Share your tips for encouraging kids to read at home to win £100 worth of books from the Reading Ladder

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Reading Ladder is a brand new reading series which provides quality stories for a wide range of readers. Featuring well-loved authors, classic characters and favourite topics we’ve got something for everyone! Perfect for parents and great for teachers too the series has been developed with leading literacy consultant Nikki Gamble!

Parents told us that they wanted a simple system for choosing the right book for their child and we think Reading Ladder is it! Our system of three levels is easy to understand and every book features clear, appealing level branding. Each title includes guidance for parents and carers and tips for shared reading and they are all branded for use as resources in school!

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Share your tips for encouraging kids to read at home for a chance to win 20 books from the Reading Ladder series worth £100

This discussion is sponsored by Egmont and will end on 9 May

Let the kids choose fun books that they will enjoy reading or having read to them. Once they realise that reading is enjoyable and fun the battle should be won.

read right from the minute they are born. make reading a pleasure long before they even start school. when they start school find a time that works best for your child and you - some read better in the morning after a good nights sleep, others after school when they are fully awake. have your child see you with books and reading for pleasure.

I read to my bump when I was pregnant, I bought black and white picture books to show my babies when they were born, they had a library card by 3 weeks old and I have read to them every day/night. All my children are wonderful readers, advanced for their ages, and the one thing they see all the time? Me reading!

Always have books about the house and try and make a cosy corner where the children can escape to and read. It starts of course with bedtime stories.

My tip is to read books yourself for pleasure. If your children see you enjoying a book, it becomes part of family life and they'll be more likely to pick up a book themselves.

Having books read to as a child generates the love for stories, a passion that hopefully youngsters can't wait to explore on their own. We shouldn't make the mistake of knocking comic books and magazines - at least they're reading if they're showing interest in these (and in fairness, some of the Marvel and DC originals are far superior a read to many conventional story books).

And for REALLY reluctant readers:-
TIP ONE:- Watch the film adaptation of classics --> this will encourage them to follow that up by reading the subsequent books in the series (including the adapted one to get the story in print form)
TIP TWO:- Use line drawings depicting the characters to create animated flip books (where the characters appear to be moving). This will generate interest in the characters and the books.
TIP THREE:- Follow this up with creating own mini-comic book. And book marks. And 2-D stand-ups against background to create 3-D stop motion animation (with Digital Blue cameras & Windows Movie Maker). Etc., etc.

:)

I think start "reading" picture books with your baby straight away & just keep on going as they grow. My kids and all the kids I have looked after have seemed to go on to love reading. My daughter especially is a complete book worm now

I've always encouraged reading with my children and started reading stories from when they were born. I've always tried to make reading fun by putting on silly voices. When they find it fun they naturally want to read books themselves. I also read every day to them.

We have two bedtime stories every night and my dd will read her stories in bed by herself while I have a shower every morning. We've read to her since she was tiny even when it didn't seem that she was interested!

comics and funny books in between ones on the school reading list

Any and every type of reading is encouraging to all ages. Make up a silly game with letters or magazine and book titles. I have always enjoyed reading so get on with it parents.

I have read to both of them since they were born - even a newborn who can't look at the book, can hear the intonation of your voice change and start to become familiar with the syntax of the language in which you speak/read to them. I have read every single night before bedtime and often when they have requested stories at other times. They see me read for pleasure, and I think the combination of regularly reading to them and knowing that reading is a pleasurable past time, not just a chore, has helped both of my boys to enjoy reading. At 7 and 2 they both pick up books because they want to read or be told a story, and I plan to continue encouraging their blossoming love of reading (despite the drudge of the Biff, Chip and Kipper years!)

We keep all our children's books on a low shelf so they can choose the ones they want to read

Don't force it, make it fun, read books that they are interested in. If they are bored, find a different book to read! Read magazines, road signs, leaflets etc!

I've always read to mine since they were born and it's part of our lives. We go to The Works regularly and they are always allowed to spend time choosing their own books so that they get just what they want to read. They're enjoying building up their own little libraries in their bedrooms, and, like me, they're learning to treat books with respect.

I hope this carries on with them because I have a real love of books and reading, and I'd love them to get the pleasure I do from it.

We are all book worms in this house. We have turned old cupboards in the kids rooms into book shelves. They have book swap nights between them and myself snd my husband always share a story with them before bed. We also have cuddle up nights where we all pile into our big bed with teddys pillows etc and read together. My 6 year old son prefers books about things that interest him such as space or dinosaurs he also loves the Dirty Bertie books or Dennis the Menace as they get up to no good and he thinks thats hilarious! My 9year old daughters favourite books are Roald Dahl and Cathy Cassidy.

I agree about making it fun. Read things that children are interested in! Also agree re reading yourself.

Having books available to your children from the moment they are born! All 3 of mine love reading, they have always had books available and they loved to just look at them by themselves from the moment they could hold the book. We also always read before bed.

Look out for author events locally.

We are very lucky in that we live near the Discover Story Centre and my DDs absolutely love meeting authors and getting signed copies of books. They re-read them over and over and look out for other books by the same author.

We have lots of books at home and a variety of fiction & non-fiction.

DD loves reading her amazing facts books as well as history books. We also read older stories eg Roald Dahl, and she'll read a sentence or two as we go along.

We operate zero pressure but gently encourage.

Computer games have helped loads too :)

Get them what they are interested, even if it's magazines, it doesn't matter what they are reading as long as they are reading

Keep books really accessible to children, so that they can play with them (as opposed to on a shelf). Both my young children really enjoy finding out about books, and have some lovely pre-literacy skills. My daughter lined up her teddies and gave them a book each - very sweet

Buy books in all different formats - sound books, magnet puzzles and jigsaw books all help to keep it fun. Have lots of books accessible - we keep some of the sturdier board books in the toy chest to help reinforce the idea that books are just as fun as toys.
Try to read series of books by authors your children enjoy. My DC love looking at the back cover of some of our books which show other titles pointing out which books they know and which they'd like to read next.

We keep all the children's books within reach and at eye level to encourage a read.
Furthermore, I leave out anything that may peak an interest in my children to read such as (Argos!) catalogues, supermarkets' own monthly magazines, the back of cereal boxes, toy packaging etc etc.
Lastly, I have introduced audio books to the household - my children will happily sit and draw/colour or even lay quietly down on the sofa whilst listening to an Enid Blyton or Roald Dahl audio book. In my opinion, reading doesn't necessarily mean in the traditional page turning sense.

DS1 loved books from when he was a baby, read early and is still a complete bookworm. He's 10 now and has recently started reading Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams which makes me very happy.

DS2 wouldn't sit still for a story when he was little, but does want to be just like his big brother, so the two can quite often be found reading Tintin or Garfield together. I have a charity shop addiction and buy them any books they fancy. DS2 still likes choosing picture books even though he can read well. I'm fine with that, as it builds his confidence. I do refuse to read the really dire ones to him though!