How To Get Children To Read

This is such a big  question for many parents and children. For some children it is always going to be easier than for others. There are many reasons, but in most cases steps can be taken at home to help. 

One problem could be not making enough time for reading. There are so many demands on our time nowadays, for parents as well as children. Given enough time,  wonders can be performed. It`s the reason so many prison literacy schemes are successful- there`s not much else to do. Un(fortunately) society baulks at sending children to reading boot camps, so parents have to think smart at helping children. 

First parents can help by reading themselves. I know many don`t, which is why they should make it easy for themselves and find a book ( not a magazine or webpage) they can really get into. I find people often default to fiction when in fact a biography or a travel book can be more compelling. Does a cookery book count? I don`t know. I suppose a book on cooking, as opposed to a recipe book, can hook a parent enough to encourage a child. 

We all know, or should know, that reading with a child is definitely a good thing. This means sharing the reading, parent to child, child to parent, and discussing. It also means virtually every day, and is a great way to settle children too. But what if they don`t seem to enjoy anything? I urge you to try again. One mistake I see often is attempting reading which is too hard. Save challenging reading for the classroom. Reading for pleasure shouldn`t stress a kid out. Aim for them to (apart from early years) to stall at just one or two words a page. And just as for parents, let them choose a topic, but guide them. Suggest topics or themes based on things they have shown an interest in on TV, on holiday, on excursions. This could be a location they know, or an experience they share with a character or indeed it could be a work of historical fiction (or fact) that has very little in common with their life. It could be based on a period studied at school, which usually means Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, Anglo Saxons Tudors etc. 

And don`t forget, some books just aren`t worth reading, but worth giving up. There has been a boom children`s fiction recently, which is great, but means there are a lot of poor books out there. If you`re child has been stuck, not enjoying themselves for several sessions, consider another book. 

Oh, and to be a good role model, it`s often a good idea to do ``communal reading`` as well, that is, just two or three family members reading alongside each other, trying not to distract each other. Comments or chat can be saved to the end. The TV and all devices need to be off for this to work. 

Are comic books ok? Open another window in your browser, type `` do comic books help literacy``  and work it out for yourself. They might also be helpful for children and young adults who don`t want to be seen as nerds. But that`s just my theory. 

Oh, and if your child has been struggling for ages, consider researching seeing a developmental optometrist. I have no experience of their worth myself, but have heard people talk about how glad they were to see one. 

Oh, and if you`re wondering what`s more important for your child to be good at, Literacy or Numeracy, it`s Literacy. We`ve all heard people at tills joking about how bad they are at arithmetic. But I bet you can`t remember the last time you heard someone light heartedly joking about how bad their native language is.