Mr Joel van Bentum | Principal   

Reading 

This week across the College it is Book Week, and we have had a range of wonderful activities for students promoting literacy development through fun focus activities and of course, dress ups.

In our culture reading remains a vital skill for all of us in so many ways and supporting and developing student literacy is a whole community responsibility.

As families, you can support the literacy development of your children in a range of ways.

You can promote a literacy rich environment

This does not mean having walls full of books, as great as that may look. It does mean seeking as best as we can to have age-appropriate reading material around the house. This can be a small shelf of books in a child’s room or purchasing a book as a gift at different times during the year.

Read to your child

Reading to our children is a great way to foster connection and support literacy. Even older children enjoy being read to and if you can, push through the inevitable season of your children wanting the same book every night. Then an amazing world of imagination opens up. Even 5 minutes a day can have a positive impact.

Have your children read to you

Reading out loud is an important skill for children to learn, and it supports literacy by slowing them down. It supports word formation, fluency and comprehension. When listening to your child read, be a positive encouragement even if they stumble over words. It is often more important that they keep trying rather than get every word right the first time.

The dinner table is a great place to have your children read and it only needs to be 5 minutes. The Bible, or a children’s Bible is a great option.

Technology – a literacy inhibiter 

Technology is bright, shiny, fast and loud. It competes for the attention of our children and will always beat the slower joy of reading. Considering limits on technology access supports literacy development.

All children are different

Some children love and embrace reading, others resist. All our children are different. Taking little steps to support their literacy will still have a positive impact on their skill and capacity, and you will be planting seeds for later in their life.

If you would like some more information to help support your children, then you can reach out to your child’s teacher or our wonderful Library team, and they would be delighted to help with literacy ideas and great book suggestions.