Top Tips for Children's Reading

Research carried out by distant learning organisation, Learndirect shows that more than 54 per cent of parents admit to brushing up on their English and maths to improve aspects of their lives, such as work and almost 32 per cent of parents want to brush up on their basic English and maths to support their children's learning and development, such as reading together. Now Learndirect have teamed up with top children's author, Peter Corey to help parents boost their children's reading skills and help families re-charge during the final week of the summer holidays - with tips for reading together as a family and top recommended reads. Two free online storybooks help prepare children starting or going back to school and these can be found on www.learndirect.co.uk/readtogether.

Peter's top 10 tips for making reading a great experience for kids of all ages

1. Read little and often - 10 to 15 minutes a day is fine. For younger children, use bedtime or bathtime if there's no time during the day;
2. Try to make reading fun, so don't pressure your child if they're tired or lose interest. Laugh at the funny stuff and enjoy rhyming words - this can be very rewarding;
3. Enjoy the story - talk about it and encourage your child to ask questions. You can then see how well they've understood what they've read;
4. Enjoy the pictures too. They can make words easier to understand and bring the story to life;
5. Be brave in your choice of reading. Search around, even if you think you've found you and your child's favourite author;
6. Borrow books from the library. They have lots of choice and can match the right person to the right book;
7. Long words can be broken down into smaller parts to make them easier. Some English spellings don't make sense but don't worry if you or your child stumble - it might be the word's fault;
8. Don't be afraid to judge a book by its cover and check what's written on the back. It should help you decide if you and your child will enjoy the book;
9. Kids enjoys repetition as it helps them understand stories, so don't worry if they want to read the same book again and again;
10. Always praise your child for trying hard to read and let them know it's OK to make mistakes. We all get words wrong. Practice makes perfect and solving reading problems together is part of what makes storytime fun.