This is so lovely, Sarah. I’ve used many of the same strategies in my house, though I didn’t think of them as strategies at the time. I’m just a bookish person so a lot of these habits and practices came naturally to me. And I’m so delighted by that study on the benefits of bedtime stories! Very heartening, given that “elite private school” is not in the cards here :)
I agree your thought about allowing them to choose what they read. I’ve got a 7 & 9 year old and they get to choose library books and then I curate our home library to include more well written content. I’m still learning a lot, but since books can change the way we see the world, I do try to discuss what they are reading from their choices and we work on how to find quality reading.
We have books everywhere and reach for stories at moments of sadness and frustration. If I sense my son had a tough day, I’ll offer to snuggle in bed and read.
We also do a lot of audiobooks - it’s been a cold winter, made more difficult by uk energy bills, and my son will ask to snuggle up under the electric blanket and listen to an audiobook and podcast.
We also bring a book to restaurants, on the bus etc which is lovely. On a plane or long train journey, I’m very happy to hand over the iPad, but on everyday routes, we don’t do it.
We play a lot of word games and when we’re walking to school, my son will say “what do you want to have a chat about?” And we will talk about science or tell jokes etc. I notice his vocab is huge in comparison to his pals, and he’ll use big words correctly, etc. it’s not something we’ve consciously taught but he picked it up over time.
If we have a question, we will try to get it from the book, at home or in the library. I’ve been buying reference books, kids almanacs at the charity/thrift shops and T has them all in what he calls his “research library”
Hi Sarah, I've just come across this post via your 2023 roundup (I'm a recent subscriber). Thank you so much for writing these things. I was most struck by what you shared about t.v. We have two boys (3 1/2 and 2 yes old). In our efforts to guard against screens, we had resisted letting them watch anything on any type of device. But in recent months I have been starting to realise that there is a difference between letting a child, say, play a game on a phone and sitting down with them to watch a selected t v. episode together and talking about it with them. We have only just begun doing the later, so thank you for the reassurance!
Thanks so much for this gorgeous and helpful post, Sarah. I'm a reader, as you know, but struggling to figure out how to raise readers. Your work is so helpful for me with my little ones, and gives me a lot of reprieve when I (so often) feel like I'm not doing it quite right.
Wonderful recommendations!!
This is so lovely, Sarah. I’ve used many of the same strategies in my house, though I didn’t think of them as strategies at the time. I’m just a bookish person so a lot of these habits and practices came naturally to me. And I’m so delighted by that study on the benefits of bedtime stories! Very heartening, given that “elite private school” is not in the cards here :)
Love these tips!
This post is an excellent resource that I've saved to come back to again and again. Thank you for pulling together such thoughtful resources!
I agree your thought about allowing them to choose what they read. I’ve got a 7 & 9 year old and they get to choose library books and then I curate our home library to include more well written content. I’m still learning a lot, but since books can change the way we see the world, I do try to discuss what they are reading from their choices and we work on how to find quality reading.
Wow wow wow there is so much goodness here! And I LOVE the reflective questions at the end. Thank you Sarah!!!
I love this, thank you Sarah! A few things we do:
We have books everywhere and reach for stories at moments of sadness and frustration. If I sense my son had a tough day, I’ll offer to snuggle in bed and read.
We also do a lot of audiobooks - it’s been a cold winter, made more difficult by uk energy bills, and my son will ask to snuggle up under the electric blanket and listen to an audiobook and podcast.
We also bring a book to restaurants, on the bus etc which is lovely. On a plane or long train journey, I’m very happy to hand over the iPad, but on everyday routes, we don’t do it.
We play a lot of word games and when we’re walking to school, my son will say “what do you want to have a chat about?” And we will talk about science or tell jokes etc. I notice his vocab is huge in comparison to his pals, and he’ll use big words correctly, etc. it’s not something we’ve consciously taught but he picked it up over time.
If we have a question, we will try to get it from the book, at home or in the library. I’ve been buying reference books, kids almanacs at the charity/thrift shops and T has them all in what he calls his “research library”
Oh! The portrait! Please frame and keep in your family's library forever!
Hi Sarah, I've just come across this post via your 2023 roundup (I'm a recent subscriber). Thank you so much for writing these things. I was most struck by what you shared about t.v. We have two boys (3 1/2 and 2 yes old). In our efforts to guard against screens, we had resisted letting them watch anything on any type of device. But in recent months I have been starting to realise that there is a difference between letting a child, say, play a game on a phone and sitting down with them to watch a selected t v. episode together and talking about it with them. We have only just begun doing the later, so thank you for the reassurance!
Thanks so much for this gorgeous and helpful post, Sarah. I'm a reader, as you know, but struggling to figure out how to raise readers. Your work is so helpful for me with my little ones, and gives me a lot of reprieve when I (so often) feel like I'm not doing it quite right.