Growing a Love of Reading

I am passionate about developing a love of reading in young children. I read to my bump whilst pregnant and felt guilty for not taking books in my hospital bag during a hospital stay after giving birth! But as soon as I got home the reading started. To be completely honest, hanging around the home with a tiny baby is not something that I found easy- what would I do for hours on end? How would I fill the time? Well my time did get filled but between nappy changing and feeds we spent a lot of time curled up together in bed or on the sofa reading. We began with the black and white baby books and just kept going.

Reading was and still is a cosy affair in our house. When Danish hygge books came out last Christmas, I knew that we already had it nailed. We have a big soft sofa, blanket and real fire in Winter and in Summer we take a picnic blanket on to lawn and cuddle up and read. Making it a special time makes it something that we love to do.

We keep getting new books. Well, not really new but new to us. We have a regular library visit which is great as it doesn’t matter what books are chosen because we are just borrowing them. We raid charity shops and school fairs and get brilliant books for 20p. We even get special books from my mother in law’s loft that Daddy read when he was small. And from time to time we do get new books- presents and special treats rewarded with shiny new pages.

I model reading. Children look up to those who look after them- they adore us and want to be like us. That’s why I’m happy to let my little one see me reading whether it’s the newspaper or a book. When we go on our library visits, I get books for myself too and I talk bout my love of reading- what I liked to read when I was little and what I read now.

Comments

Michael Morpurgo's Farm Boy @ Lichfield Garrick

The author Michael Morpurgo is a brilliant story teller and his Farm Boy story is no exception. This production has at its core a story that hooks you in and keeps you captivated. A grandfather and his grandson talk you through stories from their family that intertwine with the history of World War One and life on a farm. This play had parts that made me smile and chuckle but more parts that gave me goosebumps and a ripple of emotion. When grandfather made a confession and called on his grandson to help him, I was hooked waiting to hear the burden that he had born for his entire life. No spoilers though, come and see the play for yourself. The music in Farm Boy is an original score written by Matt Marks. It enhanced the story telling evoking memories and pictures in my mind. This combined with the strength of the story is clearly the reason the show has been at the Edinburgh Fringe and 'off Broadway' in New York. Throughout the show, there are just two actors on...

Review of Gangsta Granny by Heartbreak Productions.

In 10 years time, my children won’t specifically remember the occasions that I picked them up from school, cooked our favourite pasta dish or watched their swimming lesson. But they will remember some of things that we did that were out of the ordinary. They will remember some of the memories that we made together. As we headed out of the door on Friday evening, I knew we were making memories. I was just hoping it wasn’t going to be because the whole family had got soaked to the skin sitting in a park on a Friday night watching a play. We had a flask full of hot chocolate, a box of malteasers and some large umbrellas borrowed from a neighbour. We were heading to a Heartbreak Productions outdoor show in Walsall Arboretum. It was pretty exciting heading out in the evening and walking through an empty park to get to the bandstand where the show was being staged. When I told Little Lady what we were going to see, she was extremely excited. In fact, we all were because ...

MiniBrum

What is it? MiniBrum is a play space for under eights based on the theme of a mini Birmingham. There are different areas for children to explore including a canal barge, a construction zone and a shop. The whole of MiniBrum is designed to support children’s role play and exploration of real life spaces. The unique interactive gallery has been created with the input of over 800 children and families from across Birmingham. Where is it? Mini Brum is part of ThinkTank which is Birmingham’s science museum. MiniBrum is on the third floor next to the recently revamped planetarium. Entry to ThinkTank is £14 per adult and £10.25 per child. Under 3’s are free and during Birmingham term time there is a special adult and toddler (aged 3-5) ticket for £15. Another great offer is the £3 per person entry fee after 3pm on term time weekdays. When does it open? It opens to the public on 25 th May in time for half term. I would expect it to be very busy. My advice woul...

Capable Child

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