Supporting Reading  at home

If you can encourage your child to read for pleasure, they will really reap the benefits. 

Research shows that reading for pleasure can be directly linked to children’s success throughout their time at school and even into adulthood.

Reading give children the opportunity to use their imagination to explore new ideas, visit new places and meet new characters. Interestingly, reading for pleasure also improves children’s well-being and empathy. It helps them to understand their own identity, and gives them an insight into the world and the views of others.

Here are some ideas for encouraging your child to read for pleasure. Below this are some links to activities that support reading.

• •  Set aside a special time – just a few minutes a day is enough to create a reading habit.

  •  Read to each other – if your child really doesn’t want to read on their own, then read together. You read a page, then they read a page. Or one of you could read any dialogue. Be brave and put on different voices.

  •  Value the books they choose to read – all reading is valuable for a child’s development. Some of us prefer non-fiction; some of us prefer comics. One child might like superhero books; another might a book of football statistics.

  • Join the library. You can access East Lothian library services in person and online https://www.eastlothian.gov.uk/info/210562/libraries 

  • Set a challenge – can they read ten books before they’re ten? Can they read a book from six different genres: a comic, an information book, a funny book, a sci-fi book, a classic and an instruction manual?

  •  Reading buddies – reading to a younger sibling can boost your child’s self-confidence and communication skills.

  • Online activities to support reading. Click on the links below to explore: