School’s out but reading still matters
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Well, this is it, the end of another academic year! School staff and pupils will be undoubtedly looking forward to the break and to spending their free time as they choose. However, many believe that children’s aptitude for learning declines over the long summer holiday whilst they are without the formal structure of school and regular revision of skills and call this phenomenon the “summer slide”. Children will naturally be inclined to play with friends and engage in hobbies during the break but encouraging them to read regularly is important for honing literacy skills, expanding knowledge and maintaining learning development while school is out. Here are some top tips to encourage children to read and engage with books over the holidays:
- Make time for reading together
Aim to read with your child for 10-15 minutes each day. Share the reading, as children benefit from both reading aloud themselves and listening to you read to develop their comprehension and understanding of how to read for others. Make sure that time spent reading is fun, interesting and leaves them wanting more.
- Visit bookstores and the local library
Bookshops and libraries are great for getting children excited about books. Local libraries are a brilliant way of accessing lots of wonderful titles, and the expertise of a librarian, for free! Over the holidays libraries often hold special events for children and families too.
- Allow children to choose what they want to read
Children learn to read for pleasure by being given the freedom to choose what they want to read. Don’t be disappointed if they tend to choose similar books for a while as their tastes will inevitably alter over time. Making sure that children can access a wide range of books and magazines at home and in the library will encourage them to try new materials and playing ‘Book Bingo’ is one way of encouraging older children to read a multiple of genres and collect a reward in return!
Reading Teams training is perfect for INSET days
Looking for ideas for worthwhile INSET training next year? Did you know that
Reading Matters delivers accredited training courses and bespoke workshops for education professionals looking at the best ways to support to struggling and reluctant readers in school? For more details please
see our website.
Provident Financial funding for Reading Matters
We are delighted to be ‘runners-up’ in the latest round of the Provident Financial Good Neighbour Programme and would like to thank those of you who voted for us.
Reading Matters will receive £750 towards our ongoing programmes which help struggling readers to reach their potential through one to one intervention.
Searching for Bradford’s Young War Poet…
We are planning a creative writing competition for Remembrance Day 2017 in conjunction with
Bradford’s Kirkgate Shopping. We’ll be asking local schools, theatres, creative writing groups and individuals (under 16) to write a poem on the topic of war to help us remember our war heroes this November. It’s a great opportunity for children to practice their writing and reading skills – with the chance to win a brilliant prize and perform their poem live at the centre with the Royal British Legion too. Watch this space! Full details will be revealed when the competition launches this September.
The whole team at Reading Matters would like to wish you a wonderful summer! We will be back with more news in September. Happy holidays!
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