If you read nothing else today, you must read our five top tips for fostering a love of reading with your child!
There is a reason storytelling has always been a part of our history. Stories ignite our imaginations, they open doors to new worlds, and they inspire us to dream big. But for some children, reading stories is quite different to listening to them. Books can be daunting, and reading does not come naturally for all learners.
World Book Day was founded as a worldwide celebration of books and reading – the goal being to make reading fun, accessible and exciting. For some, that spark is ignited early on in childhood. For others, it comes at school – in fact, The GoStudent Future of Education Report 2024 found that in the UK, children rank their English teacher as their joint top favourite teacher.
How to support your child at home
To understand how to support your children at home in order to foster a love of reading, we spoke to Mya Medina. She is UK Head of Customer and Tutor Management at 1:1 online tutoring platform GoStudent, who shared her top tips for fostering a love of reading in children.
Make it fun
Make choosing a book fun. When something is a chore, it is likely to make children want to avoid it altogether. A great way to make reading fun is to ensure the process of choosing the book is special. Go to the library together and spend time exploring the shelves. Let your child guide you and be sure to ask them what they like and don’t like about the books they are considering. By letting them make the final decision, the idea of reading is immediately more appealing because it was their choice.
Turn it into an adventure
Let reading be an adventure. When you read together, offer to take turns reading one line each, or perhaps give the characters different personalities. If it is a picture book, talk about what you are both seeing on the page – what noise does this animal make? Where might you see that vehicle? By making reading an experience, it immediately takes the pressure off and becomes an adventure. Don’t be afraid to follow tangents – it may be that you stray from the story altogether, but you craft a new one together instead.
Explore different types of book
Explore different genres together. Some children find blocks of text intimidating. This can be especially true as they get older, and books become more text heavy. If this is the case, consider introducing them to graphic novels or illustrated editions. These make the text more digestible and can appeal to visual learners, who rely on the images to connect the dots. Often it isn’t the books themselves that children don’t like, so take time to find the right fit for them.
Don’t be afraid of technology
Consider mixing media. Not all children will have a natural proficiency for reading – especially children that have dyslexia – who may struggle. Instead consider mixing the media for your child so they can really enjoy the content of the book. For example, a ‘read one’/’hear one’ approach, where they read a chapter, then listen to the following one on an audio book. You could also encourage them to listen to the audio book at the same time as following along with the text. This removes the pressure of having to read aloud, while still enabling the child to recognise the words on the page.
Take your time
Invest time, even when it is challenging. Reading requires active participation from children and especially if your child may find reading challenging or frustrating, it can be easy to reach for the nearest iPhone to ease their woes. However, children should be encouraged to stick with it and try before giving up.
Perhaps adopt the ‘pomodoro method’ – state that you will be reading for 25 minutes with no phones or distractions. At the end of the 25 minutes you can take a break or give up entirely – but try and stick with it until then. For some children, 25 minutes may be enough, but others may get lost in the story and want to continue. For all of us – even the keenest of readers- it can take time to get into a book, so work with your child to overcome this challenge.
By-line from Mya Medina, UK Head of Customer and Tutor Management at 1:1 online tutoring and education platform GoStudent. Mya has more than a decade of experience in education, starting her career as a tutor herself.
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