The 6+ Reader

7 year old children are still very interested in picture books but it is important to encourage them now to start making the transition to books with fewer pictures and to books with short chapters. You will pick up quickly if your child is not ready to move from their earlier picture books and then you need to encourage them to make the transition gently. Ways you can help:

• By reading to your child from a chapter book. Make sure the story is very exciting or very funny to capture your child’s attention and make up for the lack of pictures.
• Try to find books covering subjects that interest your child
• If your child enjoys books by particular authors, look for other books by those authors. If your child enjoys a book from a series then give them more books from that series until they have built up the confidence to move on to other books and authors.
• It is important to provide your child with a sense of accomplishment and short stories or chapters provide manageable chunks of reading
• Try to find a balance between interesting stories that copy real life and books that stretch even the most vivid imagination.
• Children enjoy reading text that appears in an unusual way ie text that appears in speech bubbles
• If your child is showing signs of reluctance to read then look for books that cover non fiction subjects that they are very interested in. And just keep reading to them – if reading books continues to be a pleasurable activity then they will eventually read!!
• Poetry is a wonderful introduction to reading as poems can be great fun, are easy and quick to read and can be dipped in and out of
• Audio-books are a great way to introduce your child to various books and authors. Audio-books encourage a love of literature, feed the imagination and build vocabulary and comprehension
• If your children read fluently and confidently then you need to expose them to a wide range of material. It is essential to find books that satisfy their growing appetites as readers, while also reflecting their level of emotional maturity.