At The Aquila School we want every child to develop a love of reading and love coming to school. It goes without saying that learning to read is an essential life skill needed for education, the workplace and being able to survive on a day to day basis. Have you ever stopped to think about how many times you read, signs, labels, instructions, social media etc on a daily basis. Reading is so important internationally and locally, being a core part of the UAE vision for the future of education.
There is a danger however that schools, keen to ensure that children understand the mechanics of reading, miss out in what for us at The Aquila School is so important- developing a love of reading. We know that children can get so much pleasure and enjoyment from reading that we want to promote this so that reading for pleasure becomes a habit of a lifetime. So, particularly helpful over the long summer break here are our top tips on developing and sustaining a love of reading-
- Let children choose what they read. There is very little pleasure to be gained from reading a text that is of no interest to the children or that simply requires them to decode words.
- It is fine to re-read a book that has been read before. We wouldn’t stop a child from playing a piece of music again on the grounds they have heard it before, so why do we sometimes insist everything a child reads needs to be for the first time.
- A real book or an e-book- both are equally valuable, let children choose.
- Fiction and non-fiction can be equally enjoyable, again let the children choose.
- Sharing a book with family members should be a relaxed and pleasurable experience. If neither of you are in the mood or the session is becoming stressful stop and start again when the time is right.
- Some children enjoy reading stories aloud to their friends or toys, this is a great skill and is to be encouraged.
- Encourage children to bring their books alive, maybe acting out stories, creating a puppet show, making a presentation or even just responding to the book through art, design and music. The possibilities are endless.
- Let children know that reading is not just for children. Why not have time when you and your family sit together and read, either sharing a book or pursuing individual interests. This would certainly be time very well spent.
We excitedly anticipate the arrival of the thousands of books we have ordered for The Aquila School as we know these will really help us to encourage every child to develop a love of reading. Have a happy summer of from everyone at The Aquila School.