There are many good reasons why parents should read to their children and encourage a love of books and words from an early age. Some people read to babies while they’re still in the womb, and they should!

Children with literacy problems are more likely to drop out of school, commit crime, or suffer a life in poverty.

Also, children who struggle to read in the early years of school are less likely to catch up with the kids who are fluent readers from an early age.

Here are a few tips for how to read your children

1. Use those board books so the children can get used to handling them.

2. Reading must become routine in our household, it should be  like have a bath, brush your teeth, read a really good book.

3. Turn off the TV, turn off the radio, turn off the iPad, turn off the computer games. If you’re reading, then they should be listening and there should be no distractions.

4. Put some effort into your reading. You don’t have to do funny voices, but the monotonous drone can put a young reader at asleep.

5. Stop and explain words being heard for the first time.

6. Encourage your child to ask about the things they don’t understand.

7. Let your child choose the books. This is important in helping them to develop their own tastes and a sense of independence.

8 Don’t underestimate your child’s ability to process stories that seem threatening and violent. There’s nothing worse than bland bedtime reading.

9. Once your child starts to read for themselves, you should change your routine a bit. They would read something to you before you read to them.

10. Introduced guest readers. If granny or grandad come to stay, they can do it for an evening, or perhaps an older brother or sister can also help.