"Few children learn to love books by themselves. Someone has to lure them into the wonderful world of the written word: someone has to show them the way."
- Orville Prescott

Children who read at home with their parents perform better in school. So parents can play an invaluable role in their children's development by encouraging them to read and to learn to love books. You can do this by reading with your child every day and making it an enjoyable experience for them.

If your child is pre-school, it's more about encouraging them to notice words and numbers, rather than teaching them to read. See Starting School: Helping with literacy and numeracy for more information about preparing them for going to school.

When should I read with my child?
Parents should read with their children for at least 15 minutes every day.
Choose a time when you can give all your attention to your child and read with them in a comfortable environment. Short periods of reading are more effective for the child's learning, so don't make the session too long.

Make it enjoyable
You'll both gain more from the experience if the child enjoys reading with you.

• Let them choose the books they are interested in, and re-read their favourites.
• Let them touch the books and turn the pages.
• Read aloud to your child and let them read to you once they've learned to read.
• Bring the books alive by being expressive and giving the characters different voices.
• Praise your child to build their confidence.
• For more information about children's books and reading, log on to www.literacytrust.org.uk

Discussing books
If children can talk about the book it helps them to get to know the story and understand what they are reading.

• Give your child time to comment on what they read or hear.
• Talk about the story and share your opinions of what happens and the characters.
• Encourage your child to guess what could happen next in a story.

What if my child is a reluctant reader?
If your child isn't interested in story books, you can encourage reading through all sorts of other material that might interest them - comics, newspapers, instructions for computer games, packaging, TV guides and so on.
Get more information on reluctant readers.

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