Mumsnet users share their tips for encouraging their children to love reading with McDonald's

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Reading with your child can be a fun, educational and rewarding experience, but reading may be an activity your child comes to associate with schoolwork rather than fun. With their fifth Happy Readers campaign coming up soon, McDonald's would like to hear about how you encourage your children to love reading.

Here's what McDonald's has to say: "We're committed to helping families enjoy time reading together and believe in the power of stories to ignite children’s amazing imaginations. However it’s not always easy to fit regular reading into busy lives. As we prepare for our 5th Happy Readers campaign, giving away a free book with every Happy Meal, we're keen to get advice from Mumsnetters. Your tips and advice for building a love of reading with your children, inventive ways you manage to build regular story time and reading into your busy lives, and, with the school holidays in full swing, all the ways you encourage, nurture and ignite your children’s imagination. Through reading and beyond."

How do you encourage a love of reading? Do you have tips for building reading into your child's daily routine? How do you ignite your child's imagination while reading with them?

However you encourage a love of reading with your child and using their imagination, share this with McDonald's below to be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

Always when shopping they are encouraged to choose a book does not matter where from charity shops are a good option

We have a deal that I read a few chapters of whatever book we're reading - at the minute it's Demon Dentist - and in return she reads to me from an appropriate reading book. She loves it and is so proud when she can read to me.

Both my husband and myself are big readers, so lots of books in the house. When the DCs were young we read with them and used the library more.

I have always made sure that children get a book with their presents.
Now I’m passing on all my kids books to my nieces and to my step sons.
I always make sure that I take them to bookshops and any books they want they always get!
We always have a bedtime story too!

Making books available, all the time, is the most important thing. We try and use books to answer questions, rather than immediately turning to the internet.

We go to the library every week and have books displayed in dc's bedroom and playroom. I try and read three books to her each night and we talk about books regularly.

Re-reading favourite books again and again so that they can join in, even with the words they cannot read is good. We started bed time storeis from a very young age and my 2 love books.

Trips to the library to chose their own books, charity shop spending money again for them to make their own choices. I buy and borrow books I want them to read ( or I want to read to them) but they get to choose their own books too. And all reading is good - those endless bloody rainbow fairies or Thomas the tank, or the dinosaur fact books - i devoured all sorts of dreadful books when I was a child and love to read a wide range of fiction now.

We have had story time since they were babies. Use our local library too: story and rhyme time, treasure hunts, author focus days, etc. I read daily too which my kids are aware of.

I read a lot, and that does help them see reading as a normal activity.

Going to the library being a normal, regular activity.

Story time being part of bedtime routine from around 18 months old, following the words with your finger so they can see and hear the word at the same time.

I’ll pick a new book the night before from a stash of new ones DD doesn’t know about we pick up from shops or charity shops.
Then we’ll talk about the animal or something related to the story during the day. Then at bedtime, I’ll get the new book out and she’s really keen to hear the story because it’s so relatable to her thoughts during the day. She’ll often ask for that story again the next night. She’s only 2.5 but a real bookworm with a fantastic imagination!
I also recommend the traditional short stories which she is really enjoying at the moment because she reads them out to me! This week’s favourites are ‘Pardon? Said the giraffe’ and ‘Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see?’.

I try to instil the old fashioned route of "normal" books with pictures and fun stories but am happy for my daughter to read on a tablet or other device as any reading is good reading in erm, my book lol.

Books, books and more books! DD is a bookworm like me. If she's bored, upset, tired etc. she reads for comfort just as I read to her to calm her down as a small child. If she's got a good book she can't put it down.

How do you encourage a love of reading? Do you have tips for building reading into your child's daily routine? How do you ignite your child's imagination while reading with them?

Lots and lots of books of a wide variety.

Never telling them that a book or story is too old/young or easy/difficult for them.

Asking them about what they've read and if they've learned anything (not all books are stories).

Talking about what we like about the book.

Having fun with reading e.g. using funny voices or reenacting the characters with their toys and teddies.

Making up different endings for stories.

Reading stories that have repetition so they can join in before they're even able to read.

Rereading the same stories over and over, as well as introducing new ones, and not showing that I find it boring because sometimes reading a familiar book is like putting on an old, fluffy coat.

I use books and magazines as a treat and as a reward for good behaviour as well as buying them just because we have seen them in the shop.

If they're not keen on the books they bring home from school then I encourage them to give it a go but if it's really crap and dull then writing that in their reading record and letting them read something else from the book shelf at home. Reading should always be a choice and never something that has to be done, or to be endured. If they don't like something, then all them to explain why they don't enjoy it.

If they develop an interest in something, for example trains or a certain period in history or a certain type of animal, take them to the library or to the bookshop to choose a book about it (or, if there aren't any, search for it together on Google). This teaches them that we can find lots of books that suit a wide range of interests.

Encouraging them to respect books and not to tear them or scribble in them. Show them how to put them on the shelf properly as well as how to handle them carefully.

My youngest DS is 6 and loves books and being read to. Every few weeks I take him to the local library to get lots of story books and I read him a bedtime story every night. We practise his reading from school every day also which I think has contributed to his love of books.

We are a family of readers! Luckily for us, DS also picked up a love of reading and right now reading books above his age. Whenever he doesn't understand a word he asks us, but usually he understands the meaning due to the context it's used in which is so useful as it expands his vocabulary.

I also never say no to any books he wants. We went to a summer fair and asked for a particular book which I thought was above his age, but I never said no as I don't think it's right to limit things like that. That said, I wouldn't buy him adult books or young adult books (ones that may include concepts that are beyond him).

We are a family of readers! Luckily for us, DS also picked up a love of reading and right now reading books above his age. Whenever he doesn't understand a word he asks us, but usually he understands the meaning due to the context it's used in which is so useful as it expands his vocabulary.

I also never say no to any books he wants. We went to a summer fair and asked for a particular book which I thought was above his age, but I never said no as I don't think it's right to limit things like that. That said, I wouldn't buy him adult books or young adult books (ones that may include concepts that are beyond him).

Make weekly trips to the library a special outing and always have cuddles with a book at bedtime.

we always have bedtime stories

I grew up with love of books and reading and remember being distraught and puzzled (combined) when visiting teh houses of friends who had none!

My parents houses were filled with reference books from Readers Digest and similar - a wealth of information to answer (almost) any question!

Now that I am a mum, books are a priority for me. They need to have a decent story (as a mum of a little girl, I am very mindful of gender stereotypes and too-pink tales for little girls). I also look for books that will last - that have a story that can be read again and again and that have attractive illustrations.

Well done McDs!!!

Let them see you reading. Regularly. And enjoying it.

When they were young just lots if stories, lots of books around etc. As teenagers it has been more difficult...technology/schoolwork/social lives and jobs can all get in the way...following their interests is key, I have no interest in Bear Grylls and his latest adventure or post apocalyptic fiction but if it floats their boat I am happy. My most reluctant reader will happily read through the Sunday papers, so it doesn't have to be a novel.

We've always had books around from him being a baby. DS has used them for reading, hiding behind, ramps for his cars, plates in his kitchen. We always read a story when he needed some down time.

He's 3 now and loves to read with us. I do 2 stories at bedtime and if he brushes his teeth nicely, DH will read him a 'bonus story'.

Have family reading hour to encourage