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School Holiday Reading Activities

Some children bask in the uninterrupted reading time that the summer holidays allows, while others celebrate the end of the school year – and enforced reading requirements – with glee. However, it’s important for children to continue reading over the summer school holidays in order to maintain their literacy skills. Experienced Teacher and Learning Links’ Education Manager, Dr Samantha Hornery, says that there is nothing more important for your child’s education than for them to read. We’ve put together some ideas to help you nudge your children into action.

Discover new genres – Books and Reading Apps

When children read they learn new words, they get ideas for new stories, and they are practicing the very skill that they need to learn. For children who can and want to read, Dr Hornery suggests using trial and sample books on Amazon and Apple Books. If your kids don’t want to read the first two chapters, they’re probably not going to pursue the third chapter and you can try something else.

One of the real advantages of stores like the Amazon Kindle store, she says, is that it learns from your preferences. Once you start to find some books in a genre that you like, it recommends new books for you. It can be a great challenge for someone who doesn’t yet know which genre of books they like to read but the school holidays are a great time to figure it out.

Try Audiobooks and Podcasts

Using audiobooks and podcasts is an effective strategy to help children with learning difficulties to connect with words and literature. Children can engage with the material in a way that is more entertaining and less stressful for them. Dr Hornery says: “There are a group of children, like those with Dyslexia, who can’t actually read a book, so audiobooks, podcasts and audio formats open up reading for them when they physically can’t achieve it themselves. There are also children who find it difficult to sit still and hold a printed book. But listening to audiobooks can be done on the go, so it’s transportable.”

Audiobooks

Children can find themselves captivated by a narrated story. Music and sound effects are also part of the production and make listening to an audiobook a truly immersive experience. (NB: This is a great strategy for struggling readers in the classroom too.) Even though it’s not technically reading, audiobooks support reading and literacy skills by building vocabulary and modelling fluency.

Audiobooks are fantastic for long car rides to holiday destinations or to use when your little ones need to wind down at bedtime. Let their minds wander through the wardrobe and into the land of Narnia with stories of C.S Lewis, or imagine themselves climbing the treehouse, higher and higher, to inhabit the ‘stories’ of Andy Griffiths. Older children can wander the wild plains of Africa listening to stories by Paul Theroux while they walk the dog.

Audiobooks can be accessed via a number of streaming services like Audible and Spotify, and most e-readers have audio functions. Your local library is likely to have an audio borrowing system too, so speak to your librarian.

Read the full article: https://www.learninglinks.org.au/resources/school-holiday-reading-activities/

Mathematics

Dr Paul Swan’s Quick Curriculum Guides

As we prepare for 2025, why not take a peek at what’s ahead in your child’s Mathematics learning journey? Dr. Paul Swan’s Quick Curriculum Guides offer a fantastic snapshot of the key mathematical concepts your child will explore in their year level next year.

These guides are easy to understand and provide a clear overview of the curriculum. They’re designed to support teachers, but they’re also a wonderful resource for families who want to engage with their child’s learning at home.

Here’s how you may use the guides:

Explore Topics Together: Look through the guide for your child’s 2025 year level and identify a concept they’re curious about, like shapes, fractions, or problem-solving strategies.
Playful Practice: Use everyday opportunities to explore these concepts—counting change, measuring ingredients for cooking, or spotting patterns in nature.
Build Confidence: Familiarity with these ideas can help your child feel confident and excited about what’s to come.

The guides can be found on Dr. Paul Swan’s website: Quick Curriculum Guides.

Year 5 Highlight

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