Dads, make time to read with your children

In the week leading up to Father's Day, primary schools, nurseries, children's centres and libraries across the UK are reaching out to dads by trying to get them more involved in their children's education.

Father's Story Week, a joint project by dads' charity The Fatherhood Institute and Barnado's, gives teachers and other family-learning professionals free resources and fundraising activity ideas to help them engage with dads.

Last year Father's Story Week took place in over 2000 schools and other settings, with feedback from over 90 per cent of dads saying it had improved their relationship with their child's school.

Activities planned this year include a nationwide paper airplane competition, a readathon and a dads-and-kids sporting challenge – featuring a marathon-length relay race and a group bounce over Big Ben.

The 2014 event will also feature Dad Camps, with free places for low-income dads and their kids to enjoy an action-packed holiday together.


Getting dads involved

But the core idea behind Fathers' Story Week is to boost the number of dads who are actively interested and involved in their children's education.

Adrienne Burgess, research manager at the Fatherhood Institute, explains: 'We are all concerned about children's education and achievement both at school and in later life. And the research shows that father involvement at home and school is crucial for both areas.'


'School is such an important place for children, because it's where they spend most of their time. What's going on at school is actually what's going on in a child's life. So if a father is cut off from school he's also cut off from a whole lot of information about his kids, their friends and daily life outside the home,' she says.

Why dads matter

Studies repeatedly show that, not only are the majority of dads less involved in their children's education than mothers, but that dads' involvement is vital for a child's confidence, self-esteem, behaviour and educational/career success.

For example, a father's interest in his child's education – particularly at age 11 – has more influence than family background, the child's personality or poverty on educational success.

'If dads are involved the benefits for kids are huge: in terms of behaviour, exclusions, aspirations, interest in education, achievement, literacy, you name it,' says Burgess. 'And of course these are all interconnected, because behaviour is often bad when kids aren't feeling confident or competent in the classroom.'

Separated dads

Although this involvement is crucial in every type of family structure, it's especially important for non-resident dads. Because most men only see their children every other weekend after divorce or separation, helping out at school shows they care and are still engaged with their kids' lives in between 'dad weekends'.

And the Fatherhood Institute works closely with schools to get these dads involved, whether that's joining the PTA or doing something more practical. 'One separated father I know is a pianist and regularly plays in the school assembly,' says Burgess. 'When he saw his kids he would give them a little wave, which they loved. So for separated dads – and all fathers, actually – it's not just about being engaged with their child at school, but doing practical things in the school too.'

Some primary schools the Fatherhood Institute has worked with open their classrooms half an hour early, so parents can see what their kids are up to. Because dads tend to do more of the drop-offs, this gives men a chance to speak to their child's teacher, see their work and generally engage with the school's activities.

'Simple things like opening those classrooms early shows how easy it can be to connect with dads,' explains Burgess. 'And the head at a primary school called Cooper's Lane is very hot on this. He's got the dads to do all the maintenance in his school, which not only gets them involved but saves the school thousands of a year!'

Learning to read

Getting boys interested in reading can be a challenge, but boys who read books with their dad are far more likely to develop a passion for reading themselves.

Dads who want to help their boys (and girls) to read will find that the methods used now are completely different than they experienced at school. Yet another reason for dads to visit school, talk to the teacher and help with reading duties at home.

'The way reading and maths is taught these days is very different,' says Burgess. 'So if the kids bring literacy sheets home that are all about phonics, you need to understand what they are about so you don't confuse your children. If the father went into school he would understand it, so feel more competent and confident in helping his kids.'

The key point is that most dads would love to be more involved with their child's education and to feel more connected to them. Getting involved with Fathers' Story Week is the perfect way to start.

This year Fathers' Story Week runs from 9 -15 June.