4 ways to enhance co-reading for kids

On the same page: the perks of reading together

December 5, 2024

The joys and benfits of burying yourself in a book can be doubled when you do it as a duo! Getting kids off screens is a battle so consider this option to encouraging reading more books. What are the perks of reading together?

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Reading with others, especially people you feel comfortable being around, is great for well-being. Even though you are sharing a space, there is no pressure to hold a conversation. As you enter the same relaxed state together, your blood pressure will go down, muscle tension will ease and so will the worries playing on your mind. You can read with a friend anywhere: a quiet part of the playground, a park seat, on a blanket in the garden, the beach or any calm space.

Building Bonds

Spending time together reading can strengthen friendships. As you work your way through the pages, you might find interesting facts to share or funny bits to giggle over. Alternatively, you might come across more serious themes, for example losing a pet or loved one, moving away, standing up to discrimminations, recovering from an illness or dealing with any of life’s obstacles.

Reading together about any of these subjects can encourage you to think about them more deeply and see if there is a parallel with your own life. Discussing these themes can enhance friendships because it opens up conversations that may not have occurred without the book as a prompt.

Encourages Empathy

Reading fiction has shown to improve empathy. This is the ability to understand others, or to illustrate the saying, ‘to walk in aother person’s shoes‘. Reading has much insight to offer – because novels and biographies allow us to live a myriad of experiences through their characters.

Four Ways to Enhance the Co-Reading Experience

1. Start a Discussion

Whether you loved a story or didn’t love it, you’ll have loads to say about it. Comparing notes about characters. plot and style can give you a deeper appreciation of a book.

2. Ask Questions

Listening to a friend chat about a novel that they really enjoyed might encourage you to try a genre that you hadn’t considered. If you’re a sci-fi fan, but a friend is loving an historical fiction mystery that they couldn’t put down, then maybe you should take a break from alien-invasion exploits and take trip to ancient Rome instead.

3. Make Suggestions

After learning what keeps your reading buddy engrossed in a book, suggest a few titles you think they would enjoy.

4. Host a Reading Catchup

The next time you want to catchup with friends, suggest they bring a book along. Parents: this is a great chance for you to champion reading! Organise pizzas, popcorn, snacks and if the book has been produced into a movie, maybe they could watch that version.