Showing posts with label reading for pleasure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reading for pleasure. Show all posts
Thursday, 10 September 2015
Back to School, Back to School Books (GAHHHHH!) - A ReadItDaddy Editorial
I should emphasise two things though:
1) School is fantastic and we've never, ever had cause to complain about the way they teach literacy and improve reading skills
2) She reads a lot of books. A LOT of books - all the stuff we review here and a whole lot more besides, so should I even worry about school book work at all?
The crux of this editorial is something that cropped up on Twitter (usually Twitter is the inspiration for a lot of these ramblings but this was definitely an eye-catching tweet and a point well made by @joannechocolat).
This This This This This This THISSSSS! God, if only I could cram this up the nose of some of the mums at C’s school
Joanne Harris @Joannechocolat
It struck me that the real problem I have with the school bookwork has nothing to do with the material or the level it's aimed at, it's the inference that Charlotte's reading level is purely determined by books she HAS to read rather than books she wants to read.
We have a lot of mums at Charlotte's school who insist that their little darling(s) read at such a highly advanced level for their age that they could happily work through the works of Shakespeare in an evening, or could polish off War and Peace for giggles at the weekend. Proud parenting is fine but it's the veiled inference that one child is somehow 'better' than another purely because they're reading books with a bigger word count, or have moved on swiftly from children's books and are working their way through dusty old classics that you really wouldn't wish on anyone.
Competitive parents aside, and getting back to Joanne's tweet, you can spot the kids who have a genuine love of reading and actually LOVE the books they've brought to school off their own backs to read in the cloakroom or at break times. There's a certain shiny-eyed enthusiasm that is instantly identifiable in kids who actually consider reading in their free time to be a pleasure, not something foisted on them just to bump up their academic reputation amongst their peers and their teachers.
When we receive books for review, sometimes the reaction from Charlotte is utterly priceless and I truly wish I could somehow take a snapshot of that precise moment in time and somehow turn it into a meaningful sentence or two in our reviews (particularly when it comes to "Book of the Week" winners which I'm always worried we don't trumpet loudly enough about - If they've made Book of the Week they're pretty much as close to perfection as you're going to get in a children's book).
I'm always well aware that it could easily be a different story, that the book blog could've dwindled away to nothing purely because Charlotte had only a passing interest in books and reading, or considered reading to be the very opposite of 'leisure time'. If that had happened, I wouldn't be here now typing this and I'm so glad she saw the worth of reading for pleasure early on, because reading purely for bragging rights just seems utterly worthless to me.
Wednesday, 18 June 2014
Reading for pleasure - Why is it a concept that's seemingly so difficult to grasp?
Labels:
child literacy,
reading for pleasure
 |
| Charlotte reads because she loves books and reading. We did this! You can too! |
Stories describing initiatives to "fine" parents who don't read with their children, or formalising even more tests and hoops for children to jump through seem completely crazy. It's also quite disheartening to see dads once again in the firing line, described as the main culprits when it comes to children's disengagement with reading.
It's upsetting when you consider that most people complain that time is the factor here. "I don't have time to read to my child" or "I don't have the money to spend on expensive children's books". Some parents work long hours, arrive home after their child has gone to bed, only see them at weekends - there are a huge number of variables to consider in genuine arguments where parents really don't have that time, but consider the following no-brainer advice:
- Sneaking in a book at any time really can take up just a matter of a few minutes (even during mealtimes - which for us has worked really well for Charlotte's school readers which are usually fairly dry and boring, but can be read while she scoffs her breakfast). If you consider it worthwhile to spend 10 minutes updating your Facebook or Twitter feeds on your phone in the morning, consider it worth 10 minutes of your time to sit down with your child and rattle through a picture book with them.
- Likewise, at bedtime, a story can help relax and settle your child. Sometimes Charlotte is so hyperactive after a long tiring day (particularly on days when she has a fairly long school day with lots of physical activity (PE, Ballet), followed by Rainbows. It's a long haul, and reading can get her ready for snuggling down (again a good choice of books can help here - something relaxing rather than something too crazy and exciting).
- It sounds completely crazy but get to know your child, engage with their interests, learn what they're into and then find books that touch on their favourite things. Way too many parents seem to leave their kids to their own devices (quite literally in some cases where kids are dumped in front of the iPad or the games console to keep them quiet) as a convenient way of grabbing back some 'me time'. There are times when you do need to breathe, sure - but if you're ditching your kids so you can veg out in front of the telly or gaze lovingly at your latest status update on whatever your favourite social media flavour is, you're the one missing out and your child definitely will be too.
- Libraries cost nothing to join and you can often borrow a whole stack of books to share with your little ones. If you don't have a library near you, think about setting up an informal one for friends with kids, and swap books between you.
- Charity shops are a fantastic source for second hand children's books. For considerably less than the price of your monthly mobile top-up, you could bag yourself a huge stack of books.
- Cut screen time down to a minimum (or like us, ditch it entirely). If your child prefers apps to books, investigate the multitude of brilliant story apps around and see if you can engage them with some of the more 'gamey' ones (Nosy Crow do a fantastic range of traditional fairy tales reworked into brilliant interactive experiences. Your child will get far more out of these than they will from yet another crappy 'Dolly Makeover' freebie app for a reasonable initial cost and no nasty microtransactions once you've bought the app).
- Above all, children are far more likely to respond to encouragement and positivity surrounding books than negativity. If there's one shared experience that's more likely to create a strong bond between you and your child, it's the shared experience of trawling through a bookshop or looking through the library stacks for fantastic books you haven't read yet.
Fining parents is not the answer, in fact that's just utter craziness. On the flip side, expecting your child's teacher or your child's school to 'handle all that messy reading business' is also not the answer. Engaging with reading, with your child, and getting them interested is worth any amount of time you can put in and you truly will see the benefit in their education, in their well-being and in their curiosity and creativity too.
Tuesday, 17 September 2013
Reading for pleasure makes you better. An open love letter to books.
 |
| Reading books does indeed make you better, not just academically! |
Dear Books,
Hey my oldest and dearest friends, how are things? Have I told you lately that I love you? No? Well I still do - even more than ever now that I'm getting to pass on your brilliance to my daughter, and hopefully to other folk who happen to stumble across our blog and realise that reading for pleasure is such a massive part of our lives that we can't imagine what it would be like NOT to do so?
We've seen lots of very helpful newspaper articles, magazine articles, expert soundbites and research telling us something we already knew. Reading books can make you better!
The recent articles were pointing out that children who are read to, and who read for pleasure, fare better in school at a wide variety of subjects. It's like someone just told us that having a wash occasionally makes us pong a bit less, or that drinking fluids means we won't die of thirst.
The intent is, of course, to reach those folk who haven't quite discovered how brilliant you are, dear books. I lack the vocabulary to adequately describe how pleasurable it is to find yourself slipping into a mild book-induced coma as a book wraps itself around your imagination like a snuggly blanket, totally immersing you in a world that is someone else's but for that snapshot moment in time, is truly yours and yours alone. The entire outside world may disappear when you're reading on your own but when you're reading aloud to someone sitting on your lap, with their complete attention, that bubble encompasses them and suddenly your warm snuggly blanket is big enough for two. Or three, or more if you can master the art of reading aloud to a crowd.
Academic achievement is one reward, but in comparison to the chance of involving someone else in a lifelong passion that will, in turn, make them feel loved and nurtured, "parented" if you dive into modern vernacular, it's a tiny shiny shard of quartz compared to The Star of Africa.
Through our journey into children's picture books and beyond into the sensurround experience of a thoroughly involving and 'deep' books, Mummy, Charlotte and I have found that books can change so many aspects of our life for the better. We can converse on subjects that books brush on, urging us on to find out more. We can visit places inspired by books, and meet fabulous folk who feel the same way about books as we do. We hear articles mentioning literacy and numeracy benefits of reading for pleasure but hello, what of the creative benefits? How many artists, writers, playwrights and actors have become what they are because of what they read as a child, and what they read now? How many authors and illustrators are now as famous (as infamous) as sportsmen and women, as reality-show celebrities?
I've a huge debt of thanks to so many people who gently nudged books in my direction as a child rather than forced them into my school bag, and if anyone asks, that's the approach we take with Charlotte and we hope it will be the approach she takes with her own children if and when she has them.
Books, you're fab, you always have been, always will be!
Tuesday, 3 September 2013
The Summer Reading Experience - Reading for pleasure vs reading for academic achievement.
Labels:
learning books,
phonics,
reading for academic achievement,
reading for pleasure,
repackaged children's picture books,
summer reading experience
Bulls, they say, can get agitated and agressive as soon as they see the colour "red". Over the summer we discovered that children (well, Charlotte) can get quite agitated and even fairly aggressive as soon as they see something like this...
Or even something like this...
Increasing the levels of literacy in young children, even pre-school, is a hot topic and since Charlotte started school we've felt under huge pressure to turn something we've loved to share with her since birth into something that's going to win her gold stars and academic praise at school.
For someone contributing to and compiling a children's picture book blog, seeing well-loved picture books repackaged in this way sets off alarm bells. From tweets this morning, it appears that Francis Lincoln and Barefoot Books are about to take the plunge with repackaging and reformatting children's picture books in this way - with the aim of seeing an increase in use in classrooms, perhaps adding to and enhancing a child's learning and reading journey at home with books they're familiar with rather than easily identifiable "school books".
I see the merit in this, but in our direct experience, as soon as a child sees anything like the banner on that Chris Riddell book, or (alas) those much maligned characters from the Biff, Chip and Kipper books, they seem to switch off and disengage.
Over the summer we really struggled to maintain the momentum that had gathered in Charlotte's first year at school and her first experience of structured and scheduled reading vs reading for pleasure.
The original aim when we started reading to Charlotte was that she'd pick up our love of books from hearing us read stories to her. We hadn't factored structured learning into the equation but from her initial first faltering steps on her journey of learning to read, we knew that laying the foundations in reading for pleasure had more direct and beneficial effect than the sometimes stilted phonics and decoding methods used in class.
That's not to say that these methods should be binned but to see them filtering down into children's picture books, story books and seeing the leeching categorisation, age rating, reading level rating and pigeonholing of books feels like it's eroding the chance for children to discover the joy of reading at their own pace, in ways they prefer.
Of course, it's not a popular way of thinking - this business about letting children meander along at their own pace, when Education Ministers are all about speed, progress, efficiency and an almost "Tiger Mother" mindset that the earlier children are hit with learning exercises, phonics, decoding and testing, the better.
Over the summer, at a rough estimate, we've read less than a handful of books that are specifically structured "school" books, and each and every time one appears, there's a huge reluctance from Charlotte to engage with that book. Sometimes a single 30 page book can take a week to work through, not because of a lack of ability on Charlotte's part (her reading and decoding are spot on for her age group - if there is any merit in such a ridiculous concept as grouping children's reading ability by age).
In sharp contrast, I'd estimate we've read around 100 or so books to her and with her that are children's picture books or early chapter readers that aren't specifically designed to enhance learning or fit into any kind of reading programme and structure. "Normal" children's picture books are always extremely well received, and voraciously consumed at home. Children are not daft and they know what they like!
Obviously these programmes aren't new, and the methods of teaching children to read are tried and tested but the danger of the lines between books for pleasure and books for learning 'blurring' to this extent is that a whole generation of new readers won't see reading as anything else other than a chore or a task. Repackaging well loved children's picture books seems crazy, but if it must be done, make it optional - perhaps use stickers or a spare cover to offer parents (and teachers) the option of softening the blow a bit?
There's a good solid reason that children's books are so hugely successful and tied into so many aspects of our culture, and it's not because children enjoy books that lecture at them, they enjoy books that tell them stories, enhance their view of the world, and (for goodness sake, this above everything else!) entertain them and perhaps make them laugh!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
