Joy with reading

Choose books and texts that foster engagement

The best books for fostering joy with reading are those that mokopuna enjoy and relate to and can talk about with others, either in small groups or one-on-one. Books can be a positive way of reflecting diverse identities, abilities, languages, cultures, interests, and experiences, and allowing children to see themselves (Rodriguez Leon et al, 2021; Morgan & Kelly-Ware, 2016).

Books that mokopuna are likely to enjoy reading with others include:

• Books set in Aotearoa New Zealand and in familiar settings.
• Picture books that reflect their identity, language, and culture.
• Books that provide mokopuna with opportunities to talk about familiar contexts.

Explore diverse texts 

Diverse types of literature and texts may make reading enjoyable for all. These include poems, waiata (songs), karakia (prayers), storybooks, pūrākau (stories) and pakiwaitara (narratives) from te ao Māori (the Māori world), and non-fiction books such (for example, car manuals and cookbooks).

Joy with reading for mokopuna can extend to more things than just books. For example, you can use a pamphlet or magazine to talk with a child about a holiday destination.

Discover what gives children joy in their reading

Reading serves different purposes in our lives, and individual children will find enjoyment in reading for various reasons. For example, some mokopuna will derive joy from reading for information. Some mokopuna will enjoy exploring questions and developing their ideas through reading. Some mokopuna will enjoy the connections and social relationships involved in shared reading. Other mokopuna will enjoy the opportunity to explore unfamiliar, fantasy and fictional worlds through shared reading (Rodriguez Leon, 2021).

Here are some recommended practices that will help you foster an enjoyment of reading with the children in your setting.

Create an engaging reading environment

• Display books so that mokopuna can see the covers and choose them themselves.
• Provide board books for infants that they can reach and handle easily, including touch-and-feel books with parts to feel, lift, slide, push, pull, and spin.
• Include a range of books that positively reflect the languages, cultures, and identities of mokopuna. Consider abilities, family structures, and gender roles in your selection.

Provide diverse and inclusive reading choices

• Provide different types of texts: illustrated stories, non-fiction, poetry, songbooks, legends, books with illustrations only, or repetitive memorable stories.
• Explore inclusive book collections through these resources:
  • Goodnight Kiwi (tvnz.co.nz). A series where celebrity storytellers read New Zealand storybooks.
  • NZ Writers Read: Picture books (Youtuble.com). The New Zealand Society of Authors has a YouTube Channel with dedicated playlists of kiwi authors reading selections of their own books. This is a dedicated playlist of authors reading picture books.
  • Building an inclusive collection (natlib.govt.nz). Guidance from the National Library of New Zealand for schools about creating an inclusive library collection.

Adapt to mokopuna interests and ages

• Suggest new books and help mokopuna select ones that suit their interests.
• Rotate books to keep up with changing interests but keep familiar favourites accessible.
• For infants and toddlers: Focus on books with clear illustrations, fewer words, and simpler stories.
• For young children: Introduce books with longer plots, more words, and richer illustrations.

Include reading together in daily routines

• Schedule regular reading times (individual, small groups, and larger groups for older children).
• Invite children to join in but respect that some may prefer to listen from a distance.
• Allow time for impromptu, child-initiated reading sessions.

Enhancing enjoyment during reading

• Connect books with children’s interests or activities (for example, “That’s a yellow digger – like in the book!”).
• Hold books so all children can see the text and illustrations clearly.
• Model the joy of reading by picking up books and reading for yourself.
• Retell or create stories on the go (e.g., acting out “going on a bear hunt”).

Practical tips for handling books

• Choose durable books and repair them as needed to ensure sustainability.
• Familiarise yourself with books before reading to build confidence and captivate children.
• Create a culture of caring for books by encouraging mokopuna to handle them appropriately, store them properly, and take pride in keeping them in good condition.

Appropriate use of technology

• Use pre-recorded stories sparingly – mokopuna benefit most from direct interaction with you during reading.
• Research shows that print books can foster stronger emotional connections, engagement, and comprehension compared to eBooks (Barron, 2015). However, eBooks can provide valuable access to books in children’s home language(s). They can support inclusivity when physical copies are unavailable or not accessible for children.

Create inviting spaces for children to read

Think about where you can provide quiet and comfy spaces for small group book reading and storytelling with mokopuna. These places can be fixed (for example, a book corner with carpet, beanbags, cushions, chairs or a couch), flexible (for example, a rug under a tree with cushions and a selection of books), and both indoor and outdoor spaces.  

Consider factors like noise levels and foot traffic that might affect everyone’s concentration, engagement with, and enjoyment of reading.  

Make the most of local libraries

Promote the public libraries in your area, along with their resources, services, programmes, and membership, to parents and whānau at your service. Visit libraries and invite public library staff to visit you, read with children, and share library resources, services, programmes, and membership opportunities with families and whānau.  

Find out if there is a mobile library in your area and arrange for regular visits.  

You can also liaise with a local school library to create opportunities for children and their whānau to visit the school library before starting school.

Bring stories to life yourself

You are the most important ‘prop’ to make reading enjoyable for everyone. Draw on your own knowledge of how to make reading fun. Use your voice, facial expressions, arms, and body to bring stories and characters to life.

Follow the lead of mokopuna

Follow the lead of mokopuna. Let them turn or skip pages, explore the pictures, or stop partway through. This models for children that through reading, they can explore things that interest them – there is no obligation to keep reading things they do not find engaging.

Talk about books with children

As well as reading the book with children, talk about the book, including the pictures or illustrations. With storybooks, ask questions like ‘What happened?’ and ‘What comes next?’

Encourage storytelling and creativity

Encourage children to re-tell and create their own stories in different ways, using books, pretend play, and drawing. Create the right atmosphere for storytelling with props such as:

• Puppets
• Toys
• Dress-ups
• Magnetic and felt boards
• Musical instruments
• Stones and shells
• Animals
• Children’s own illustrations
• Space where everyone can move around.

Share information about the value of reading

Provide information on the value of reading and sharing stories about the joy of reading. Some good resources for whānau are:

• Explore literacy together – Mā kōrua e Tūhura te Reo Matatini, which offers suggestions for whānau about a wide variety of experiences and opportunities to support young children’s literacy.
• He kohinga tākaro mō te ako – Play ideas, which includes a ‘Books and storytelling’ play ideas card in its kete (basket) of play ideas.
• Pasifika Early Literacy Project (PELP) dual language books, which are in the following languages: gagana Samoa, te gagana Tokelau, lea faka Tonga, te reo Māori Kūkī 'Āirani, vagahau Niue and English.
• Support materials for Pacific dual language books, which include support materials for families and kaiako using the Pasifika Early Literacy Project dual language books.

The National Library of New Zealand ‘Help your child become a reader’ pamphlet is also a good resource for whānau. It is available in the following languages from the National Library website:

• Help your child become a reader — English (PDF)
• Āwhinatia tō tamaiti kia ako ki te pānui — Te Reo Māori (PDF)
• Fehoahoani ki tau tamaiti ke kavea ma tino faitau — Te Gagana Tokelau (PDF)
• Fesoasoani i lau tama ia avea o se faitautusi — Gagana Sāmoa (PDF)
• Help your child become a reader — Arabic (PDF)
• Help your child become a reader — Hindi (PDF)
• Help your child become a reader — simplified Chinese (PDF)
• Lagomatai e tama haau ke eke mo tagata totou — Vagahau Niue (PDF)
• Tauturu‘ia ta‘au tamaiti 'akariro'ia koe ei tangata tatau — Te Reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani (PDF)
• Tokoni‘i ‘a ho‘o tamá hoko ko ha tokotaha manako laukonga — Lea Faka-Tonga (PDF)

Support parents, caregivers and whānau with reading

Provide support, guidance and reading resources for families and whānau, and opportunities to collaborate, for example by:

• Setting up a mini library at your early childhood service for mokopuna and whānau  to use
• Providing opportunities for whānau book borrowing
• Becoming a Duffy Ready 4 Reading Centre (booksinhomes.org.nz) – if eligible.
• Creating spaces for whānau and visitors to read with mokopuna. You can invite whānau and community members to read, including reading in their home languages.*

* Police vetting must be undertaken for adults who have unsupervised access to children in early learning. For more information, go to: Police vetting for early learning services.