Reading is good for you

I remember a teacher of young children saying she could tell those who had been read to at home as they were ahead of those who hadn't.

This is the concern in many schools, including the one that I volunteer in. The number of children who come up from reception each year with very poor reading skills, who can’t ‘hit the ground running’ as it were. Their parents, in their turn, may have had very poor reading skills and gave up on books at an early age, so helping their children to read is not a priority, or they may have English as a second language.

One of my 7 DGC has always been an avid reader. He's 14 now and is a published author. He recently won a short story prize in a national competition in his age category. He's in NZ so that maybe they are ahead of the game.

His dad was always a reader and my late DH whose vast library I am presently breaking up as I am downsizing.

I read but not to that extent. My other DGC - the younger ones anyway - enjoy reading too
DD takes them to the library which has been threatened with closure.

Apparently it is both fiction and non-fiction.

I'm a self confessed bookaholic .
My kids like reading too .

One of my sons loved being read to as a young child, but has never been the slightest bit interested in reading fiction himself, and beyond a certain age (probably about eight or nine in his case) could not be 'convinced' to read it at all out of school.

Luckily, he has always been interested in things such as history and geography, and has always been keen to read books relating to those and to any of his many hobbies.

I wonder if non-fiction is considered to have the same health and well-being benefits as fiction.

As a former librarian and then English teacher, I heartily agree with you!

Books in schools (can't remeber the proper name unless I look it up!) is one of my charities- has been for years.

I read books to my DCs and GCs from when they were babies.
Some became avid readers and a few didn't.
My 7 year old GS loves to read an I supply books for him regularly.
I remember a teacher of young children saying she could tell those who had been read to at home as they were ahead of those who hadn't.

Excuse typo, p.s my girls have always been avid readers,and my older son started on Horrible histories too,that's where I got the idea for the younger one,

My son woul8pick up a book till I introduced hom to horrible histories at the age of 11, he now reads a vast number of authors and biographies at age 25