By the age of 7, most parents stop reading to their child, mostly because they can read independently at this point. A study by Scholastic showed, however, that many children miss having this quality time with their parent.
While your child is still in primary school, aim to spend at least 10 minutes reading to them a couple of times a week. Listening to your child’s reading is still critical at this stage, too, so you can alternate between the two of you. In between readings, you can encourage your child to continue with the book independently. Doing so will give them the perfect opportunity to explain what you missed.
Make regular trips to the library and encourage your child to get a variety of books from different genres. They don’t have to love all the books or even to finish them; the point is to explore genres and discover what they love.
Audiobooks are often frowned upon but they have many benefits. Admittedly, the act of reading a physical book and turning its pages (as opposed to reading on an e-reader) is shown to help you to commit words to memory more, however, they won’t necessarily make a story more enjoyable.
As a child, I listened to The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe on tape so many times that I can still quote large portions of it. That said, I’ve always felt ashamed that I never read the book. It’s silly because I’m probably far more familiar with it than people that have read it “with their eyes”.
By cultivating a positive attitude towards audiobooks in your household, you can open up a whole world of stories that your child wouldn’t have read otherwise.
Gently encourage your child to read by making reading a part of everyday life. Set aside reading time for the family and show that it is an enjoyable activity for you, too. Share the plot of the stories you’re reading and encourage your child to discuss their reading material. In discussing books, you’ll be developing recall and prediction skills that are critical components of successful reading comprehension.
