The Super Power of Reading

Each year Junior School children come together for a special celebration of books, Book Week. Book Week is dedicated to commemorating books, authors and illustrators. Teachers and library staff organise and plan fun activities and events to feature the importance of reading and engaging with books.

This year we celebrated Book Week at Scotch with a wonderful staff pantomime and costume parade for the children. The children dressed as their favourite book characters and confidently told the audience who they came dressed as, some even imitating their character's voice. The students delighted in watching their friends, older and younger, parade and enjoy the celebrations.

Junior School teachers are known for loving to have fun, and though the pantomime may have lacked some quality acting, it certainly was tremendous fun! Based on the book The Wildest Book Week Ever, the staff fumbled their way across the stage and the children laughed at their performances (or lack of).

Assisting your child to develop a love for books and reading is a gift that will last a lifetime. We know that academic performance strongly correlates with children's reading ability more than any other single indicator. Reading can be difficult to master for some children, yet, with good explicit teaching, patience, modelling and practice, the reading code can be cracked and the enjoyment of picking up a book and becoming lost in the pages, experienced.

Reading Tips

So how, as parents, can we assist our children to crack this code and unlock this special power? Here are some ways you can help your child:

• Reading to and with your child, no matter their age or ability, whenever you can and at least once a day. Children love listening to stories and even once children learn to read, continuing to read to them fosters their reading habits, expression and comprehension.
• Model reading as an enjoyable activity. Children are great imitators and learn by watching you. If they see you constantly on technology, that is what they think they should do. If they see you picking up a book, then they will get the message that reading is a good choice for them too.
• Visit the library or bookshop often and together. Allowing your child to choose their own reading material, even if that means you end up doing a lot of the reading for them, encourages ownership and the feeling of empowerment and joy.
• Share stories you loved as a child. Children love to feel a part of your experiences and sharing a book from your own childhood develops a special story between you.
• Share the load. If your child is reluctant to read, try strategies such as alternating pages with them or asking them to guess what happens on the next page.
• Read anything. Comics, joke books, shopping catalogues all make good reading materials. Find out what it is that entices your child to want to read and read that together.
• Praise their reading. Developing their confidence is a big part of reading success. Reading should never be associated with frustration, anger or stress. Praise their efforts, help them when they get tired or stuck and make the experience a happy one.

Reading is a super power that will last a lifetime!