9 TIPS FOR ENCOURAGING YOUR CHILD TO READ

1 MAKE TIME TO READ: Read a bedtime story with your child every night or set a regular time to read together during the day.

2 LET YOUR CHILD CHOOSE WHAT TO READ: They’re more likely to develop a love of reading if they can choose books with you.

3 Join your local library and your child can pick from a wide selection of books.

4 EXPLORE DIFFERENT READING MATERIALS AND FORMATS: As well as fiction, there’s a world of comics, magazines, ebooks, read-along audio books and non-fiction to discover.

5 GET THE WHOLE FAMILY INVOLVED: Encourage your child to read with other family members like grandparents and brothers and sisters.

6 BRING STORIES TO LIFE: When reading stories aloud with your child, give characters different voices that match their personalities.

You could pause the story and ask your child what happens next, or even try acting out parts of the story together.

7 CREATE FUN READING CHALLENGES AT HOME: Organise a treasure hunt around the house; give your child a list of things to find and see how quickly they can read the list and collect all the items.

8 BE POSITIVE: Praise your child for trying hard at reading and let them know it’s alright to make mistakes.

9 BE A READING ROLE MODEL: Your child will learn from the things you do, so, seeing you valuing books and having fun reading them, can be a great inspiration.