Why Reading With Children is Important

Information taken from: The benefits of reading | BookTrust and Reading For Pleasure | National Literacy Trust

The strongest influences on children’s attitudes to reading come from their families and their teachers. Whether it is reading the newspaper, information online, text messages, emails or even a good old fashioned book, all these mediums count as types of reading and seeing these key figures partaking in reading is vital to developing those positive attitudes. 

On average, those who read daily for enjoyment score one-and-a-half schooling years better than those who do not. 

Research shows that habits formed in early childhood are maintained through all levels of schooling and into adult life. This then improves students literacy levels and they are then more likely to experience greater academic achievement. 

Not only are their literacy levels improved, but they are exposed to a wider range of words and phrases to improve their general knowledge, develop their creativity and improve their oracy and vocabulary skills. Nagy and Herman’s study found that by reading for just 20 minutes a day, children will be exposed to 1,800,000 words and score within the 90th percentile.

How to incentivise reading

Creating a positive reading environment in the home is essential. Children are more likely to read consistently if, in their homes, books and reading are valued. Make sure books are treated well; model reading aloud; take time to listen when children share about a book and actively ask questions.

Reading can be a wonderful experience to share – books don’t have to be long or it could be a poem or article – and are a great way to have quality time with your children. Some of my fondest memories of childhood are reading the Chronicles of Narnia with my mum and sister. It was just a chapter a night but that quality time sharing a story that was full of wonder has always stuck with me. 

Ensure children have choice. A range of different texts on different subjects allows children to discover what they like and pursue it. Though it may be difficult to provide such a variety at home, local libraries are a great way to offer that choice to children without any cost. Libraries also run a range of literary activities: from rhyme and story time to arts, crafts and even coding! Though some activities may not be sitting down and reading a book, reading is involved in every activity from reading instructions to reading code. 
Though it doesn’t work for all, some children respond well to literacy-targeted rewards, such as books or book vouchers. This gives children an incentive to read so they can then buy a book/magazine ect of their choice. Allowing children the autonomy of selecting their own reward can be what is needed to foster the habit. Similarly, libraries offer a Summer Reading Challenge to engage young readers when after reading a set number of books they earn rewards, badges or certificates. 

One thing to note is that death by book is a proven phenomenon. Research by Jennifer and Ponniah (2015) describes  the detrimental effects that too much reading for school can have on reading for fun. While you want to foster the habit, you don’t want to overdo it to the extent that children are turned off of reading. 

I myself have experienced this when I was a teacher. There is a great deal of reading involved when teaching: reading a class book; reading a book for literacy lessons; reading their written work to mark; and then reading books to support my professional development. It all became a bit much and reading felt more of a work task than something I could do for fun – to relax. It was only when I discovered a new style of book that the joy of reading came back. Janice Hallett was my saviour – I highly recommend her if you like a good detective/crime drama.

So when you hear people talking about the benefits of reading, know it comes from well-founded research and that even reading 20 minutes a day can benefit you and your child.

For more information on how to support your child with reading at home, read our blog on How to Support Children Who Read at Home or 6 Ways to Encourage Children to Read This World Book Day.

If your school is looking to rejuvenate their school library, why not sign up for the Big Summer Book Swap? This event sees schools across Kent sending us 50 books to swap with another school. Register here.