Once your child has settled into school, we will be visiting the library during school time. You can also visit the library with your child before and after school. Please follow the link below for more information.

The Importance of reading with your child

Enjoying books and reading stories from a very early age is crucial in the development of children. It helps with their ability to understand words, use their imagination and develop their speech, as well as being something they really enjoy.

Teachers and parents play a huge part in the development of reading skills in young children. The more children experience books the more they will gain the interest and passion for them. Reading offers so much more than just quiet time in a cosy corner. It helps to develop spelling, listening, writing, literacy and social skills. Young children need to be able to experience books; they need to be able to understand and enjoy stories, books, rhymes and songs and listen and respond to them with curiosity and enjoyment. This will promote the value and pleasure of reading and encourage an interest in reading throughout school and in later life.

Even from a very young age child love books. It provides the opportunity to learn through touching and feeling different textures, along with experiences different actions. There are some great early years books with pop up pages, lift-the-flap pages, noisy pages and different textured pictures to really get babies and toddlers engaged with books.

Children develop more rapidly during the first five years of their lives than at any other time. That's why they are called the foundation years – the building blocks for life! Throughout these important first years if they attend a nursery, pre-school or primary school, their progress will be monitored.

Reading at home

With so many books to read and enjoy there just isn’t enough time in a school day to discover all there is to enjoy with reading. Support from parents and carers with reading at home is just as important to a child’s development.

Every child loves spending time with their parents and enjoys listening to them and interacting with them. Sharing a book together is a special time with the added benefit that it’s not just for entertainment but helps develop their concentration and understanding of language. Children who do not get the reading support at home from parents and carers often come to reading at a disadvantage.

It is never too early to start sharing books with your child, even as young babies they enjoy, and will learn from, hearing stories and looking at books. Research shows that reading at home with their child is the single most important thing a parent can do to help their child’s education.

Try to set aside time each day to sit and share a book. Turn off distractions such as the TV and mobile phone and have some quiet time together getting lost in a story. Talk to your child about the pictures, ask them what they can see and what they think is going to happen in the story. Doing this little and often is best so that you don’t lose your child’s focus and attention, but by all means read for longer if that’s what your child wants.

Be a reading role model to your child – if your child sees you enjoying a book, they will show an interest too.

Why not become a member of your local library and start your reading journey!

For more information, follow the link below.