Children love stories! Reading is an enjoyable activity that brings adults and children together and creates an atmosphere of open communication, intimacy and a bond of trust. Story time is a lovely time for children as they settle down into an expectant mood ready to go on a journey and have their imaginations stimulated.

Here are ten tips guaranteed to make story time more interesting and really get your children hooked onto books. Before you start, try to create a comfortable place with no distractions such as the TV blasting out. And now, if you’re sitting comfortably, then let’s begin…

1. Choose an appropriate book with your child, guiding them with what you think they may enjoy. Consider themes and characters they love or think about the mood they’re in.

2. Start with your natural storytelling voice - smile, stay calm and don’t rush.

3. During the story, vary your voice as much as possible.  Use a sad voice, a happy voice, speak loudly for a fierce lion or a giant, softly for a mouse, and whisper to tell of a special secret or wonderful surprise.  Speak quickly to indicate a galloping horse, slowly to describe a plodding tortoise. Give your characters different voices...the Billy Goat Gruff needs to sound 'gruff'.

4. When telling a story, regular eye contact is important to keep their concentration and really make it a shared experience.

5. Change your facial expressions to illuminate the story and use hand gestures at appropriate moments.

6. Children love sound effects, so add them wherever you can.  For example, make knocking sounds as you read the Three Little Pigs when the wolf knocks on each of the three little pigs' doors.

7. Participation is key as your child needs to feel that they’re a part of the story. Involve them as much as possible by saying; “That was funny, wasn't it?” or “What do you think is going to happen next?  Shall we turn over the page to find out?”

8. Use silence and pauses to add dramatic effect.

9. If it’s not at bedtime, you could liven things up by using visual aids or props that form part of the story.

10. Sometimes you could try putting your books down and making up your own stories. Take time to think about an intriguing way to begin your story as you need to capture their attention from the very beginning. Think about including words that sound like their meaning (onomatopoeias), such as pop, splash, crackle. Use your five senses to fire up their imaginations and younger children really love stories with repetition – think Goldilocks and the Three Bears or The Three Little Pigs.

Whatever you do, have fun telling the story.  Your audience are sure to appreciate your efforts and you’ll probably get more out of it too!