“Reading for pleasure is the single biggest factor in success in later life outside of an education. Study after study has shown that those children who read for pleasure are the ones who are most likely to fulfil their ambitions. If your child reads they will succeed – it’s that simple.” Bali Rai, author.

Get comfortable! - Snuggle up somewhere warm and cosy with your child, either in bed, on a beanbag or on the sofa, or make sure they have somewhere comfy when reading alone.

All reading is good - Don’t discount non-fiction, comics, graphic novels, magazines and leaflets. Reading is reading and it is all good.

Match their interests - Help them find the right book - it doesn't matter if it's fiction, poetry, comic books or non-fiction.

• Make books part of your family life – Always have books around so that you and your children are ready to read whenever there’s a chance.

• Join your local library – Get your child a library card. You'll find the latest videogames, blu-rays and DVDs, plus tons and tons of fantastic books. Allow them to pick their own books, encouraging their own interests.

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• Ask questions - To keep them interested in the story, ask your child questions as you read such as, 'What do you think will happen next?' or ‘Where did we get to last night? Can you remember what has happened already?’

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Read whenever you get the chance - Bring along a book or magazine for any time your child has to wait, such as at a doctor's surgery. 

•Read again and again - Encourage your child to re-read favourite books and poems. Re-reading helps to build up fluency and confidence.

•Bedtime stories – Regularly read with your child or children at bedtime. It’s a great way to end the day and to spend valuable time with your child.

•Rhyme and repetition - Books and poems which include rhyme and repetition are great for encouraging your child or children to join in and remember the words.

• The Reading Agency, a charity whose mission is to inspire people to read more, commissioned a large-scale study to help it evaluate the impact of the work it carries out. Researchers analysed 51 papers and reports, all published within the past 10 years, most of which aimed to assess the impact of reading on literacy and academic success. But this study looked for the non-academic side effects of reading for pleasure, which included better communication between parents and children, increased self-esteem, reduced anxiety and stress and a greater understanding of other cultures.

There is evidence to suggest that reading for pleasure is more likely to determine whether a child does well at school then their social or economic background.

Finding it hard?•Offer lots of support and encouragement

•Try not to let your worries and anxieties show

•Keep it fun!

•Paired reading, take it in turns, read a sentence or paragraph each

•Read to your child no matter how old they are if they enjoy it

•Cut up sentences – write, cut up, re-order and read together•Word treasure hunt•I hear with my little ear something beginning with.....•Play with the position of sounds – what sound can you hear in the middle of the word, start, end?

•Blending and segmenting

•26 letters

•42 sounds