Do you find you often read the same story to your child, and you know them inside out?
Can you recall the Gruffalo with your eyes closed or dream of the tiger who came to tea in your sleep?
We know that feeling and although it is a great way for children to learn, we also know it's great for them to explore new books. Reading is the perfect opportunity to snuggle up with your child and have some quiet time one on one. We can escape normal life and delve into a world of imagination and wonder.
What are the benefits or reading to your child?
Time together - a few moments away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Supports communication and language.
Creates a love for books and reading.
Develop imagination and creativity.
Supports brain development.
Builds on knowledge.
"Children are made readers on the laps of their parents."(Emilie Buchwald)
Some of our favourite stories.
Even the staff at Little Learners have their favourite books. We want to share with you just some of our favourites and why they are special to us.
Hazel
Bee A Peek-Through Picture Book
Bee is a lovely book that follows a bee's journey through the day. The pictures in the book are beautiful and vibrant and really give you the sense that you are with the bee.
'I have a real love for bee's and the wonderful things that they do and create. This book is a great way to explore bee's and show children their importance.'
Beautiful Oops!
Beautiful oops is a wonderful book to look at and read to children who often get frustrated or upset when they make mistakes in their work. This book shows that all the oops' that we make can be turned into something beautiful from a penguin to a dog to a frog the possibilities are endless.
'I have used this book a lot with one of my children who often got frustrated when he made a mistake.'
Harriet
You choose
'I love that the children can interact with the books and come up with their own stories. You see a bit of their personality coming out in their choices and also see it develop over time as their interests change as they get older.'
Other books in this series are: You choose fairytales, you choose your dreams, and you choose in space.
Kim
Tree
This is a beautifully illustrated book all about the changing season. You can watch the seasons change on each page, notice how the buds and flowers bloom, how the bird's lay eggs and hatch the chicks, and watch spiders build webs.
'I love that you can tell a story with this book or just the world around us. It opens up lots of lovely discussion.'
It's a No-Money Day
This beautifully illustrated book is about a mother and her daughter struggling to make ends meet.
'I feel it's an important book for children to enable them to understand that money isn't everything. You can have so much fun and love without lots of money.'
The book shows that although it's hard, its ok to ask for help and support. Times are extremely difficult and uncertain right now and there are many families who need a little extra support and it's important to understand how to do so.
Libby
Room on the broom
This and other Julia Donaldson books are great to read to children. They rhyme and give children a chance to complete the sentence or guess the rhyming word. The pictures are also nice and vibrant and encourage conversation.
Reading doesn't have to cost a fortune; you do not need to buy new books to enjoy stories. Local charity shops are the perfect place to pick up stories as well as local libraries. Also why not ask us we are always happy to lend out books so you can all explore new stories.
Blog written by Hazel Adamson (Pre-school manager)
Contribution by Kim McCue, Harriet Jones and Libby Waite