Summer Reading: Tips for Raising Lifelong Readers

Posted on 15 July 2015

Giving children the freedom to read what they want, when they want – whether that’s spending hours diving headlong into a dreamy new series, or half an hour reading a side-splitting joke book – can become one of the highlights of the summer holidays, and can establish a lifelong love of reading.

Let children choose books they like.90% of children surveyed agree their favourite books – and the ones they are most likely to finish – are the ones they pick out themselves. It can be as varied as a books-long fantasy series, returning to a dog-eared copy of an old favourite, reading fact books on subjects they like, or entertaining the family with a laugh-out-loud joke book.

Help them find books they like. Nearly three-quarters of children surveyed say they would read more if they could find more books they like. Make sure the house is full of books. Stock up at the local library, with a book club or a book fair.

Read aloud with children. It’s never too early or too late to start. It means you can spend quality time enjoying a book together. And often you can read a book that may be too challenging for your child to read alone. You could even try reading a chapter a day – you read one day and they read the next.

Fill the house with reading materials. Have things like newspapers, magazines and comics around the home so children see a lot of reading materials. For older children, you could encourage them to read some sections of the paper, or read the weather report each day. It all counts as reading!

Be a reading role model. Another powerful motivator for children is seeing adults around them enjoying to read, so make sure you take some time these holidays to flick through the paper over a tea each morning, or get stuck into a good book in the post-lunch lull.

Talk about reading. Talk to your child about what you’re reading and about what they’re reading. Ask them about the plot, the characters and themes, their favourite bits, the funniest bits – whatever you want! A lively conversation about books can really instil a love of reading.

Come back next week for tips on reading when you’re out and about this summer holidays.