Look for books that are about the things your child is interested in. © Sally and Richard Greenhill

Being able to read well is the foundation for most of our education. It's absolutely crucial and the best start you can give your child.

Time and place
For many of us, squeezing in a spare moment to read with our child is tough. So here are some tips to help you find the right time and place:

• Make it part of your routine – for example, read with your child for 10 minutes just before their bedtime



• Find a quiet place away from other distractions



• Choose a book that's the right length for the time, or maybe read part of a longer book every evening once they're aged five or older

Books for babies, books for children

• Involve a small child in the book – ask them to point to pictures and talk about what's happening in the story



• Look for books with lift-up flaps, textures or sounds to make reading fun



• Tie-in books for TV series are often popular – they're easily recognised



• Make a point of finding books about their favourite subjects, or ones their friends have liked



• Thousands of children have improved their reading enormously because they have been fascinated by the Harry Potter series



• Look for books that deal with the lives of children of their age and the things they're interested in – for example, the Shopaholics series by Sophie Kinsella, aimed at teenage girls, or the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz for teenage boys

Asking questions
Besides helping your child learn to read, books can be useful in many other ways:

• Use books to increase your child's vocabulary
• Ask questions about what you're reading together. Get your child to tell the story back to you. This helps develop their memory and language
• Read part of a sentence in a book your child already knows and get them to fill in the missing words
• Encourage your child to read signs in the street and packages in shops so they begin to understand how useful reading is in everyday life

Finding out about good books
Here are some ideas for places to find good books:

• Your local library's children's section
• Your child's teachers – ask them for the best books to suit your child's age
• Other parents, who can recommend books their children have enjoyed
• Book clubs and internet sites such as Booktrust

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