Reading Newsletter

Dear All,

This half term we would really like to raise awareness to our parents and carers around the benefits that reading for pleasure has on our children. The graphic we've shared highlights the idea that '20 is plenty'. Up to 20 minutes a day of reading for pleasure at home will support children in so many different ways across their learning but also there are so many other benefits as you will see from the image which aren't academic. Up to 20 minutes reading a day can support children's wellbeing and emotional regulation which in turn can improve their behaviour. Reading has a calming effect on the brain which is important for children to feel and is a different feeling that they will benefit from when compared to an activity like watching You-Tube or playing a computer game which increases their stress levels. Planning daily reading into your routine will help get you started if you currently find this tricky to manage at home. This will benefit children immensely and they will look forward to it when it becomes part of daily life if it isn't already. Before bed is often a good time as it helps children to calm down, de-stress and you can connect with your child by either hearing them read, reading to them or talking about their book which is great no matter how old they are to spend quality time together. Reading enables children to develop vital empathy skills to support them in day to day life as they grow. Take some time to look over the recommendations in this newsletter if you are in need of some inspiration for the types of books your child may like to read. 

Once children have finished their phonics programme in school then they are able to choose from a selection of books within their reading age for them to comfortably enjoy; giving the children control over what they are reading really helps to develop a life long joy for reading.  

We love hearing about what the children are reading for pleasure in school and at home. We have recently launched an in school 'book club' slot as part of our curriculum time where the children have the opportunity to hear about what others are reading and make recommendations to other children. We are hoping to develop and build upon opportunities for book chat like this in order for our children to continue to inspire one another and share a passion for reading. 

We are already looking forward to World Book Day plans on 7th March. Look out for an update on plans in our end of half term newsletter. 

Enjoy exploring the rest of this newsletter and finding something new for you and your child to read.

Mrs Lang and Mrs Francis