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How often do you read to your children? Do you take them to the library? What about a bedtime story? do you read yourself and they therefore get a positive image of reading?
All these things will really help your child to learn and to do well at school. We live in an age where everything is online/on Tv and the simple pleasure of reading can often ger overlooked.
What are the positives for us? It gives us something constructive to do in our one to one time with our child. It forces us to have that one to one time. We can nurture our relationship as we do the funny voices in the story, encourage our child to say what the next word might be, maybe they will even then have a look at the books themselves if they are not good at settling down to sleep. In the daytime, it gives us a chance to sit down, for some quiet time. And if we get our children used to stories then we can make up our own, I used to invent them with my child as the central character in the story, This can be especially effective when there's a moral point to be made. The "character" can stop hitting their brother or can use their potty successfully, for instance.
So have a look at some book suggestions for more serious topics here (click) and see these top tips here from none other than Hilary Clinton about helping our child to read and improve their speech (click). However, reading should also be about fun and getting a book which features their favourite TV character is a great idea!
What do you think?
First link doesn't seem to work for me Louise, the article of Hillary Clinton is lovely and very helpful
I love the sound of your read-a-thons, skyflower.
Have fixed the link but it is for younger children, we also have a helpful list for the 10+ age range which might be more helpful, see here
I believe reading with our children gives them a beautiful gift for when they are adults. As we know, it is a magical way of escaping when we need a bit of down time but also brings the gift of exploration into worlds other than our own. It definitely expands our knowledge and the world around us.
My daughter still recites a couple of her favourite books.
My ex never used to read. His first experience of a book was in prison. He read Billie Holiday's autobiography and suddenly found something that he could relate to. It changed his life and went on to read all sorts.
That's really interesting Anna, that he finally discovered books in prison.
What does anyone else do about reading with their children?
I read to both mine and I read a lot myslef, in the bath and on the toilet quite a lot :) the only place I've gotten free time since being a parent : ) I also have a lot of books digitaly that I read on my phone when on buses, at work, out and about, stuff like that.
My daughter has caught the reading bug, the other day I walked into the kitchen and she had her nose in Cubeworld while absent mindedly stirring some porridge on the stove, she's nine and has to sort of reach up to get the wooden spoon in the pan.
When ever I walk past the toilet she's sat there doing her buisiness with her face in a book, she's a good reader, from year three when she entered middle school she had passed all reading levels for primary age children, she's like Matilda, in fact she has read many of the Roald Dahl books.
Her teachers were quite amaized with her, they showed me her scores which were all in the eleven twelve year old range when she was seven.
Obvioulsy she's a genious and I'm not one of those parents that thinks their children are more amazing than anyone elses. : )
But joking aside I think my daughter is a good reader because I used to read to her a lot and she has always seen me reading, even if we are sat in the local indian take away I will read Golf players monthley or Fishing magazine or what ever, I have always encouraged them to read, read road signes, pamflets, the sides of lorries, where ever there is writing, and it is all around us, and that is why both my children are good readers even if my son doesnt have the same love for books my daughter does.
I still can't spell though, my daughter can though and I often ask her to spell for me : ) and that's bizarre as she is nine and I'm 47 : ) I've just been using her to spell words here that I wasn't sure of, it's like she naturaly knows how words are made, where there are double letters things like that and it's all because she has been reading from an early early age : )
That's what I think anyway but then my opinion may be biased : )
Here is a picture of her in action, Christmas 13.12.2012 in Llandudno. Walking while reading : )
I like the pic! I also like the looks on the faces of the people at the bus stop as they clearly think you are from the TV and they might get on, ha 
Agree with the spelling and reading thing. They get used to seeing the way different words are written, which is why text-speak undermines spelling as that is what they get used to seeing.
Reading on the toilet is an extra topic. Some books are better than others for this..short stories and more straightfoward things.
Does anyone have older children who would rather listen to a story on headphones rather than read it themselves? My youngest would be such a one. I like listening to stories on the radio and it is a good way of getting to sleep if having a bad night.
I used to read to them every night Louise, all sort of stories. I have always loved reading as we used to go to the library every week and often all of us as a family were sitting in the livingroom, absorbed by our books. sometimes I was so deep into the story, they had to shout my name and I still didn't hear them
My children love reading and I have spoilt them a bit I think, as each has a kindle now and we all read certainly in bed and many times in the living room. I buy them loads of books, I started off by reading reviews and buying very different styles and now they choose and I add some I think they might like as well, not to let them get stuck by always the same writers.
Both my children have excellent reading skills and are really good in spelling. I will check out your links, thanks Louise