Recently, I have had the pleasure of listening to the children from class 1A practise their reading. As I sit beside them, each and every child reminds me of the simple joy of reading. During our time together, I marvel at their ability to work out tricky words using their knowledge of phonics and I watch them apply the exceptions to those rules (there are many in the English language) such as a silent ‘k’ or that ‘gh’ sounds like ‘f’ in the word ‘laugh’. I smile as they learn to find their unique sense of expression as they assess the punctuation and process the plot. I enjoy listening to them read a sentence and then break away from the text to say: “I wonder what is going to happen next?” As I tell the children: “Reading is an adventure you can take in your head without leaving your comfy chair.”
Reading develops imagination and has the ability to transport you to a different time and place. It introduces you to characters that, by the end of the book, you consider friends. Reading influences the way you look at the world by expanding your perspective and it introduces you to a world of new ideas. The children of class 1A are just beginning to see all of the potential adventures that can be discovered through reading, and I feel very fortunate to witness these first few steps of their reading and imagination journeys.
Why not take a few moments to sit down and go on a reading adventure with your child…
Visit a library such as the Wolsingham Library, together, to find a variety of amazing books.
