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Enjoying reading boosts your child's attainment

publication date: Jun 1, 2017
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Young Readers Scheme

Year 3 pupils from Crampton Primary School in South East London celebrate 20 years of the Young Readers Programme

New research published today by the National Literacy Trust reveals that three-quarters (77.6 per cent) of primary school children enjoy reading – the highest levels ever recorded by the charity. The research also highlights the link between enjoyment of reading and attainment, showing that the longer children keep an enjoyment of reading going, the greater the benefits are in the classroom: ten-year-olds who enjoy reading have a reading age 1.3 years higher than their peers who don’t enjoy reading, rising to 2.1 years for 12-year-olds and 3.3 years for 14-year-olds.

The research launch marks the 20th anniversary of the National Literacy Trust’s Young Readers Programme – the first-ever national school-based reading for enjoyment initiative. To celebrate, the charity has published a top tips guide for parents to help get their child excited about reading, alongside a brand new book list to inspire children to get reading, which celebrates the most popular books chosen every year of the last two decades by the children who have taken part in the Young Readers Programme.

Top tips for parents

  • Make time to read: read a bedtime story with your child every night or set a regular time to read together during the day. Little and often works best: a good ten minutes reading together is better than a difficult half hour.
  • Let your child choose what to read: your child is more likely to develop a love of reading if they are able to choose the books they read with you. Join your local library for free and your child can pick from a wide selection of books that suit their interests or play to their hobbies, such as football or animals.
  • Explore different reading materials and formats: as well as fiction there is a world of comics, magazines, ebooks, read-along audio books and non-fiction to discover.
  • Get the whole family involved: encourage your child to read with other family members like grandparents, brothers and sisters, and aunts and uncles.
  • Bring stories to life: when reading stories out loud with your child, give characters different voices that match their personalities. You could pause the story and ask your child what happens next, or even try acting out parts of the story together.
  • Create fun reading challenges at home: on a rainy day you could organise a treasure hunt around the house; give your child a list of things to find and see how quickly they can read the list and collect all the items.
  • Be positive: praise your child for trying hard at their reading and let them know it’s alright to make mistakes.
  • Be a reading role model: your child learns from you, so seeing you enjoying and valuing books can be a great inspiration.

Parents can also use the National Literacy Trust’s brand new book list, 20 Years of Children’s Choices, to help inspire their child to read. The list celebrates the most popular books chosen every year of the last two decades by the children who have taken part in the Young Readers Programme.