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Reading in the early years
Sharing a love of reading from an early age helps children build confidence and fosters a lifelong appreciation for books. This passion for reading can support children throughout their educational journey and beyond.
Why is reading important?
Reading is a fundamental skill in early education. Children should be provided with plenty of opportunities to engage with books and rich language within their learning environment. Adults should read a variety of books to children daily, creating opportunities for discussion and fostering “book talk” between peers and educators. These interactions not only introduce children to stories but also build their language skills and understanding of the world.
Reading opens many doors for children, stimulating their imagination and creativity while helping them explore a range of characters and settings. Through exposure to rich vocabulary, children can make connections between ideas and develop their language skills. Additionally, early reading plays a crucial role in cognitive development, laying the foundation for academic success. Engaging in reading helps children build general knowledge, extend their attention span and strengthen their language abilities.
Sharing a love of reading from an early age helps children build confidence and fosters a lifelong appreciation for books. This passion for reading can support children throughout their educational journey and beyond.
Developing reading in the classroom
- Encourage children to interact during reading e.g. making predictions, joining in with repetitive phrases, asking questions, suggesting alternative endings.
- Incorporate props when reading and then leave resources in provision so that children can retell familiar stories e.g. puppets, masks, costumes, story maps.
- Use themes so that children can listen to lots of books on the same topic or that involve the same characters.
- Read a range of fiction, non-fiction and poetry books.
- Ensure that the reading area is inviting and well stocked to meet the interests of the class.
- Ask children to bring in their favourite books from home to share with the class.
- Create a book display that celebrates books that have been read and individual achievements.
- Invite different adults to share books and read to the class.
- Share your love of reading to create a reading environment that encourages children to develop enjoyment in books.
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