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The Reading 30!

It is every teacher and parent’s dream that in a world filled with iPads, Apple Macs and playstations, a child would spend their free time with their nose buried in a good book. Research shows us that becoming a lifelong reader is based upon a deep rooted love for reading. In order to promote this, children must be exposed to the wonderful world of reading for pleasure.

In celebration of World Book Day on 2nd March 2017 we have gathered ideas on how to promote children reading for fun. Studies* show us that just 30 minutes of reading for enjoyment per day can have an impact of up to a year’s schooling in comparison to a non-reader.

Alongside this, the 2014 British Curriculum puts a larger focus on promoting children reading for pleasure. This refers to any reading children are choosing to do outside of any home work or school home reading. 30 minutes of pleasure reading per day will have a huge impact on children’s progress across all areas of learning. When children become ‘hooked on books’, they unconsciously develop their skills and acquire a broad and beautiful vocabulary. The benefits of reading are wonderfully clear but how do we move our children away from screens and into the magical world of text?

Here are some ideas you can use at home in order to promote a love of learning so we can develop your children into lifelong readers and learners…

Model Behaviour

The most important factor in a child’s love of reading stems from home and the experiences they have there. Think about the last time your child watched you read something which was not an email, text message or letter? Parents need to act as a role model for their children. How can we expect them to want to read if we do not show them? It is so important for children to see their adults at home reading a book, a newspaper or a magazine and genuinely enjoying it!

The One

Some children will naturally fall into the mystical worlds of fictional texts, whereas other children thrive from learning new information in factbooks and information books. It is so important to expose children to different genres of texts so they can ensure to find the one, in the words of Goldilocks, that is ‘just right’. The best place to start is with children’s interests. If you are stuck for ideas, maybe visit http://time.com/100-best-childrens-books/ which lists the ‘100 best books for children’.

Space and Time

In the busy world of Dubai there is always an after school activity to rush to, or a bit of forgotten homework to try to finish in time, which means it is sometimes difficult to dedicate time to reading for pleasure. Please value the huge importance reading has on a child’s learning and ensure they are given even 30 minutes per day which they can dedicate to reading. A well planned bedtime routine for children can ensure they have a calm and quiet environment to read. Does your child have a cozy and comfortable space in your home where they can read? Setting up an enclosed space such as a den or tent with cushions and blankets gives children space to read alone or perhaps parents can squeeze in there too with their young ones and share a story together.

Challenge Time

If your child is yet to find the book which will entice them into the world of reading, it is often a good idea to give them a challenge which encourages them to read. Create a mystery book shelf, i.e. wrapping up books in paper so they are unknown. Can children choose a ‘mystery book’ and then write a summary in order to encourage others to read it? Hide some golden tickets inside books/texts at home. Can the children collect them as they read in order to win a prize? Give children a 100 word challenge per day, what is the record time they can do this in?

There are countless ways to engage children with reading. It does not matter what works for you and your children as long as we are growing a generation of lifelong readers. Let’s work together to help our children find the magic and wonder of the written word.

*The organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (2009) tells us that, ‘there is a difference in reading performance equivalent to just over a year's schooling between young people who never read for enjoyment and those who read for up to 30 minutes per day.’

Rebecca Mundy Head of Foundation Stage, Kings’ School Al Barsha

 

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