How to raise a reader (for life)

[Aabbaas]

Of course it’s not possible to predict what she’ll do in the future but I’d love if DD could be an avid reader growing up.
She is about to start year 1 and can read books with us but hasn’t yet reached the stage where she picks a book to read by herself.

Things we have done to help:

• started reading books when she was basically a new born
• her room is filled with many books and we read to her 2-3 books every single night before bed
• weekly trips to the local library where she is free to choose whatever she wants
• read her school books at least 3-4 times a week to practice

Is there anything else we can do? We are trying to gentlw encourage her to be a bit more independant in her reading but I appreciate she isn’t even 6 yet so she has time.
How much of what we do at home can influence whether she’ll grow up loving reading or not?

Model reading. Read yourself and talk about the books you’re reading.

Don't have a child with dyslexia, or phonological processing issues.

That's pretty much what I did with my DCs. The library trips were particularly valuable I think and I loved reading to them at nighttime.

Both were avid readers until their teens when it dropped off. Now they're in their 20s DS has subsequently gone back to inhaling books at a furious rate, DD much less so but does read sometimes as well as listening to audiobooks.

Why are you so keen for her to be an 'avid reader'?

I happen to be one, by the way, and always have been. I was desperate to read from a really young age and could read before I went to school. There was always access to books to home and a mum willing to read 20+ picture books each night (sorry, mum!) and invest time in it, but it was, and is, an interest that stems from genuine enjoyment. No-one made me that way.

My DD enjoys reading and is at a reading level years above the average for her age. She also has access to a wide variety of books, library trips, a mum who reads and still reads to her, but it's not her passion. She lives for dancing.

You can't force what people love.

read her school books at least 3-4 times a week to practice

Sorry, do you mean she only reads to you 3 or 4 times a week or she reads the same book 3 or 4 times before the reading book is changed? If she's only reading 3 or 4 times per week, that's not enough, frankly and would get you a call from the class teacher I'm my daughter's school.

Maybe not be so pushy with the reading? I mean, buy her books and don’t stand in her way, but reading is something that you either love or you don’t.

Are you an avid reader? If not, would someone pushing it at you make you more so?

Talk to her about the plots / characters / events in her books & books that you enjoyed reading as a child - for example I can remember reciting the Gruffalo when we walked through a “deep dark wood”; DS1 sharing with me his ideas for further plots for the Wolf after reading Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf; & having a very long & in-depth discussion about whether the Sorting Hat made the correct choices (this was on a long walk when I wanted to stop DS1 & DS2 squabbling).

Audiobooks for car journeys.

I think the biggest thing you can do is keep her off phones for as long as possible.

DS12 absolutely loves reading but one thing we did do was put less pressure on reading the school reading books. They were only tested for reading levels maybe once every half term so he could be stuck with a book / level for weeks and it started to put him off.

As long as he read it a couple of times, we then just let him read books at home that he was actually interested in. We made sure he was understanding the words he was reading and their meaning, could tell us what he enjoyed or not, what he’d like to happen next etc so the book had meaning and not just a series of words.

He still loves going to Waterstones, choosing and buying a book,then sitting and reading it with cake in the cafe.

This was what was great about growing up in the 1970s. It meant fewer TV and no digital distractions. I was lucky.

Both parents loved to read and spent their time reading instead of watching television. They read to me often, and our home was full of classic books. I loved curling up on the sofa with a story and talking about it with them. It felt natural, not forced.

I naturally followed their example. I did the same with my own children, reading to them from a young age. Once a month, we made a special trip to Waterstones so they could pick out a new book. Funny enough, although two of my dc love reading, the other, although they enjoyed being read to, doesn’t have the same passion about books.

I think being raised in a household where there are lots of books around and seeing your parents reading for pleasure goes a long way. And reading books with them from when they're babies. Mine always had lots of books - crinkly soft ones as very small babies, little board books that attached to the pushchair with a bungee cord too. Just enjoy books with her, that's the main thing. When they got older, they enjoyed reading a bigger book in chapters at bed time and would look forward to it!

Read for fun yourself. Talk about the book you're reading to them. And read to them, with enthusiasm. I read bedtime stories to all my kids until they told me not to, it's still my 10 year olds favourite bit of the day. I've never bothered with the school reading books, they're a load of rubbish. We're a dyslexic family so maybe we do it differently but all my kids love books, stories and reading. I let them buy whatever books they want, comics, quizzes, joke books, even the dreadful romantasy-horror series my teen DD was obsessed with for a while. My youngest is severely dyslexic but will read a character in a dog man comic while I do the other voices because it makes it fun. They need to want to read the next one the series, and to do that they need to love the story and the characters. I don't think there's anything wrong with getting the books that go with their favourite films and TV characters. I remember my DD would choose any book with peppa pig on the front at that age to read herself, she would read all her baby board books to her dolls.

Relax a bit, let your child choose what they read (mine would only read trashy comics for years, but it turns out that's okay). Audiobooks, yoto are good to promote stories. Model reading, have books in the house, don't always be on your phone.

Accept luck is involved, some kids are better at reading and take to it much more readily than others.

It's plenty alongside op reading other books to her. Forced reading of school books every day is a great way to kill enjoyment of reading.

This may get me shouted at, but once she’s read the school book once and you’re happy she understands, let her read something less bloody tedious.
Still have her reading out loud to you (I’d do this every day) and still discuss the story etc. But once they’re able to read, endless Biff and Chip isn’t going to make them want to read more. Let them choose books once they reach this stage.

Your daughter’s class teacher clearly doesn’t have enough to do.

I don't think you can really create an "avid reader". I was one. So is one of my DCs. The other isn't, despite being raised and encouraged exactly the same as their sibling.

What you're doing is fine. Just make sure they have access to books if needed. One idea: mine always had a "monthly book" they could choose from the local bookshop (on top of usual access at school, at the library, and at home). That said, DC1 would always go around on the 1st or 2nd of the month, super keen to get a new one. DC2 would often not go at all, despite reminders.

My mum and dad always had books around, they loved to read. I grew up with a huge love of reading that had persisted to now. Im 50.
I cant read at work (im a machine operator) but I listen to audio books my whole shift.

You can’t force it. I work in publishing, I work with books and I read books a lot for leisure. Both DC have been read to constantly, we go to the library every week, all that stuff.

DD1 is a good reader for her age, in the top of her class, etc. She still won’t choose to pick up a book in her spare time unless there’s nothing else to do, she prefers to draw and create. And I won’t force her because that’s a sure way to kill any interest dead.

DD2 is younger but she’s a lot more bookish already.

Both brought up the same, just individual personalities.

I agree that modelling reading leaves a lasting impression and your child is likely to emulate you. If you always have a book to hand, if you grab your book instead of your phone when you’ve half an hour to sit with a coffee, if you have shelves of books around the house that are loved and regularly chisen, if you head straight for the books for sale in eg charity shops, reading will be seen as something others in the family genuinely enjoy for the pure pleasure of it. Have fiction and non-fiction, use encyclopaedic books sometimes instead of always defaulting to Google, use recipe books and gardening books. Normalise books as family life and let her follow your lead.

Are you an avid reader @Aabbaas ?

It is interesting that both of my dyslexic boys (now adults) read for pleasure when I don’t think any of their friends do. Maybe because reading was a hard won skill rather than something that came naturally but I read to them both way beyond what would be usual. Even when they could read (8-10) it was hard work for them to read the books that interested them so I kept going every night. Maybe choose some books a bit beyond your daughter’s reading ability to read to her and make it something special to do together.

Blimey, don’t know what planet you are on but as a teacher I would be very pleased child was reading with parent that often. Most parents I dealt with said they didn’t have time to read with their child even books with only one sentence on a page.
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3-4 times a week is fine. I am a teacher and have 4 children (all of whom love reading). We didn't 'over do' the tedious phonics books, we just read them occasionally. It doesn't seem to have hindered my children's ability to read very well and often (or their clear enjoyment of books).

You are definitely doing all the right things to encourage a life long reader. She also needs to see the parents reading and enjoying books. Don’t forget to discuss with her what she likes about a book, dislikes and when reading discussing meanings, making predictions etc.
Audio books are also a great thing to introduce as are books that are age appropriate that you can read online. Oxford Owls comes to mind.