Families
We very much want all parents to read regularly with their children, from birth to their early teens.
This can be good fun for parents and children, and can provide a cosy period to settle the child down before sleep.
Even before a child can talk or read, it loves to hear the parents voice reading, or singing. This helps it to develop well in lots of ways.
Please also spend time talking to your child when you are out and about: don't be on your phone ignoring your child!!!
Just talk about the things you see: houses, lights, colours, plants, animals
It's never too early to share a story with your child. Talking, singing, reading to babies from the moment they are born helps them to develop good language and communication skills.
Reading for pleasure is more important for a child's development and success at school than their parents' background. Reading can work as a powerful boost to life chances. It has a positive impact on children's wellbeing. A child who can choose books they enjoy and who can talk about books with their family should become a reader for life.
Reading for pleasure is reading for enjoyment and it is done of free choice. It is very important that the child has free choice of reading material, even if it is not a parents' first choice! Books don't have to be stories, they could be non-fiction about dinosaurs or adventurers, a wordless picture book, a comic or a graphic novel.
Being read to creates an emotional connection between parent and child which is important for encouraging children to read independently. Many parents stop reading to their children when they start reading themselves. Continuing to read to your children beyond the age they can read independently helps to create a safe space to talk about books, to share vocabulary and stories that they may not be ready to read alone yet.
