Celebrating the importance of dads reading with their children
This week is Fathers’ Story Week, celebrating the power and importance of fathers and male carers reading with their children. We know that children whose dads share books with them do better at school. We also know that fathers and male carers in families who value learning can hugely improve their children’s life chances.
The NIACE-led Family Learning Inquiry, which will report in October, has gathered evidence from families, practitioners and researchers to show the value of sharing books and taking a family-focused approach to learning.
There is also evidence from the reading and writing charity, Booktrust, which shows the importance of reading to children from birth.
What has stood out for us though has been the stories from our Adult Learners’ Week award winners who regularly reveal how they missed out on being read to as a child, but they are determined that this won’t happen to their kids. One that really stands out for me is Paul from Stockport.
Paul’s struggle to cope with reading and spelling had an effect on his education and he left school with no GCSEs. In 2009, he decided to return to education as he wanted to improve his life. Having grown up in a disruptive environment with no home support for his education, Paul wanted a career where he could help people overcome addictions and other difficulties.
Paul enrolled at Aquinas College and initially took GCSEs in Psychology and Maths, having been offered support to help with his dyslexia. A job opportunity arose and Paul was successful, making the change from a fabricator to a Support Worker in a drug and alcohol treatment centre. He worked full-time and studied at evening classes, passing an English GCSE and an NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care. Paul is now at university studying Psychology.
What’s most encouraging about Paul’s story is how it was his determination that his children wouldn’t have the childhood he had that gave him the impetus to get a better life. What is most heart-warming is seeing the pleasure he gets from reading to his children.
If you are a dad, carer, granddad, uncle or brother READ to a child this week – SHARE a book with them, DISCUSS a book over the dinner table, TELL a story, TALK ABOUT their favourite author. Or get them to read a story to you.
