'My kids will not sit down and read....sigh'. I regularly have this thought. I feel like a failure, I am a teacher for goodness sake and the husband is brainy too. Why don't they just sit down and read? I used to do that - or did I? In reality I was busy twirling a brush around in the garden with ambitions of being in 'the front row' of the majorette troupe. These things are important to a 9 year old. Not to worry, this skill paid off because I still have the muscle memory to wang a 2ft brush around my head.
It's not really a surprise that our kids aren't glued to books when competing for their attention is Fortnite, Roblox and Among Us. All those flashy colours and opportunities to chat with friends are an understandable distraction. Yet we all know that there is nothing like getting lost in a book. For most of us it's when we are on holiday, that 'other world' that you escape to is unique and entrancing. Nicola Morgan (who writes excellent books) calls it 'readaxation' because it zones you out better than most activities.
We all know the benefits of reading and lecture our kids regularly but will they listen? No. With my oldest child (aged 9) and reading, I have the 'parent guilt'. She does not sit in a corner and read like I would like her to, if she does (because I have bribed her over the tablet) she always wants to read Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Tom Gates, at a push David Walliams. I know that I am being unreasonably harsh on myself because when I gather the evidence I find that my kids do read (at night). I once even overheard my eldest recommending a book on an online chat. My youngest is obsessed with Rory Branagan, which is hilarious and has started a family joke about silent farts being called a 'Wilkins Wellkins'.
In my desperate pursuit to turn my kids into bookworms I have gathered a plethora of advice through the combination of good google search and playground chats and I think that these really work:
- Read yourself (your phone doesn't count). Kids mirror your behaviour so if you want them to read, read. I am the worst for phone gawping because they are so addictive, but putting your phone down and picking up a book is the best thing you can do for yourself and your kid. My youngest has more of an interest in books, I think because one summer I had a conscious effort to put my phone down and pick up a book. I was glad I did, books are much more fun and better for your mental health than doom scrolling the internet. Still this is far easier said than done and I have a long way to go here.
- Let them read the Wimpy Kids. Try not to be so quick to dis the books they like - have you read them? Without Walliams my kids would not have got onto chapter books and he has some corking books: Awful Auntie, Bad Dad and The Midnight Gang are all big hits in my house.
- Read to them and it doesn't have to be at night. My eldest doesn't really need a bedtime story but every now and then I read to her. It's a great escape from my school work and it makes for good bonding as we discuss what's going to happen next.
- Talk about books, if you have your book handy all the time you're more likely to read it. Also your child will be curious about it, so tell them what your book is about. Reading 'The Institute' by Stephen King on holiday, my daughter wanted to know what it was about, when I told her it was about kids with special powers that had been kidnapped, she wanted an update every day.
- Take recommendations. What got me into books eventually was recommendations, I always try to read a Booker Prize winner - the ultimate recommendation. Waterstones are amazing and the people who work in the kids books are a fountain of knowledge, my kids will eagerly pick up a book that they have recommended. Books can be an inspiration my eldest is really enjoying the Wimpy Kid Movie Diaries and now wants to get into making films.
- Go to the library - often. Not only will it save you money but it shows your kids that books are important to you if you visit the library often. I know in Covid times this may be difficult but check their online offer. Our library has a ready reads scheme where you offer your preferred reads and they choose something similar - I have had some humdingers from this scheme.
- Reading corner/den. This is what schools do, they have a cosy corner where students can read. Kids love making a den so get them to go ahead. Even if they don't read in it, it has got them out of your hair for a half hour.
- Positive labelling: I will probably write about this later but society labels kids. For example expectations are that girls have neat handwriting and read quietly but boys run around and punch each other. This is typical of the type of labelling that our kids face. So how do we overcome that? By telling them they are a reader and a good one at that. Watch this space for a future blog about stereotyping and positive labelling.
- Liaise with school. Find out what book they are studying at school, ask for some recommendations from the teacher or ask if your child can do a show and tell with a book they have read. Kids love to impress their teachers and teachers love it when your child reads.
- Go factual. My kids, actually mostly their dad, love a rummage through The Guinness Book of Records. Who doesn't want to know about the most 'high fives by a rat'? This is a British record - punches the air!
- Try the news. No not the doom scrolling stuff that you look at. We all know Newsround is a classic but this article by The Guardian gives some alternatives. I am going to check these out this week.
- Audiobooks. I can't take credit for this one: my neighbour 'Jo' and 'Charlotte' my colleague both recommend Audio books. Jo recommends The Wizard in my shed for her lively boys who have loved it. Charlotte says 'As a family of dyslexics I was amazed when the educational psychologists recommended audiobooks - I had been slavishly pushing traditional reading and I thought audiobooks were cheating. But his rationale was that audiobooks allowed them to improve vocabulary and their writing styles. It also meant that they enjoyed the stories and worked through them in good pace'.
Book Trust - Far more knowledgeable than me.
Books:
The Boy In The Back Of The Class - my eldest loves anything by this author.
Rory Branagan series
Our Head of English has this reading list that she gives out, our headteacher recommends them as her son loved them. She credits an extremely generous teacher who shared this online originally.
Here are more that aren't on the list and/or extra nuggets of advice:
Deepti recommends: Good night stories for rebel girls, Spiderwick Chronicles (younger children) and the Awesome book awards
Alice recommends: Heroes of Olympus Series and The Rooftoppers
Emily and Sarah-Jane both recommend the library, Sarah-Jane recommends swapping books with friends to save money.
Lauren recommends Roald Dahl and reading about Greek Myths. She also says read anything, her daughter is obsessively learning the periodic table from Osbourne Books.
Charlotte recommends Eva Ibbotson
Vicky recommends The Firework Maker's Daughter - Phillip Pullman
Duncan says just get them to read and he gave his son graphic novels, anime and autobiographies and he became a professional animator. He gave his arty daughter Marianne Dreams who read it multiple times.
Liz recommends poetry and the genius that is Michael Rosen - who doesn't love 'Chocolate Cake' - yummy!
Lottie recommends the Percy Jackson series
Kerry recommends audiobooks with the Alexa every night as part of the bedtime routine. She also recommends books by Tom Fletcher and David Baddiel.
Thanks CFS people!
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