Born to Read – encouraging reading at home

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When you take a peek around our house you will find piles and piles of books – whether it’s the pile of board books by T’s bed, the toppling pile of books that J sorts through every night to find his perfect bedtime story – the overflowing book shelves in the kids bedrooms, the pile of books I want to read but always fall asleep before I get a chance sitting on my bedside table or books that have found there way from the shelves to every available room, space in the car and even in the buggy for our mammoth walk to school and back for T to enjoy.

We’re starting on our journey of reading words with J and T – the first few words are being sounded out as J’s phonics knowledge gets more and sight words are starting to be introduced it’s exciting that very soon we will venture from the “Please read me a book Mummy” to finding a little person tucked up on their bed, in our bean bag or stretched out somewhere with their nose in a book escaping to far off lands, mystical places and living different lives through the books that they read.

Not just that but it opens up the world to them letting them find their way through school onto the paths that they choose for their lives in 16, 20 or 30 years time. My favourite quote

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

from Dr Seuss in I can read with my eyes closed says it wonderfully – being able to read opens the world to children and adults to explore and do what they wish to do.

We are the lucky ones – 10,000’s of children in the UK are not lucky and privileged as we are and Save the Children are Campaigning with their Born to Read campaign starting this week to help change that.  As the UK celebrates National Book Week Save the Children launch Born to Read to make a difference in the lives of children in the poorest homes in the UK.

In a report by Save the Children ‘Too Young To Fail’ there are so many points that despite our First world status brings to life how different lives can be:

•  Many poor children in the UK today start school already behind their better-off peers – through no fault of their own.

• Last year, 1 in 4 poor children left primary school without basic skills in reading and writing.

• By the time they are seven, nearly 80% of the difference in GCSE results between rich and poor children has already been determined

• The first two years a child is at school is a crucial window during which to close the attainment gap. Reading is one of the keys to unlocking a child’s potential.

• If they don’t get the help they need before they leave primary school, another generation of children will face lifelong penalties for being born poor.

This has to change and we have the power to make those changes join me in becoming a Change Maker – helping those children in the UK that need support to overcome the difficulties – as a parent, friend, teacher we can make those difference however small or big they are.

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