Learning and Teaching 

The Importance of Reading Everyday

As part of homework, all children across Prep - Year 6 should be reading each night. 

  • Prep - Year 2 - average 10-15 minutes
  • Year 3 and 4 - average 15 minutes
  • Year 5 and 6 - average 20 minutes

Evidence suggests that children who read for enjoyment every day not only perform better in reading tests than those who don’t but also develop a broader vocabulary, increased general knowledge and a better understanding of other cultures.

 

Learning to read is about listening and understanding as well as working out print. Through hearing stories, children are exposed to a rich and wide vocabulary. This helps them build their own vocabulary and improve their understanding when they listen, which is vital as they start to read.

 

Sharing a book with your child allows you to share adventures and experiences in the safe world of the book. It allows you to ask questions, talk about what has happened and decide what you think together.

 

Reading is important but don’t feel that you have to take the role of your child’s teacher or put pressure on your child to start to read before they go to school. It’s great to instill a love of books and language from an early age, but most of all, be led by your child and their interests and pace of development.

 

Deborah Courtney

Director of Learning and Teaching