With World Book Day – 3 March – around the corner, the Welsh Books Council is working with the Welsh Assembly Government to encourage parents, carers and grandparents to read to their children, especially the boys.
A recent survey of over 17,000 young people, conducted by the National Literacy Trust (2008), showed that 39% of girls read every day compared with only 28% of boys, and that this gap has increased since 2005.
The Books Council is calling all dads to pick up a book and read to, and with, their children, especially their sons. Some top tips for dads include setting aside ten minutes a day for reading, picking books that are suitable for the child’s age, letting the child choose what he or she wants to read, and to talk about what’s being read. Many boys and their dads like to read non-fiction, which can include books, magazines, websites, match-day programmes, sports reports, ‘how to’ manuals and comic books.
Children can benefit greatly when adults talk to them about what they like to read, and shared interests are often a good basis for shared reading. Many dads are also good at bringing stories alive, by acting out the characters and getting the children involved in the storytelling.
Jane McCarthy, Vale of Glamorgan’s Development Adviser with responsibility for literacy, said:
“It is interesting to see that children’s literacy levels and motivation to read improve substantially when their dads or male carers get involved with reading. They are just as important as mums in encouraging children to enjoy reading, and perhaps even more so for boys, as they are important role models. Reading can be seen as a passive pastime more suited to girls’ interests, but if young boys see their dads enjoying reading, it will help them to realise that reading can be an enjoyable activity for everyone.”
Delyth Humphreys, the World Book Day Coordinator in Wales, said: “The experience of reading to children can be a two-way process, with both child and parent reaping the benefits, and the importance of fathers as reading role models cannot be underestimated.”
Top Tips for reading aloud
- Do the voices Try to make sure each character talks differently – this makes the story come to life for the listeners. You could try making them talk higher or deeper, faster or slower, or even in different accents. If you have trouble thinking up voices, ask your audience to give you ideas for how a certain character might talk – they could even read one character’s lines for you…
- Get with the programme Make sure you have a regular slot in which to read every day. This makes sure you don’t forget about it, and stops everyone forgetting the plot!
- Go for a journey If you have a regular reading time every day, choose a longer chapter book. It’ll be more of an experience for you and your listener, and helps build their memory and understanding.
- Keep them guessing Ask questions every so often to find out what everyone thinks might happen next. This can help to build the suspense and make it more interesting for your listeners…
- Make sure they’re still with you Recap what’s happened, every few pages, to make sure your listeners know what’s going on (especially important if they’re younger).
- Always leave them wanting more Quit reading at an exciting point in the story – maybe at the end of a chapter or even in the middle of a sentence! TV dramas use cliffhangers like this to make sure their audience comes back tomorrow to find out what happened – yours will too.
