I was recently approached by Callum and Amelia at WILF Books, who introduced me to their concept. In a nutshell, WILF Books are a children’s book subscription service delivering your child personalised and relevant books on a monthly basis. Alongside receiving a fresh set of books to enjoy, there is also the opportunity to send WILF all those books that your child has fallen out of love with.

Their thought process is that many households have shelves full of children’s books that are no longer favourites for their children, yet could be for other children across the country. That’s where they’re looking to help. It’s their mission to recycle and redistribute the UK’s supply of children’s books, so no books are sat gathering dust and going unloved.

I like to think of this as a sort of mobile library service. The monthly subscription model has success worked across a number of children’s products, from clothes (Box Upon a Time) to crafts (Rainy Day Box), so children’s books seems like a winner to me. Hopefully your child will be no stranger to books though, and will have received dozens as birthday and Christmas pressies. Yet there’s no accounting for taste, and books can be hit or miss with little ones.

We have a mini library here, with dozens of books that could be donated to another child to enjoy. Not only that, my children have just a handful of firm favourites that we’d simply love to grow to make story time more fun. WILF Books has definitely piqued our interest so I’m watching with interest to see how this business will develop.

Throughout our email exchanges, I was instantly struck by Callum and Amelia’s enthusiasm for their upcoming venture. I invited them to write a short piece on how to get the most out of story time with children, and here it is…

Five ideas for reading with your child from WILF Books

Reading with your child is just a wonderful thing, isn’t it? There’s something, particularly in today’s digital age, that just feels so right. It fuels their imagination for the next day’s play, fosters their creativity, and is a perfect bonding experience between parent and child. Put simply, books bring us together in moments that can define our children’s childhood.

So, how can we get the most out of this bedtime ritual, and nurture our children’s love for reading?

Well, first and foremost, we think it starts with you. Children learn so much from watching what their parents do. There is no one better than you, as a parent, to facilitate and encourage reading. Without further ado, here are five ways through which you can foster a culture of reading within your family:

1) Talk about what is happening in the story:

Ask questions about the story, and develop their comprehension skills without them even knowing it. “What was your favourite part of the story?”, “What would you have done if you were on the moon?”, “Here’s my favourite character, who’s yours”, “What do you think will happen next in the story?”. Positing questions about a story will help your child’s imagination to run wild.

2) Capture your child’s imagination and interests:

Gain an understanding of the sort of books your child is really interested in. A book that is based on something your child loves will immediately ensure that they are happy and excited to engage in reading time. Yet understand that the best relationships with books will be fluid. Your child needs a variety of books that will challenge, entertain and invite discussion. WILF Books can handle this for you, delivering you a customised & relevant selection of books every month.

3) Read often:

Building and developing a reading pattern will help your child settle into a routine, making bedtimes more appealing for them, and less stressful for mum & dad. Yet there is never a bad time to pull out a book. Reading can diffuse tantrums and help children calm down when they’re hyperactive.

4) Read aloud together:

It’s never too early to start reading to your little ones. From birth, just hearing your voice can be soothing and promote restful sleep. It’s also widely accepted that reading regularly to toddlers will help them with reading and writing, and better prepare them for school.

For older kids, take turns reading each page of favourite book. That’s a great relationship-builder, helps diffuse anxieties about reading aloud, and also implies you have a personal investment in them becoming lifetime readers.

5) Inspire that inner author or illustrator:

Take time with your child to summarise a story and work with beyond the pages to bring a story to life. Cobble together blank paper to make a book, and encourage them to scribble away - when they’re ready, invent words to accompany their drawings. If they’re older they could write or draw their own story, write a book review for their peers, or even start a mini book group - anything is possible. Champion their love for reading by celebrating success.

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You can register your interest in WILF Books ahead of their upcoming launch in September, where you can also enter their competition to win a year’s free subscription.

Twitter: @WILFBooks / Facebook: @WILFBooks