When the lovely Emma asked if anyone would like to do a guest post back in...erm, a long time ago anyway, I said I'd love to! But with Christmas and getting my new blog up and running I wasn't organised enough to get it done. So I told Emma to give me a dead line! And here we are!
Since blogging I have come across many a blog post about reading or reviewing books which delights me!
As a teacher I cannot stress enough about how important reading is. Not just reading for the sake of it but reading for enjoyment. Children won't get as much out of reading as they could if they don't like what they're reading. It broadens their imagination and vocabulary which will become apparent in their writing!
They also need to understand what it is they are reading. Some children are able to 'read' words perfectly but do not have comprehension of what is going on in the book. Reading is about understanding as well as the written word. When reading with children I ask questions to assess their understanding. This is what parents can do at home whether you're reading to your child or they're reading to you.
Some Examples...
* Why do think...is happening?
* What do you think this word means?
* Why do you think that character is feeling...?
* What was your favourite part of the book, why?
* What do you think will happen next?
These are a few things you can ask when reading with/to your children, not only to gage how much they understand but to get chatting with them about the books they read.
I'm sure every school promotes reading with a reward system. Where I am now parents are required to sign and comment in their son/daughters reading diary five times a week.
Now I'm a parent I really know that time can be an issue but even if it's just five minutes, it's worth it and makes a difference!
Books can be quite pricey in certain stores but there are many ways to find them cheaper!
1. Pound Shops! I have bought many hard baby/toddler books for Eliot from here most of
them priced at £4.99 on the back! They get in good reads for older kids too.
2. The Book People are particularly good with book collections
3. Charity Shops often have good reads at bargain prices.
4. Supermarkets! Often have deals on very popular books E.g. Two for £7.
5. Join a library, a great way to read a variety books for free! My local library has a story and rhyme session twice a week so do check out if anything happens at yours.
I loved reading as a child and I hope that Eliot grows to enjoy it as much as I did. I've seen what a difference it makes to learning in the long term.
They also need to understand what it is they are reading. Some children are able to 'read' words perfectly but do not have comprehension of what is going on in the book. Reading is about understanding as well as the written word. When reading with children I ask questions to assess their understanding. This is what parents can do at home whether you're reading to your child or they're reading to you.
Some Examples...
* Why do think...is happening?
* What do you think this word means?
* Why do you think that character is feeling...?
* What was your favourite part of the book, why?
* What do you think will happen next?
These are a few things you can ask when reading with/to your children, not only to gage how much they understand but to get chatting with them about the books they read.
I'm sure every school promotes reading with a reward system. Where I am now parents are required to sign and comment in their son/daughters reading diary five times a week.
Now I'm a parent I really know that time can be an issue but even if it's just five minutes, it's worth it and makes a difference!
Books can be quite pricey in certain stores but there are many ways to find them cheaper!
1. Pound Shops! I have bought many hard baby/toddler books for Eliot from here most of
them priced at £4.99 on the back! They get in good reads for older kids too.
2. The Book People are particularly good with book collections
3. Charity Shops often have good reads at bargain prices.
4. Supermarkets! Often have deals on very popular books E.g. Two for £7.
5. Join a library, a great way to read a variety books for free! My local library has a story and rhyme session twice a week so do check out if anything happens at yours.
I loved reading as a child and I hope that Eliot grows to enjoy it as much as I did. I've seen what a difference it makes to learning in the long term.
You can find Lucinda over on twitter and her blog is over at Teacher2Mummy
Our library is right next to our weighing centre so even as a newborn id take Rio to the library..like his mummy..he is now a book worm! :) I think it helped him learn everything so much quicker as he was used to me pointing out the different things. Lovely post!
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