Opinion: Turn over a new leaf and get reading

Whilst this behaviour enables families to satisfy their personal taste and interests, it loses those important social interactions and cross-generational family conversations that come from talking about shared cultural experiences and stories.

This is a worrying trend in a world of increasing social isolation. A recent ChildLine survey indicates the number of children who feel invisible and misunderstood is rising.

It’s not too late to turn off the TV this summer. Reading together as a family is a wonderful alternative to screen time and a really practical way to bond with children.

There’s good evidence that book sharing is one of the most effective ways of building interaction. Reading together can start conversations on all sorts of subjects, from the everyday to the more serious, whilst also providing support and a safe space in which children can explore the world.

It can also have long-term, positive benefits: reading for pleasure is proven to build empathy and improve long-term wellbeing; it is more important for children’s cognitive development than their parents’ education and a more powerful influence on life achievement than socio-economic background. It’s pretty powerful stuff.

The summer is the perfect time to get talking about books as a family. Try chatting to children about the stories you enjoyed at their age, or ask them about their favourite character in the book they are reading. Family holidays provide lots of opportunities to start sharing stories together: you could listen to audiobooks during long car journeys or read aloud together on rainy days, using funny voices and actions to bring the story to life.

Your local library is on hand to help get you started – a family reading hub in every community where children and adults can access books free of charge.

Libraries across Yorkshire are currently running the national Summer Reading Challenge, which takes place every year and provides the perfect opportunity to get reading as a family.

Children aged from four to 11 read six books over the holidays, collecting stickers along the way and a medal on completion; some libraries also offer mini-challenges for younger readers as well as volunteering opportunities for teenagers.

Children read whatever they want – fact or fiction, picture books, e-books or audiobooks – borrowing their books from the library and taking them home to share.

This year’s Animal Agents theme features a mystery to solve and a bunch of slippery four-legged friends designed by award-winning children’s illustrator Tony Ross, with a huge helping of fun along the way.

It’s proven that the Summer Reading Challenge really does get families reading together. Over 700,000 children took part across England, Scotland and Wales last year.

Our annual survey shows that families not only really valued and enjoyed the experience, but it also made a real difference to their reading and library use: 77 per cent of respondents said that they had used the challenge as an opportunity to read to their children; 75 per cent said they had listened to their child read; and four out of five said the challenge helped them to talk about books and started conversations through reading.

One parent/carer told us: “Although we have been members of the library for a while we used it more during the challenge. My daughter loved reading the books and collecting the cards and medal really encouraged her to read to us.”

There are plenty of benefits for parents and carers, too. While you’re at the library, treat yourself to some reading time too and use the opportunity to browse the shelves for something to take home. If you sit down with a book, newspaper or magazine it sets a great example for children to copy.

As well as books, you’ll find lots of other activities going on in your local library to keep you and the kids entertained, from coding clubs to reading groups.

So let’s pull ourselves away from our screens this summer and get talking about books.

Debbie Hicks is Creative Director at The Reading Agency, which runs the Summer Reading Challenge in partnership with libraries. Find out more about the Summer Reading Challenge at www.summerreadingchallenge.org.uk