Reading Tips :
Janette Wallis, educational expert for LeapFrog shares her tips on how you can maximise reading time with your children :
1. Family reading time should be about quality rather than quantity. Just 10 minutes of time spent interacting with books with your child will inspire a love and appreciation of reading
2. Children like routine so try to find a regular daily time for reading that you can both look forward to. It doesn’t have to be bedtime – bath time, breakfast or after supper can be good times to share a book
3. Make reading exciting: brush up your dramatic skills, use different voices, or insert your child’s name in place of one of the characters. Be lavish with your praise! Try books with colourful illustrations and other interactive elements that help keep them engaged
4. Give your child an active role in reading time – let them choose which book you read and ask them to tell parts of the story. A reluctant reader can often be encouraged to read by taking turns with a parent, page by page
5. Ask your child questions about the book. Look at the cover and illustrations together and see if your child can guess the story line. What was their favourite bit of the story? Talking it over afterwards will give you an idea of how much they have understood.
6. Set an example. You are your child’s most important role model so make sure he or she sees you reading – whether it’s a newspaper, a recipe, e-mails or a book. When you’re away from home remember to take along books, story CDs and other material for your child to read and listen to.
