One child in three doesn't own a book

We read a lot in our house, I've always been a bit of a bookworm since childhood and I love that my little boy (who's just turned three, by the way!) seems to love the same stories that I loved as a child too! currently, we have three reading sessions in our day - I read to both my children at elevenses, just to Blake when Maegan has her afternoon nap - by that point, Blake needs a quite few minutes and we really relish this special time together - we have a special book that Blake likes to read without Maegan as it's quite delicate - its the Pop Up version of "Lost and Found" which has just the most amazing paper engineering and art work! We also have a story time at bedtime for both children too. We have books in the living room, kitchen and bedroom where both my children can pick up and read at any point and I often join in! 


I was flattered when I was recently invited by the national literacy trust to submit a question about the benefits of reading with your children, we use their words for life website resources and I asked


"In our household, we are fans of your "words for life" website and often use it for reading games and inspiration.


Do you have any alternatives for the children in families who do not readily have access to the Internet or a printer? "


New video showcases mums’ top tips for reading with children




Research* by the National Literacy Trust shows that nine out of ten parents would like to spend more time developing their child’s literacy skills, yet a shocking one child in three does not own a book.




Help is at hand with a new video featuring tips from mums on how to make reading a fun and effortless part of the everyday routine. The fly-on-the-wall-style video captures the conversations of a group of mums as they debate the joys and challenges of reading with kids. You can view the video here




http://youtu.be/BE3EeojrZhA




Below is a list of great top tips for reading where you can pick up some handy hints.


The video was created by McCain Smiles in conjunction with the National Literacy Trust to mark the launch of a massive book giveaway hitting supermarkets from 18 June. The film also features advice from National Literacy Trust’s Words for Life expert Abigail Moss.


The campaign invites parents to revisit a set of ‘Treasured Tales’ with their children, as more than 100,000 Ladybird books are given away for free with packs of McCain Smiles this summer.


The exclusive set of six Ladybird books include Cinderella, The Three Little Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood and are great to read with younger children or for older, more confident readers to tackle themselves.


To take part in the promotion, look for unique codes on the leaflet inside all promotional packs of McCain Smiles, sold at major supermarkets. Simply collect two codes and head to www.mccain.co.uk/smilesfreebooks to choose from six fairytales on offer – your choice will be posted to you free of charge.




Smiles of fun! Top tips for reading together


Read yourself, your kids copy you all the time so make sure they see you reading. By copying they will gain confidence and get to be great readers too.


Make time to read, make sure you have a regular slot in which to read every day. This makes sure you don’t forget and stops everyone forgetting the storyline.


Be positive, praise your child for their efforts reading – it’s fine for them to make mistakes. It’s supposed to be fun!


Point with a finger, encourage them to follow the words with their finger.


Give them time, let your child make a guess before you tell them the word. Help them to get the first sound or try breaking the word up into smaller sections.




Get them to read aloud... to you, friends, pets or even their toys. Hearing their own voice helps your child practice their speaking and builds confidence.


Let them read their favourites, It’s good to read the same books over and over again as repetition helps to build your child’s language.


Involve the whole family, Get older children to read to younger ones – not only some valuable time off for mums and dads, but younger kids will follow their example and practise their own reading.


Don’t just read books, Encourage your child to read newspapers, TV guides, comics, cookery books and magazines too.


Do the voices - Liven up story time by making each character talk differently – this makes the story come to life for your children.


· Words for Life is a campaign from the National Literacy Trust which gets parents involved with their children’s communication and literacy development and gives them confidence to feel they can make a positive difference. It is aimed at parents of children aged from birth to eleven. www.wordsforlife.org.uk


*One Poll survey of 1,000 parents, February 2012


Emma in Bromley xx