How Do I Get My Child To Read?

Let`s face it, with more screen-time than ever before, and a million and one distractions in modern life, it can be a real challenge to get children to read these days. However, all is not lost! In fact, there are a whole multitude of reading "hacks", which will help get your child reading today:

1. Start Small:

When asking a child to do something they may not initially want to do, like reading, then starting with bite-size manageable chunks can be helpful, and build a sense of accomplishment. Try reading small texts like cool online articles, or newspapers etc...that can be read quickly and easily. Just don`t forget to check understanding with when you`ve finished!

2. Use Movie and Computer Game Serialisations:

One of the big obstacles to a child reading, is the difficulty in visualising the action happening in a narrative. a really useful "hack" to overcome this, is to grab a copy of a book that has been inspired by a computer game or movie which you can watch alongside. Brilliant examples of this (depending on student age and suitability) could be Life of Pi or Hunger Games for instance, during which you can watch clips and then read the corresponding chapter in tandem, which really helps engage a child and help them imagine the action, as it`s being described in words. Brilliant!

3. Make Reading Part of Your Child`s Day:

Like anything with children, making reading part of your daily routine and rituals is normally a great move. Find a great time to read, that works for you. This could be the morning, in the evening or before bedtime, and helps establish reading as just a normal activity that, over time, will become increasingly natural and sustainable over time.

4. Reading Time is Family Time:

Just passing your child a book is a one-way ticket to reading being quickly abandoned. To get around this, try reading with your child word by word, and page by page. This then allows you to motivate your child along the way, and clarify any tricky words etc...as they find their way into your chosen book, which is absolutely crucial.

5. Unleash the Power of Tech:

For children these days, tech is always perceived as cool. So why don`t you explore the variety of amazing e-readers out there? I`m personally reading on Amazon`s Kindle Oasis, which provides a beautiful reading experience, and enables page turning at the flick of a finger, with the technology giving you a crucial edge in persuading your child to get reading.

6. Model the Reading Behavior:

As we all know, children learn by what they see around them, including parents` behavior. Therefore, let your children "catch" you reading regularly, so this establishes reading as a normal activity in their mind, and therefore more likely to copy this rewarding behavior.

I really hope that provides a few useful "hacks", to get your child reading, and please don`t hesitate to get in touch if you need any more help :)