How To... Make Reading Time Matter

Learning to treasure books from a young age can give children a head start in life

- Alicia Pyke

What if you could give your grandchildren the gift of a lifelong interest in reading before they even start school? You can, says Professor

Frank Oberklaid, director of the Centre for Community Child Health at The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne.

“It starts by reading to them daily from a very young age, from soon after birth,” he explains.

“This early introduction means they will come to enjoy books, learn letters and sounds, and begin to establish the necessary building blocks for reading.”

Start early and often