10 reasons for a child to keep a reading record

By Laura Vida

The summer holidays offer the perfect opportunity for your child to pick up a range of books. Some will be winners other maybe not. So here are some reasons to kick start a reading notebook to record the books read during the summer holidays.

1) A reading record acts as a reminder of the importance of reading.

2) We all love clocking up achievements: a child will get a sense of pride from recording what they’ve just read.

3) The RR allows parents, teachers and the child to track progress. A reluctant or struggling reader will feel more motivated if they can see that effort and achievement are linked.

4) A RR encourages a child to reflect on what they have read. They thereby develop critical reading skills.

5) A RR provides a meaningful way for a child to practise writing in short bursts.

6) The RR will be a useful prompt for discussion between you, your child and their teacher.

7) Children only learn to express their thoughts/opinions well with practice.

8) By reflecting on what they have and haven’t enjoyed, a child develops a sense of their own taste and identity.

9) In time, a RR becomes a useful source of recommendations for other children.

10) In later life a child may be amused by what they wrote!

‘I could never understand the feeling of not wanting to put a book down. Now I do.’

11-year-old child

(on Esther Hautzig’s ‘The Endless Steppe”)