Developing a love of reading
Reading for pleasure
In EYFS, all children take home a weekly book to share for pleasure from the class library. Staff promote reading books aloud to children at home and stress the importance of story time as a building block for reading development. Story books stimulate children's imaginations and expand their understanding of the world. Regular reading helps children develop language and listening skills and prepares them to understand the written word. Reading for pleasure is promoted through self chosen books from the class library, this develops a love for storytelling and a passion for reading. Parents are encouraged to make the time to read at home for just 10 minutes per day and this equates to over 60 hours in a year!
Reading at home can be recorded or evidenced on Tapestry in Reception or in reading logs in KS1. The children in Reception also have their own reading worm. These cute creatures survive by listening to stories each night. The children record their reading progress each time they read to their book worm and receive a treat for 15 nights reading. The children love taking good care of their reading worms and the incentive has inspired regular reading at home.
What does a pre reading child take home?
Before a child can read independently, they take home oracy discussion cards or wordless texts to promote ‘book talk’ and to extend vocabulary opportunities. ‘Book-talk’ is the ability to talk about books, developing the confidence to offer ideas and then reshape them in the light of other contributions. It helps children to trust their own ideas and interpretations, to talk effectively about a book, deepening their understanding, shifting their ideas, thinking together as a group and moving comprehension forwards.
Children that can blend sounds to read words
Phonetic green words are sent home as flashcards to match set one sounds taught. Red ‘tricky’ words are also sent home to develop on sight reading.
Phonics blending books are introduced when the children have been introduced to the initial sounds in the set one sounds pack and they can blend. The children then progress to ditty books.
Developing a love of reading
Reading is at the heart of the EYFS curriculum. In the first half term staff hold a reading workshop for parents - ‘Book at Bedtime.’ This session promotes reading for pleasure and introduces the Read Write Inc scheme.
What parents said -
"The session was magical!" "My child loved every second and loved their reading light!"
"I will definately use the top tips for reading at home"
"The RWINc session helped me to understand how to teach my child reading and phonics at home"
Further reading opportunities
All themes taught in class are based around key texts. Each week the children read up to five books linked to their learning and reading opportunities are available in all continuous provision areas. A reading spine supports themes taught.
Texts highlighting diversity are also a key part of the curriculum and allow children to see representations of themselves and other cultures in stories that spark creativity, inspire, and set imaginations soring!
