I’ve always loved books.

When I was younger and people were dreaming of becoming teachers and astronauts, I decided I wanted to be a librarian. The plan was whenever it got quiet I would find a quiet corner and write my own books.

(Sorry librarians, I now know your job is a lot more complicated than putting away books with lots of time to relax)

My love of books has carried on into adulthood and I generally have one audiobook and one kindle book on the go at the same time. I do a different genre on each so I don’t get the stories confused and often cosy up and read in bed or listen while doing the housework or editing.

I believe that encouraging reading of any kind, whether that's comics, novels, non-fiction or audiobooks is amazing for children. Books open up new worlds or offer up new information, giving you an escape from the world around you, which I think is incredibly important.

Why is reading important for children?

There are so many benefits from both reading with your child and teaching them to read alone.

• It improves their literacy, vocabulary and writing skills. Even from a young age when you are reading aloud to them they are watching and listening to you picking up new words and learning what ‘reading’ is.

• Imagination and Creativity. Books take them to new worlds where they go on adventures and make new friends, visualising the story in their head.

• As they learn to read by themselves it brings a feeling of independence, confidence and helps improve their concentration.

• Books are full of life lessons, putting your child in certain situations within every story where they learn through the characters. From making friends, being safe, learning about different places and cultures.

• It’s fun! Let’s not overlook the simple fact that reading can simply be a fun, stress-free activity.

How to read with your child

• Start young. Even when your baby is just a few months old they will look at pictures and listen to your voice when you read to them.

• When they’re old enough to request the same book over and over (and over and over!) bear with them as they may be slowly learning something or taking comfort from that particular book.

• Read aloud to them even after they have learnt to read by themselves to help improve their concentration and listening skills. Choosing to read aloud a book that is slightly beyond their current skill level (but is a topic they enjoy) can help improve their own reading.

• Read often. Try and get into the habit of reading at a certain time of day and do it regularly. If you or your child needs a day off though, take it. You don’t want to turn it into something to dread or a punishment.

• Vary the subjects and storylines. This will both keep them interested and also widen their experiences of different topics, characters and new worlds.

• Talk about the story afterwards. If you read a book your child is particularly interested in, ask them questions about the story when you’re done. ‘Who was your favourite character?’ ‘Why do you think they did this?’. You could draw a picture of a character or act out part of the story.

Not every child will love reading and that’s absolutely fine. We all have our own ways of learning or escaping to a new world and whether that’s through books, art, play or however they naturally express themselves, embrace it and let their imaginations run wild.

If your child does love books as much as I did as a kid, enjoy every pre-bedtime cuddle with a good book and go on as many exciting adventures with them as they’ll let you. They will look back and treasure the memories just like I do.

Happy reading!