Throughout the school we value and nurture children enjoying reading in a variety of different formats. We understand that reading builds vocabulary and understand through hearing stories, children are exposed to a wide range of words. This helps them build their own vocabulary and improve their understanding when they listen, which is vital as they start to read. It is important for them to understand the structure of stories also as this supports them when they write their own.
Upper Kindergarten enjoy “The Three Little Pigs”
Reading teaches children about the world around them and helps them to model what happens in various situations. By reading a variety of books, children can learn about people, places, and events outside of their own experience and develop the skills to deal with all of the new experiences life brings their way.
The story of ‘The Three Little Pigs’ highlights has many elements. It has a moral value highlighting the importance of intelligent and practical hard work in life, as it will definitely pay off in the coming years. The first two pigs were reluctant to do the hard work and chose an easy way to build their houses, and these houses couldn’t protect them in the face of danger. The children in each Kindergarten class enjoyed displaying their class boards with a house from each little pig. There are also many repetitive phrase “little pig, little pig let me come in..” and this helps with their cognitive development.
What are the benefits of reading aloud to children in the classroom?
Reading aloud creates a classroom community by establishing a known text that can be used as the basis for building on critical thinking skills that are related and unrelated to reading, meanings, connecting ideas and experiences across texts, using their prior knowledge, and questioning unfamiliar words from the text.
We nurture this within our school in many different ways, through reading buddies, through the classes enjoying a book that they all read together, by discussing and understanding together the ideas and new vocabulary being used.
Some benefits reading to children include:
- Supported cognitive development.
- Improved language skills.
- Preparation for academic success.
- Developing a special bond with your child.
- Increased concentration and discipline.
- Improved imagination and creativity.
- Cultivating a lifelong love of reading.
Sharing Book Reviews
Writing book reviews can help you develop your language skills and allows you to focus on what you found inspiring in the novel that you have read. It is a wonderful way to share with others what you think and also to consider in what way a book maybe improved. These skills are developed throughout the different year groups and help to underpin improved language skills. Book reviews also ensure the children are able to discuss the content of the book they have read by sharing their opinions about it.
Nurturing a life-long love of reading.
Reading improves your vocabulary and your knowledge of the world. It can open minds to different ideas which may challenge our own and cause us to view things in a different light. Each year group is given time in the library to find the author or genre that they may find appealing and enjoy at their leisure whilst at home with their families. We also encourage the children to browse through the wide selection of books on offer when we hold book fairs at the school or invite an author to come in to share their book and talk to the children about what inspired them to devote their time to writing. Being ‘wild’ about reading can help you with many different aspects in your journey through education and help to develop a life-long love of reading.
