Because we all do…?
That age old proverb “Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover” implies that we shouldn’t let first appearances shape our judgement of someone or something! We should take the time to get to know the content and what’s inside…
The saying applies to much more than the purchase of a book in a bookshop.
The truth is, people do judge books by their covers.
It’s simply the way life is.
So, when your child next wants you to buy a book for them that has a cover with a yellow caterpillar wearing a pink tiara, tap dancing on a football pitch – how should you react?
Most parents will let their opinion – subconscious or not – creep into their judgement of the book they are buying for their child.
But reading ANYTHING is a good thing… So let them get excited by that cover, let them look at the book and if they want to read it, let them!
So what are our top tips
for helping your child to become a stronger reader…?
1. Encourage Reading Choice:
If the cover attracts your child or captures their attention, let them take it off the shelf in the bookshop.
An excited child will always enjoy an activity.
Strategically leave interesting reading material in different places around the house and see who picks it up. It doesn’t have to be just books – non-fiction, poetry and comics are all reading materials that help support your child’s literature growth.
2. Read Aloud Regularly and Together:
Try to read together, every day.
Carve into our busy schedules a special time to snuggle up and enjoy a story – away from the television, video games and social media that dominate our lives.
Bring the story to life by adding funny voices to characters, setting the scene and fully immersing yourself and you child in the wonder of storytelling.
Finding that time each day to read together, where both of you know that you’ll get to “find out what happens next“… is a wonderful habit to get into.
3. Talk About Books:
The more your child engages in conversations about the content of a book, the more they will begin to understand the characters, their settings, and the all-important figurative language use.
The storytelling doesn’t have to stop when we put the book down – encouraging your child’s imagination to continue with the characters and plot themes will allow them to build that rapport with the world of literature.
4. Make Reading Active
You know your child best!
There are number of obstacles that we might encounter whilst trying to get them to read – perhaps they find reading difficult, struggling with their vocabulary range, and in turn, have built barriers that have created a disengagement with reaching for a book; or perhaps they have special educational needs (SEND) which creates further issues with their processing of the text and story arch…
Short, creative activities may be the way to get them the most interested – allow them to act scenes out, explore the themes through discussion as mentioned above or even through a piece of art, as they set the scene.
If English is an additional language, encourage reading in a child’s first language, and then build on this in smaller and more manageable chunks when tackling their English.
What matters most is that they enjoy it!
If you wold like to know more, you can visit http://www.gov.uk where the Department of Education list a multitude of ways for parents to support children to read.
Keep Reading.
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