For Parents
Get InvolvedValuable Time Together
Children are never too young to listen to stories being told or read to them. Reading together is a precious opportunity for a parent, grandparent or older sibling to bond with a young child in their family.
Story-time doesn’t have to be at bedtime, books can be enjoyed whilst waiting at the dentist, whilst big brother has a swimming lesson or, as an extended treat on a weekend morning.
But a bedtime routine that includes time to enjoy a story works well as a wind-down at the end of a busy day and develops a healthy reading habit for later life.
Kids have the best imaginations. Listen to their own stories and encourage imaginative play.
Language Development
Be sure to let your child choose the story – even if it’s one that’s been read many times before. If they are requesting a book, they clearly like it. Reading together should be enjoyable and not feel like a learning exercise.
But you can help them to learn by talking about the pictures, particularly about what is happening and introducing new words. Asking open questions beginning with What? Who? Where? and progressing to Why? and How? will help to build their vocabulary and develop their use of language.
With toddlers you can also start talking about how they think a character is feeling, to develop empathy skills.
Don’t forget to visit your library regularly to borrow lots of story books and non-fiction titles for free and to be part of a wider reading community near your home.
Supporting Independent Readers
When a young reader begins to read independently it is tempting to think that they no longer need your support.
Enjoy audio books together if you need to be hands free but independent readers will still benefit from listening to you read. Importantly, talk about the stories you are sharing. Ask lots of open questions to get them thinking about the characters and their motives and the different relationships in the book. Would they want to be friends with any of them, do they admire, dislike or disagree with their behaviour and WHY? At the end of a chapter asking them what they think will happen next encourages creative thinking.
Time spent sharing a story and feeling secure can be a springboard for open conversations about sensitive topics.
With a book that is more advanced than they are reading at school, try reading alternate pages of a chapter book, or start with them tackling the opening paragraph. Your involvement will help to keep the pace of the story up and they can enjoy letting the more complex language wash over them. Don’t insist they follow every word on the page. It’s about enjoyment and letting them immerse themselves in the world of words and pictures.
Show Interest
When your child is confident and prefers to read independently your role is still important.
Show interest by talking about books. Have a conversation with them about it and ask questions such as: Did they enjoy it? What did/didn’t they like about it? What was the story about? Can they summarise it for you? Would they recommend it anyone? Would they choose another book by that writer or a similar genre?
Show them how to use the filters on Reading2Smile to let them search for their next book. If you don’t want to buy a copy, visit your library and support your child to enquire if they can get a copy for them to borrow.
With a teenager, why don’t you ask to borrow their book and read it too, so you can discuss it together?
Being a good role model is influential. Do you make time to read???
Yes! But we request each reviewer to secure a supporter, wherever possible, who contributes to the rising cost of postage.
Yes! Before a book is posted the child/family is asked if it interests them and to check that they have time to read and review it over the next couple of weeks.
We take safeguarding very seriously. Second names are never used online or shared. A child’s address or location is never shared with a third party. In certain circumstances we also disguise a reviewer’s true identity.
No. However, we share some prompts with reviewers with ideas of things to consider and some guidance for parents as part of the onboarding process.
Honesty is crucial for a credible book review. However, a review is subjective and we remind reviewers to be respectful when commenting about someone’s work. Comments should always be explained, especially when negative.