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New School Year!

Tuesday 31st August 2021

And just like that the summer holidays are drawing to a close... We hope all of our members have had a wonderful time and enjoyed some much needed fun and relaxation!

As we prepare to get our children ready for the new school year it’s all too easy to panic about how they will manage, or worry that they have experienced a summer slide with their learning. Reading Chest are here to reassure you that there is still time to enjoy reading in these last few days of summer – that could be reading the cereal box in the morning or a map on a journey, writing their back to school shopping list or playing card games all of which will help focus their brain towards learning.

If the start of the new year does see a change in book level for your little one whether that’s up or down, we have plenty of guidance on our book bands & advice page https://www.readingchest.co.uk/tips-on-choosing-books – But do remember the most important thing is that children are enjoying their reading and building their confidence.

Our top tips for starting a new school year:

• Do not compare your child’s reading level to others in the class. The most important thing is to help your child enjoy reading, rather than race through the book bands.
• Be confident supporting your child at home. In the earlier stages of learning to read, your child will be taught to read using phonics. Familiarise yourself with the way phonics is taught in schools. There are lots of useful sites to help with phonics such as www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/advice-for-parents/phonics-videos
• Get into a good reading routine. Reluctant readers are much less likely to protest to reading when it is part of a normal regular routine. If reading is squeezed into spare time slots, they may feel they are being prevented from doing something else more fun.
• Read together at bedtime. The key to being a good reader in the long run is to develop a love of reading. So - keep bedtime reading a fun and special time when you can share a book of choice together.

We wish you all, the best start to the new school year - let’s hope it’s much calmer for our young ones with them enjoying their time in school and learning with their friends.
This year we would love to encourage more parents to swap rather than shop – whether that’s books, toys, or clothes!

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