For the love of reading
These three children all started in Reception (now in Year 6) and this is what they choose to do in playtime – a testament to the enjoyment and fulfilment they get through the exposure of reading and the access to an entire library full of books.
At the Mead, we do a ‘Guided Reading’ scheme in addition to free choice and reading schemes. Each class explores a book together, which provokes discussion around the book and is an excellent way of exposing children to a variety of books and helping to comprehend and share opinions as a class.
The Importance of reading
The love of reading is more important than ever in a digital world. Below are just a few of the well-documented benefits of reading for children:
- Reading allows us to be transported from our world into another, experiencing different cultures, feelings and realities, which can teach empathy and lower stress.
- Reading helps mindfullnes which can be important for mental health
- Reading helps with social skills and emotional intelligence.
- Reading increases vocabulary, comprehension and grammar skills.
- Reading assists with cognitive development through language, reasoning, intelligence, information processing and background knowledge
- It enhances creativity and imagination through picturing and visualising characters and settings.
Pre-Reception – The Squirrels Who Squabbled
Pre-Reception explored their guided reading book ‘The Squirrels Who Squabbled’ by storylining and identifying what happens next. They were able to identify the different characters and discuss how all the characters may feel.
Year 4 – Arthur And The Golden Rope
Year 4 performed Freeze Frames and Thought Tracking for their power of reading book ‘Arthur and the Golden Rope’, which is a highly engaging way to teach children comprehension and inference skills as they have to think about the characters and emotions.
