The power of reading in schools

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A young child is sat at a table, looking at an ipad, with classmates in the background

How teachers can encourage reading for pleasure in the classroom

When reading is fun it encourages real engagement, but the sad fact is not all children find it easy. For some children, reading is a challenge – which is why it is important for schools and families to support them to read for pleasure.

Building on her recent blog on 'What superpowers can reading for pleasure give me?', The Reading Agency’s Creative Director, Debbie Hicks, shares some practical tips to encourage reading for pleasure in your school.

 

The power of choice

The Open University emphasises the importance of learner-led approaches to reading, where children are allowed to choose the books they read.1 This gives pupils a sense of agency, motivation and increased enjoyment.

Not limiting children to novels – and instead allowing access to graphic novels, comics, magazines and short story collections – can help children to find the type of texts that excite them, and will act as a gateway to longer form material. The Reading Agency’s free Book Sorter tool allows children to discover new books by specifying the type of book they’d like to read, from sporty stories to manga. They can also read reviews written by children for children of over 1.2 million books!

Take a look at the Book Sorter tool

The power of groups – and going it solo

Having designated reading time during the week is another great way to encourage children to read for pleasure. This can either be used for independent reading, or reading as a class or in a book group. Talking about their response to a book with peers and teachers can help children to connect with a text, cultivate their own opinions, develop their self-expression, and learn from multiple perspectives.

We know funding sets of books for a whole class can be difficult, which is why we work with publishers to provide schools with free copies of books in exchange for children’s reviews, as part of our Chatterbooks programme. Teachers can find out more about the initiative – which comprises the UK’s largest network of school reading groups – and pitch for current opportunities on the Chatterbooks website,.

Explore the Chatterbooks programme

The power of reading aloud

All reading is good but reading out loud together in the classroom has a special sort of magic. Sharing books and stories is a great way to spend quality time together, thus increasing feelings of security and connectivity, and encouraging engagement and building skills, imagination and empathy.

Research conducted by Egmont Books UK, where families were encouraged to read aloud to – and with – their children during lockdown, showed that reading became normalised very quickly as a result, while children’s wellbeing improved and their attainment increased.2 Try the same in the nurturing setting of your classroom, and watch the magic start to unfold.

The Reading Agency is a national charity working to create a world where everyone can read their way to a better life. We use the proven power of reading to tackle life’s big challenges – building skills and learning, promoting health and wellbeing, and tackling loneliness and social isolation. We do this through UK-wide reading programmes developed in consultation with the audiences they serve, and delivered through schools, prisons, health centres, homes and in public libraries: www.readingagency.org.uk

Explore Reading for Pleasure

References

1. https://ourfp.org/reading-for-pleasure-pedagogy/

2. https://readingagency.org.uk/news/blog/parents-truly-delighted-by-the-many-benefits-of-reading-aloud-to-their-children---and-determined-to.html

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