Reading to your children

[Elscott07]

Hi everyone, I am beginning my reading and research for my dissertation. I would like to know your opinions on the importance of reading to children and also listening to children read?

Could you focus your questions a bit more, maybe, to get more specific answers?

Otherwise, we'll probably all just tell you that we consider it very important (after all, that's what we've always been told) and you won't really learn anything very new. What research questions do you intend to centre your dissertation around? Do you want anecdotes about actual reading, or opinions, or something else? What is your specific angle/interest? We are happy to provide you with some answers but the job of formulating the questions is yours. (and yes, I am a university lecturer, just in case you wondered)

Thank you for your help and advice!

I am mainly looking at how parents, reading to children and listening to children read, can have an impact on their all round literacy development.

My main interest is how often parents read to or listen to their children read?

When during the day, do they read or listen to their children read?

And if they take an interest in their children's level of reading? Such as ask questions throughout the story, or does the child ask questions throughout the story, or both.. Perhaps, for example, what specific words mean.

Why dont you set up a questionnaire online and post the link?

I think reading is very important so happy to fill in a questionnaire.

You need to set out some numbered questions.

We used to have whole afternoons of curling up in front of the fire with a huge book box just reading stories. We read words and pointed out writing at every opportunity looking back. Their social sight vocabulary was good. We also played word and number games a lot when travelling- I spy using letters and colours, pairing card games, sorting buttons and letter bingo etc.
Each child 'read' individually to us from toddlerhood- which might be just turning pages and pointing to words. We went to library story time and each child could choose three books to bring home. Later into primary we used library reading schemes.
We also took them to the theatre quite a lot to see books we were reading as plays or watched film of book - continued to do so into teens.
We chose a structured nursery that encouraged early reading and used a reading scheme - something about Billy blue hat and the village with six houses. Dull as dishwater! They had homework from nursery which involved copy writing/writing and drawing.
Each child apart from second son could read well by reception and never read the levels books beyond nursery. So at five it was horrid henries wtc.
Second son was unable to read until second day in reception when he suddenly announced to the teacher he could read and promptly did so, declaring her books were all baby books. All of them could write basic sentences and their name and address by reception.

You also need an ethics statement (your university should have a standard text you can use) and request MNHQ permission to conduct research on MN, or you will find your post removed.

I think you might need to define 'literacy development' a bit more. It's a very broad area that I don't think can just be lumped together. Or at least not in a way that will give you anything meaningful to work with.

To answer your question more generally (and perhaps helping you to think of some tighter formulations), my own dc are now 17 and 20 so this is some time ago, but when they were little reading aloud was very much part of a wider context of talking about stories, telling stories, looking at pictures together, singing together. Their dad used to make up stories for them when we were waiting at bus stops etc, and a couple of them ended up as their personal books, illustrated by him.

We had a bedtime story every night until they were about 10 (and I was quite sad when it stopped), and still had occasional reading aloud sessions (Dickens at Christmas) until they were much older.

Once they'd started school, I also listened to them reading several times a week.

They are bilingual so we had a double set of books and stories and nursery rhymes.

When dd got older and joined a youth theatre, I worked on monologues with her.

We did go to the library regularly when they were little, but stopped mainly because we felt we have a better choice at home than our fairly small local library can offer.

As for the outcome, I have one child who loves literature and has read vast amounts and one who absolutely hates it and prides himself on never having read a book since the Oxford Reading Tree. He is functionally literate and used to be quite well informed about the way the world is run, but now tries to disown this, I think in protest against his book- and learning-loving family. We are on good terms, but he very much doesn't want to be like us, so the moment (round about 14) he sussed that we thought his engagement with the world was a good thing, he stopped doing it. But he does speak his second language so I think that is some kind of outcome.

My mum read to me from day 1 and until I started correcting her! I now have a B.A Hons degree from Leeds in English. Myself and my husband and my parents constantly read to my DS who is 30 months. He loves books and will bring one over and say "Read this one please!". I hope he will always love literature!

Thank you for all your comments. As I am just starting reading and research it was just a starting point to see where I could go with this topic. As I get further into the research for my dissertation I will post a link to a questionnaire. Thanks again for the helpful advice

There will be lots of variables to consider. Those who read to their children from birth vs those who started later, the parents' own literacy levels, the age of the children involved, plus different children have inherently different skill sets and abilities, working parents vs stay at home parents. Its really huge.

www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/VBCJCJK it would be greatly appreciated if you could answer my pilot questionnaire for my dissertation and give me feedback on what things I should changes.

Many thanks.

Hi, done the survey an a couple of things: you ask how often do I read, presume you mean books. DD is only 3 so doesn't read herself but enjoys being read to. Last question is a bit academic dense.

Also it shows me the results which you don't want.

Thank you very much for getting back to me. As said the the questionnaire it was a pilot, so your feedback is much appreciated! ☺️

You need to allow for a range of children. Your academic question is not clear for the average person. It all reads very basic and not like very much thought has gone into your study at all.

FWIW I have four children. All have been encouraged to enjoy books. Eldest and third child were reading basic three letter phonic words by themselves around 4, second child is dyslexic and always enjoyed making up her own stories with the pictures more than reading. Fourth wasn’t interested in books at all. Wouldn’t sit to be read to. Yet was reading age 4 before starting school- I am convinced minecraft and YouTube are to thank for his reading skills.
I am a bookworm. Dh takes forever to read a book.

I think you might need to have a look at what the adult is reading and why and consider all adults in the household

ie do you read books, newspapers, magazines
do you read for pleasure, for purpose such as knowledge of current affairs, inform work, to model good behaviour

then with the children you probably need options for more children
then

do you hear your child read out loud
school books as part of their learning
frequency
other types of reading (recipes, notices)

does your child read for pleasure or other purposes like homework
types of materials they read for those purposes

do you read to your child
types of material
time of day
reasons

OK, here's my two peenyworth:
I didn't know what to put for the first question - I only find time to read novles when I am on holiday, however, I read every day - indeed, am reading to answer this survey, and every time I faff about on MN, plus all the stuff I have to read for work, and so forth.
Q4 - you might need to think who you are asking this of.... perhaps establish the age of the child first. I've said 'no' as my 16 yr old doesn't want me reading her bedtime stories, oddly enough, but when they were little it was a routine part of every bedtime for many, many years, as well as sharing books a lot at other times of day.

HTH