For the Love of Reading

We celebrated World Book Day last week and I was very excited to film my ‘virtual author visit’ at a local school.

Whenever I visit a school, I am always reminded of my own childhood and how things have changed so much since I was young. The principles of learning remain the same; however, there are so many more distractions nowadays. So how do we help children not only to learn, but to also develop a love of reading; that magical desire and the passion that drives you to discover new worlds when you open a book? And, why is this so important?

I believe a love of reading means that your journey of discovery never ends; the desire to understand and be more knowledgeable drives you forward in your career, home life and in fact, whatever you do in your future.

So how can we help children to develop a love of reading? I believe that one of the main ways is to let them see our own love of reading. We can also help them to enjoy books in a way that suits them; some children love to sit quietly with a book, whilst others prefer to be more active. So let’s help them realise that the words and pictures in a book don’t need to stay stuck on a page – they can come alive. We can encourage children to join in with the story; maybe think of actions to do or acting out the plot, asking what they think will come next, discussing the pictures and the meaning of the story, and above all, have fun. This gift of ‘a love of reading’ is far greater than the money spent on books and will last a lifetime.

If you are looking for new ideas to help children aged 3 – 6 years to interact with a book, then please come along to the Essex Book Festival on 20th March where I will be at FirstSite, Colchester (free event). I will be sharing my own love of reading by hosting an action packed story time telling my latest story ‘The Cloudosaurus Rex’ and ‘The Sock Monster ate my Favourite Sock’. You can also join in with my free ‘virtual author visit’ via my home page www.haroldhuxley.co.uk. I look forward to seeing you soon.