologist and child development expert; and Dr Aric Sigman biologist and psychologist, who works on raising awareness among children, parents and doctors of the potential impact of electronic media and screen dependency.
Why is reading for pleasure vital?
This book is not about the academic importance of reading – there is little or no debate about that (or at least there shouldn’t be). This book is about creating a lifelong love of reading for pleasure, because above all else there are so many wonderful things that reading brings to children: comfort and reassurance, confidence and security, relaxation, happiness and fun. It feeds their imagination, helps them to empathise and it even improves their sleeping patterns. And reading is a really important element of family life. It provides a connection between you and your child from the very early days through to teens and beyond. It’s a strong ‘glue’ for your relationship, bringing you closer together through the sharing of reading and stories. It helps build long-lasting family ties and provides a shared set of stories and experiences that are unique to your family.
EXPERT VIEW
Families who enjoy reading have more opportunities for discussion, developing empathy and attachment. Reading as a skill also boosts confidence in children as they are able to self-teach almost any subject once they have learned to read.
Dr Amanda Gummer, child development expert
Without reading, childhood is poorer: children are missing out on one of life’s great pleasures and the huge advantages that reading can bring. I talked with a teaching assistant who works with children who don’t have happy lives – she sums up very well what reading can do:
I work individually with the children who really struggle with reading. I spend extra time with them to support their learning and afterwards I often read to them. I will never forget one boy. He was 14 and a ‘problem’ child, always in trouble, aggressive, could barely read for himself and deprived in lots of ways. Over the weeks, I worked through the Alex Rider stories with him and he loved them. One day when I was reading aloud to him this troubled boy leaned over and rested his head on my shoulder. It made me so sad. We are not allowed to touch, much less hug the pupils, but he so needed it. It made me realise that reading is so much more than just the story.
Caroline, teaching assistant
EXPERT VIEW
When children and young people are engaged in reading they learn crucially important lessons which will stand them in good stead throughout their lives. They learn that reading is fulfilling and that you do it for a variety of different purposes. Sometimes it is hard-going, but children develop the understanding that if they keep going they will achieve fulfilment and pleasure. This happens with all kinds of reading material, including novels, poems and information books.
David Reedy, literacy expert
You would think that with all these benefits reading would be really widespread. Yet, through my work and observations, I have seen children across the entire social scale who do not benefit from it and it truly makes me sad. I hope writing this book will help change things.
Why doesn’t reading happen?
There are lots of reasons why children’s reading is struggling. Its position, as a staple of entertainment and relaxation, has become challenged by hectic family lives and a simple lack of time; there has been too much emphasis placed on reading as a skill and not as a pleasure; and it has suffered in comparison to shiny new gadgets, devices and screen time in general.
Of course the age range covered in this book encompasses all of childhood so the demands and distractions vary hugely depending on the age of your child. In the pre-school years, you will have a lot more control over what your child gets up to. When school starts, the demands of after-school activities, clubs, homework and the wish to be with friends, will all impinge on the time you have together, and the time your child has separately, to read.
Meanwhile technology controls so much of the time available these days. Children of two won’t be texting their friends (yet!), but they may well be playing games on a mobile phone. Teenagers will be texting their friends as well as playing games on their phone. Throughout the book I have provided age- or developmental-stage specific advice about how to free up time, regardless of the daily demands, to help your child enjoy reading.
One of the things that parents most often tell me is that they wish their child would read for pleasure, or read more than they do. Often they sound as if they think it’s a lost cause. But it really is possible to change your family’s and your child’s habits. You just need to get involved to help make it happen.
The trouble is that we live in a very challenging world where time and energy are routinely sapped. As parents we are the ones who keep the show on the road, and we are under constant pressure as we try to juggle working life with home life, getting children up and to school, focusing attention on our work, their needs, meals and clean clothes, keeping the house in some semblance of order and supervising homework. Parents have told me they feel overwhelmed. The idea of making time each day for their child’s reading, beyond schoolwork, seems like yet another thing to do.
Don’t despair if this sounds like your life. The good news is it is not hard to find time for reading and it is absolutely not another chore. In fact it’s a huge pleasure for you and your child. You will come to cherish the time you spend together.
EXPERT VIEW
Reading together can be a way of relaxing before bedtime and may promote more restful, easier sleep, so it’s well worth the time spent. And children benefit hugely from having you to themselves for a period of time, even if it’s just ten minutes.
Dr Amanda Gummer
One of my recent research projects involved a very simple task for families with children at primary school. It was over a summer holiday and I asked parents to commit to at least ten minutes every day reading to or with their child. The results were amazing! In nearly every case the amount of reading and the enthusiasm for reading increased markedly. The response of Tariq (age 8) when he was back at school after the holidays was typical of the ones I got from just about all the children: ‘I would like to read more and more each day. I love reading with my mum and dad.’ One mum told me that before the project her daughter did not read for pleasure very much. Time was the main problem and the lack of a reading routine exacerbated it. The mother felt very guilty. After the holidays had ended, Rose (age 6) simply said ‘I enjoyed it. I felt jolly and excited. When my mum finished reading I wanted her to read more.’ This was on the back of simply setting aside ten minutes each day.
What you need to do
As you read through the book, you’ll find lots of ideas and tips about how to read to and with your child, how to make your home a ‘reading home’ and so on. I just want to talk briefly about the fundamentals that underpin the whole ‘project’ of turning your child into a lifelong reader.