Throughout August we received thousands of passionate entries from parents explaining why they encourage their child to read, in the hope of winning a book each week for a year for their child. Last week Rhiannon Redman became the winner and will be receiving a library of 52 new books for her son Matthew.
Below are the other nine entries that made it into our top ten! We found their words truly inspiring, we are sure you will agree, and will be sending each of these parents a book of their choice from the Kumon Recommended Reading List.
Entry by Natalie Ward
I encourage my child to read because… the world is so big and he is so small,
He’ll never have time to see it all!
But with the right choice of books he can see so much,
Learning through pictures, words and such.
Fact or fiction, what books would he get?
So much more fun than surfing the net.
As he settles down in a comfy chair,
With a book that transports him to who knows where.
The TV is off, his face is in raptures,
Turning each page slowly, enjoying the chapters.
He laughs to himself, his imagination is freed,
Oh to be five again and learning to read.
Entry by Maranda Thomson
I encourage my child to read because books can provide a gateway or an escape, evoke sympathy or anger, motivate us to take action or take a step back. Books broaden the mind, allowing imagination to flourish and knowledge to expand. I believe that children who are encouraged to read will grow into adults who give more to society, and care more for the world we live in and its inhabitants. You are never alone with a book.
Entry by Fiona Beadle
I encourage my child to read because reading is like a magic trick without the need for a deck of cards. When you open a book you are also opening a door and allowing your child into a world they wouldn’t otherwise have known. Reading widens the imagination and vocabulary; it takes them on an adventure. A child may sail upon a pirate ship, have tea with a tiger or squish through puddles in search of a bear; all without leaving your attentive eye. Between a book’s pages lie lessons and morals that will expand their attention tenfold. Words really are amazing things and wonderful teachers.
Entry by Anne Fothergill
I encourage my child to read because reading opens the door to understanding all that is going on around you. The delight in following a good story never goes away for the rest of your life. Getting immersed in a book is good not only for reading skills but for writing, spelling and speaking and listening skills too. There is no greater pleasure than watching your child go from looking at the pictures to letter recognition while you are reading to them and then ultimately the day they say that they want to read it themselves!!
Entry by Jackie Koenig
I encourage my child to read because it builds a foundation for every element of learning throughout his life. I love how reading opens his mind to a world of possibilities. He can sit through The Enormous Crocodile by Roald Dahl cover to cover with his eyes wide in excitement, but struggles to sit long enough for any other activity. I think it is every child’s right to enjoy being read to and learning to read themselves. As adults it’s a simple pleasure to escape into a book, now it’s a treat to re-read my old favourites to my son.
Entry by Angela Logan
I encourage my child to read because I want him to experience that magical feeling that a good story can give the reader. I want him to imagine other places, other worlds, other people – all through the magic of the written word. I want him to become so wrapped up in a story that he can’t wait to pick the book up again to see what happens next. Instead of being a boy who is attached to his computer console, I want him to be immersed in a book, feeding his imagination and feeding his soul.
Entry by Tap Bozza
I encourage my child to read because I just love it when she pops her head over a book and starts telling me what she knows. She loves science and is forever telling me how to do something or how to avoid something. It’s amazing and wonderful to see her knowledge grow every time she finds an interesting fact in a book. Even though she’s not yet nine, her reading ability is very advanced and this I can only put down to the fact that from a very early age she was introduced to books and was a member of her local library before she was one.
Entry by Sabina Khan
I encourage my child to read because it enables them to discover a new world of stories, cultures, people, countries, languages, colours and above all to develop their imagination. The look of awe, excitement and entertainment in their eyes as you teach them to read is contagious. It also helps them to pick up new vocabulary, ideas and thoughts that they would not be exposed to otherwise. As a parent I feel that it also provides a very sweet connection with the child when the two bond together in discovering a new experience. So in short the answer: because it is the best gift I could give.
Entry by Amit Shukla
I encourage my child to read because reading is a gift I received from my parents. Movies and television show us the world through the eyes of others but books open the eyes of our own mind to the world. The words inside them allow our minds to build up a wonderful internal picture. I want her to share the feeling that I get when I like a book so much that I have to keep it down: I don’t want to finish it too quickly! I remember the excitement I felt when I had a new novel in my schoolbag and couldn’t get home fast enough.