Hi and welcome back to another exciting term at our school. In this newsletter I would like to discuss a passion of mine and that is – reading.

I was reading recently an article on the importance of students reading at home from the ‘New Zealand National Library’ website and came across the table below. For me it really highlights that the more children read the greater number of words they will be exposed to. This then potentially means the vocabulary of the child who reads between 21 – 65 minutes will be far greater than a child who reads 6 – 15 minutes. Consequently the flow on effect is that increased reading will also impact on the ability of the child to write using a rich and well developed vocabulary.

I love this definition of independent reading: “Reading we do of our own free will, anticipating the satisfaction we will get from the act of reading” ( National Library Trust, UK).

There is strong evidence linking reading for pleasure/ independent reading and educational outcomes. We know that academic attainment is of vital importance, but the benefits of reading for pleasure go beyond this and stretch throughout a person’s life.

The research finds that reading for pleasure can result in increased empathy, improved relationships with others, reductions in the symptoms of depression, and improved wellbeing. The relationship between reading for pleasure and wellbeing is particularly interesting, with evidence showing a correlation between reading for pleasure regularly and lower levels of stress and depression.

In addition to the health benefits, reading for pleasure has social benefits and can improve our sense of connectedness to the wider community. Reading increases our understanding of our own identity, improves empathy and gives us an insight into the world- view of others.

So we have no excuse for not reading and encouraging reading for pleasure with our children. So  turn off those distractors in your home, such as television & digital devices and get reading!!!

Kind Regards
Jane Cameron