Top Tips for Reading Dads!
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- Try and read bedtime stories as much as you can. Even though you might be tired after a long day at work try to make the effort to read at bedtime. It’s a great opportunity to wind down together and enjoy some “down” time with just the two of you and no distractions.
- Use silly, exaggerated voices. You might feel a bit ridiculous at first but trust us, your children will love it and the noisier the animals, scarier the monsters and snootier the princesses the more they will enjoy it! Using intonation and exaggeration really helps to bring the story to life and will hold your child’s attention.
- Look at picture books with your child as soon as they are born. Starting as early as possible will make reading a natural habit that your child develops. Babies are fascinated by books and the touchy-feely tactiles and bold visuals will benefit the development of their coordination and vision from as young a 3 months. They’ll be onto Jane Austen and Charles Dickens before you know it!
- Let your children see you reading from an early age. Whether it’s books, a car magazine or the sports section the paper, show them that reading is a regular activity for you. Although you might not always feel like it, you are your child’s hero and they will want to copy whatever you do. If you read and are seen to be enjoying it, the chances are they’ll follow suit.
Can you read with a baby? Oh yes you can and here’s how:
- Hold your baby snugly in the crook of one arm, facing outwards. Use the same arm to hold the book, keeping one hand free to turn the pages.
- Start reading with a contented 3 month old baby. Let your baby wave the book about and even taste it! To babies, books are like toys and reading is playtime.
- Start with light, sturdy board books with rounded corners, bright pictures and textures to feel. From 6 months, babies love lift-the-flap books and after 9 months you can introduce noisy sound books.
- Use the pictures as well as the words on the page as babies learn by active touch so put their hand to the pictures and say the words at the same time. Try asking questions about the pictures and answering them with a fun, lively voice.
- If older babies get wriggly try including physical play. Be relaxed about what books mean to a baby - a five minute bouncy sing-song game with an open book is still reading!
- Find the books you like too - you’ll be reading them over and over again!
Getting boys into books – top tips for reluctant readers:
- Find books that are about things he is interested in – libraries have at least 1000 subjects on offer.
- Don’t give him books that you think are good for him, but give him books he’ll enjoy.
- Try him with fact books, if he doesn’t like fiction. Dinosaurs, football, UFOs whatever floats his boat.
- Help him see himself as a reader – reading magazines, teletext and comics is still reading.
- Look on www.literacytrust.org.uk for details of music and sport heroes who read and then show him these as inspiration.
- Buy him a subscription to a magazine or comic of his choice.
- See if he likes graphic novels – a good way to get into reading.
- Ask libraries about their boys reading schemes.
- Go to an author event at a bookshop, library or festival – it can be very inspiring.
- Try and make reading a thing for pleasure, not just education education education!