Coloring Pictures

It's World Book Day tomorrow and learndirect has teamed up with top children’s author Peter Corey to help parents boost their children’s reading skills Mums, dads and their children can enjoy two free online storybooks by logging on to www.learndirect.co.uk/readtogether. Great for entertaining families, both are perfect for helping prepare children for the challenge of starting or going back to school.

“The Journey to Darkest Somewhere” and “The House of Scary Words” let kids become the lead characters and change details within the stories. The books also encourage readers to use basic English language while they play, so kids and parents can learn together.

Here are Peter’s top 10 tips for making reading a great experience for kids of all ages:

1. Read little and often – ten to fifteen minutes every day is great. For younger children, use bedtime or bath time if finding a moment isn’t easy during the day.

2. Reading should always be fun so try not to pressure your child if they feel too tired or lose interest. Laugh together at the funny stuff and enjoy the rhyming words – you’d be surprised how rewarding it feels.

3. Relish the story – talk about it and encourage your child to ask questions. You’ll be able to see how well they have understood what they have read.

4. Enjoying the pictures in a book is as important as the text. They can make the words easier to understand and help bring the story to life.

5. Be brave in your choice of books. Always search around, even if you think you’ve already found you and your child’s favourite author.

6. Use a library to borrow books. Libraries give us lots of choice and are like a dating agency – helping match the right person with the right book!

7. Don’t be scared of long words – they can be broken down into smaller parts which will make them far easier. Some English spellings just don’t make sense at first, so don’t worry if you or your child stumbles, it might be the word’s fault!

8. Don’t be afraid to judge a book by its cover and check what’s written on the back. This should help you decide if you and your child will enjoy the book.

9. Don’t worry if your child wants to read the same book again and again. Kids enjoy repetition as it helps them understand the story.

10. Always praise your child for trying hard at their reading and let them know it’s okay to make mistakes. After all, we all get words wrong – even parents! Practice makes perfect and solving reading problems together is part of what makes story time fun.Mums, dads and their children can enjoy two free online storybooks by logging on to www.learndirect.co.uk/readtogether.  Great for entertaining families, both are perfect for helping prepare children for the challenge of starting or going back to school.