Abbeymead Primary School
Reading for Pleasure
We believe that it is vital that children have the opportunity and time to read a variety of books so that they can enjoy reading. Not because it ticks off an objective but because it encourages a love or reading. Reading for pleasure.
Children and staff in our school therefore have the opportunity to read regularly for pleasure. This is timetabled into the school day.
Children have access to high quality texts from classroom book corners. Teachers also prioritise reading aloud to their classes; in EYFS/KS1 this happens a minimum of once a day and in KS2 a minimum of 3 times a week.
To inspire reading in children, we also:
- Invest heavily in reading resources and book stock that children will want to read and re-read including poetry, graphics novels and a wide range of text types.
- Have members of staff who are excellent reading role models. They lead by example creating an environment that promotes reading as a socially engaging activity that is highly valued.
- Promote books that we think children might enjoy or that staff are currently excited by.
- Make use of display, competitions and incentives.
- Welcome reading volunteers to provide children with more opportunities to share a book.
- Encourage families to spend time reading with their child.
- Provide children with opportunities in school to promote reading
Reading for Pleasure at Home
“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.”—Emilie Buchwald
Be comfortable. Whether at bedtime, snuggled up on a comfy chair or even listening to a CD on a car journey, sharing books and reading together is one of the most important experiences children can have. Limit distractions to a minimum if possible; create a special reading area (a den or pop-up tent work wonders); allocate ten minutes in the day when everyone in the house stops and reads. Leave a variety of books lying around and accessible so they can be picked up at any time.
When reading to your child have fun (be brave) and use different voices for the characters. Use expressions and inflections in your voice to create suspense and excitement as you read. Vary the speed at which you read sentences, take a look at the information below orthe Parent Support page for more resources and guidance on supporting your child.
For guidance on how to support your child with reading for pleasure at home, have a look at this leaflet, which has some great ideas on how to promote enjoyment in reading all the way up to Year 6 and beyond:
You can also use these great supportive resources from the Education Endownment Foundation to guide you when reading with your child/children.
Top tips for supporting your children with reading in reception year 1 and year 2.
Top tips for supporting your children with reading in Key Stage 2.
If your child is a devoted Tom Gates or David Walliams fan and you are looking for ideas of books to encourage them to branch out, have a look at the 'Tube Map' for your child's age group which suggests books linked to your child's preferred authors or book genre: