When football author Tom Palmer was young he thought he hated reading - all those match reports and football magazines didn't count. Now he explains how major sporting tournaments can be harnessed to change attitudes to reading for life
I've been working with the National Literacy Trust to develop resources for teachers to use during Euro 2012. Their aim is to harness children's interest in football to inspire them to read for pleasure.
I read some research six months ago which argued that, during major sporting tournaments, academic performance drops. It was produced by Bristol and Oxford universities. You can read more about it on my blog.
But what if we were to find a way to make academic performance improve during a major sporting tournament? Rather than seeing it as a threat to literacy, how about turning it into an opportunity. How would we do it? The answer – not rocket science – is that we have come up with ideas to inspire children to enjoy reading through their love of sport. This is what I have been working on with the National Literacy Trust and sharing with the Guardian Teacher Network.
First of all we've developed a toolkit of ideas for activities, displays and reading groups based around Euro 2012. Easy schemes that will get children looking at newspapers, magazines, books and websites. For example, a Euro 2012 display updated daily with new reading materials by a group of football-loving children; a lunchtime match report reading group; ideas for guests in school who could talk about sport and reading; a highly competitive football reading game based on a quiz and a penalty shoot out.
I'm also writing a daily cliff-hanger story published in twenty episodes, early every morning, drawing on the events of the day before at Euro 2012. Live fiction taking five minutes to read every day. The first instalment can be read here.
I've written a letter which can be sent home to parents suggesting ways that families can help their kids to read for pleasure during this summer's major sporting tournaments.
And throughout the tournament children can read a blog by a football author (that's me) talking about the tournament, especially what I have been reading including: match previews, match reports, player profiles, controversies, links to websites, new books and latest magazines articles. Also check out the Guardian's Euro 2012 website.
But this is not just about the short term, not only for the duration of Euro 2012. We want to use this to help change children's attitudes to reading. For life.
When I was young I hated reading. Or, that is what I told myself. But, thinking about it – and with a bit of help from my mum – I did read a lot. Match and Shoot magazines, every Thursday. The football newspapers every weekend. Match day programmes at all the football matches I attended (when it was still affordable). Books about my favourite team and players. Because I wasn't reading fiction I told myself that I hated reading. And, because of that, I shied away from books. I did not feel at home in libraries and bookshops. Reading was beyond me. That was my internal narrative.
My mum encouraged me in the same way that I now try to encourage children when I visit schools. She made me see that I was a reader.
Armed with the idea that maybe I was a reader, I grew in confidence. I started trying books about war. I was interested in war. Then books about travel. I liked to dream of going to foreign countries. I had confidence. But not just confidence in reading. I had confidence in the rest of my life too. Reading did that for me. It changed everything.
• Tom Palmer has written 14 football novels for Puffin Books. His series include Football Academy, Foul Play and The Squad. His new book – Black Op – is set in Poland the week before Euro 2012. He runs his Football Reading Game in schools and libraries all over the UK. Find out more on www.tompalmer.co.uk.
Resources on Guardian Teacher Network
Toolkit of ideas for activities, displays and reading groups based around Euro 2012
The first chapter of a daily cliff hanger story based on Euro 2012. Episode two will be published on www.literarytrust.org.uk on 7th June.
A letter to parents about sport and reading
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