How to Raise a Reader

With any 'parenting advice' (this is not meant to be real parenting advice, I have no clue what I'm doing 99% of the time) I feel like I need to provide a brief disclaimer about where the tips that follow come from.

Firstly, I'm a big reader and as a child read my way through every book I could get my hands on. Secondly, I spent years teaching in a primary school with children in Year 5 and 6, the majority of which were reluctant readers with various learning challenges and together forming a community of readers was a big focus. Lastly, I'm now a mum to a very strong willed 4 year old and yes, she loves books but no, she will not sit down quietly and read them while I read my own books but I live in hope. She does love listening to endless stories though!

All of that, as well as many bookstore chats with the parents and grandparents and kaiako (teachers) who visit, has given me a few tips and tricks for any parent or teacher out there trying to help get kids reading - not because they have to but because it's the best thing ever. Take all of this with a grain of salt, parenting is tough but if you can support your kids to love reading you're setting them up to be curious, empathetic, amazing little humans.

Whether it's stories at bedtime, quiet afternoon reading sessions on the couch, reading to a class full of learners, or in our case bribing our 4 year old to eat by reading her favourite stories at the dinner table - the more we read to our kids, the more we teach them to love stories without them getting stuck on the challenge of reading themselves. 

I'm a huge advocate for teachers reading to their ākonga (learners) as much as possible too. Even once the students are older and reading on their own, reading as a class or as a family means you can be enjoying more challenging books together and giving them the support to extend their reading. 

Below are some of my favourite chapter books for reading aloud that work well in both the home but the classroom too!

Reading is so much more than just decording words and understanding a sentence. Teaching kids the skills of reading is where we help them learn to understand and enjoy the book, help them to understand the way pictures help us as we read, and most importantly (in my completely irrelevant opinion) is supporting kids in learning how to find new books to read that they might enjoy. 

Adults frequently will read a book, love it, then enter a reading slump because they don't know what to pick up next or they pick something up that they don't enjoy as much. Learning whether you like books with a certain pace, certain genres, character types (e.g. I love an unlikeable character but many don't!) can help with then selecting a book that we'll actually enjoy and not just struggle through. 

How can you help kids with their reading skills:

1. Ask them about what they are reading - are they enjoying it? Why? Why not? What's happening in the story at the moment? What do they think might happen next? (you can do this with picture books too!).
2. Help them learn about the fact that there are so many different genres and different types of books out there to choose from.
3. Encourage them to reflect once they finish a book - what made it fun/easy to read? Was there anything they didn't like? Would they like to read more by this author?
4. Model with them how pictures give us clues as we read, how does it add to the story? Sometimes there's more in the pictures than we read in the words.
5. Share how you figure out words you get stuck on - what do you do when you come across a word? Talk about it out loud - making your best guess, checking it online or in a dictionary.
6. Talk to them about how you find books to read! 

Often in the bookshop I see caregivers come in worried that their children are choosing the silly books over the serious ones, or the graphic novels over the chapter books. I always want to grab them, shake them (the adults, not the children) and remind them how lucky they are to have a kid who wants to pick up a book, and even better is learning what they like to read!

Let go of the pressure we put ourselves and our kids under, let them choose the books they love and gently widen the range when you can. Graphic Novels still count as reading, silly books are amazing (have you heard of Dungeon Crawler Carl?).

The delight I see on children's faces when they are let loose in the bookstore to choose their next read fills my heart with much needed hope in the future of humanity. We all love a little treat, and if you can create an atmosphere of delight and agency around choosing books you're doing something amazing. Remember this doesn't have to be a big novel. This could look like letting your toddler choose a board book (hardy enough to survive a few read throughs!), letting your science obsessed 8 year old browse some non-fiction books and find one they click with, or showing your reluctant reader the absolute wonder of a beautifully drawn manga or graphic novel. 

Obviously choosing books requires knowing what is age appropriate which in the age of spicy books becoming more popular can be tricky. Google is your friend, and usually you can quickly get a sense for what age a book is suitable for if you're not sure, but also your handy local bookseller is here to help too so please just ask.

Connected to all of the other points above and below, letting your children see you read and enjoy books is a huge factor. I still remember my grandma's house, every room packed with bookshelves and books, and the joy of going to the library together where she would get excited over finding new books from her favourite authors. As a teacher I always tried to make sure I was reading during our little daily periods of daily quiet reading that we would do independently, rather than trying to grab the time to set up a lesson. I would then share with them about the book I was reading and give them space to share what they were reading. As a parent now I get, no joke, EYE ROLLS from my 4 year old when I bring home a new book (or three). I'm not sure it's helping her become a reader but she knows that reading is something I love and do for fun every day. 

How to show them you love reading:

1. Read around them (even if they aren't reading and playing/drawing)
2. Talk to them about what you're reading
3. Have books out and around
4. Take them book shopping with you
5. Show an enjoyment for the books you read with them too

This is so important, especially for reluctant readers or kids who are a little too into their screen time (literally no judgement here, my girl would watch Danny Go 24/7 if she could). A great way to bridge the shows they love with the books you'd prefer they love is to choose books about what they are watching! 

Whether it's Bluey, Ms Rachel, Danny Go, Paw Patrol, Gabby's Dollhouse, or something else - often there's a picture book out there too which might help reduce the barrier and get them excited to pick up a pukapuka for a change!

Constantly we have kids coming in to pick up the latest Pokemon handbook and guess what, it may not be a chapter book novel that is going to win a prize for literature, but it's a great way for them to practice their reading comprehension skills and if they are keen to pick it up it's worth every dollar! 

Celebrating reading is about creating rituals and traditions around reading! Making it something special and bringing in the community side to reading that is so often left out. Below are some little ideas for celebrating reading as a community whether that is at home, in school, or elsewhere.

1. Encourage kids to write their own stories! Give them an audience - whether it's writing for younger siblings, their grandparents, or having a zine festival in school.
2. Organise a book exchange with friends/another class/the community. Invite tamariki to bring along books they have read and are ready to pass on and do a little swap to find a new read.
3. Have a movie night with the adaptations of their favourite books! Create a whole event out of it with snacks, cosy blankets, and a chance to chat afterwards about the book vs the movie!
4. Get Crafty (about books!) You could try making a book nook together to go on a bookshelf, making your own DIY bookmarks to match your current read, or just doing a drawing sessions inspired by your favourite characters. 
5. Create time for book chats! Whether it's a night a week where you share over dinner about what you've been reading, setting up a lunch time book club at school, or just bringing your kids in to chat with booksellers and librarians (we love it!).
6. Take them to book events and spaces! Recently I took our little one to her first event at Auckland Writer's Festival and it was the most fun ever. Take them to new bookshops, hang out in libraries, celebrate bookish spaces with other bookish people!

Reading is magical. Kids are magical. Parenting is hard, but it's also sometimes magical - especially when you see them pick up a book without you forcing it on them or when you walk into a room and spot them quietly reading to themselves (exit quietly, if they see you the spell might be broken). Whether it's picking up a picture book to enjoy with them before bed tonight, or asking them about their reading - every and any little thing counts. 

To every one of you - the parents, caregivers, grandparents, friends, teachers, kaiako, school librarians, anyone helping to create a culture of reading in an age when there are much shinier things to grab our attention - you are amazing. Keep up the good work.