How Lexonik Staff Encourage their Children to Read

While the school holidays are a great time for children and young people to recharge, they’re also a period in which habit and passion can be formed around the nature of ‘reading for pleasure’.

Of course we don’t want to be sternly setting goals and commitments to the degree a child might experience them in an academic term, but at Lexonik, we do firmly believe you can use the holidays to assist in a child fostering behaviours which serve to entertain, boost creativity, and aid academic capability.

Here are some of the ways in which our staff say that they encourage their children to read:

My daughter enjoys completing the reading challenges on the book site Goodreads. When she was younger I always used to take her to the library.

TIP: Consider looking up apps and sites like Goodreads. And always make use of your local library

Although my daughter is a teenager, we are reinstating the bedtime story to read her GCSE set text together (currently 'Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde') and also to make sure we end our busy day together like the old days when she was little.

TIP: Reading together doesn’t need to stop at a particular age. It can make the learning process far more fun, even when GCSE study is now involved.

My young son doesn't enjoy sitting and reading a book like some children do, but he enjoys getting involved with cooking and baking. I encourage him to read out the steps in the recipes to me and help me get the ingredients measured out whilst we cook together.

TIP: Remember reading isn’t JUST about reading from storybooks. Kitchen tasks a great way to get children involved.

When my children were young they would only occasionally read books. But during the summer we often went on long walks in the countryside and I would encourage them to read out the directions from the guidebook.

TIP: Another fabulous example of non-storybook reading practice

I am a huge reader so I find that in itself inspires my children to read too

TIP: Leading by example is a very important role to play

I encourage my children to swap books with their friends

TIP: Swap shops are a great approach and provide fun, variety – and save cost

When my young children have read a book or we have read one together, I encourage them to write about the book and draw pictures of the characters and the things that they read about

TIP: This is a great way of extending the learning experience and encouraging comprehension development

A big bookcase at home with access to lots of books and a cozy area to sit and read

TIP: The right reading environment makes a big difference!

My children have never been interested in reading fictional stories, but when they show an interest in a new hobby or interest such as animals, trains or a famous person they are interested in, I buy them a book so that they can learn more about it

TIP: Always think about the child’s unique passions and interests

We go to the library together every week, our local library runs summer reading competitions where they can win a prize. There are often events held at the library related to books and reading.

TIP: Healthy competition is a brilliant way to keep youngsters interested

I have older kids and younger ones so I often ask the older ones to read the bedtime story to the younger ones, this gets them all interested in reading

TIP: If siblings can read to one another, this is a brilliant way of them getting to witness their progression and to share in the joy of a younger child’s reading journey

We have a few road trips planned this summer so I always keep books in the car to help keep the kids entertained

TIP: Make it part of time which would otherwise be spent idle

At bedtime I encourage all of my children to read to each other, we often do silly voices and each have a character that we play

TIP: You don’t need to be ultra serious when reading. Introducing voices and humour can be more engaging

We give books to each other as gifts and there are a few birthdays in our family over the holidays so my kids will certainly be receiving some exciting new books to read

TIP: Books make for a great gesture, and don’t have to be expensive

My children love reading so I try to read some of the same books they have read, or I share books with them that I read as a child so that we can talk about them together

Finding ways to make reading part of family conversation is a great endeavour

What about you?

How do you encourage your children to read – be it in a home or school environment?

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