1 April 2020

With Coram Beanstalk’s network of volunteers unable to deliver their regular one-to-one reading sessions in schools, the national reading charity is reaching out to support families in the home by publishing a series of tips to help them grow a love of reading.

The ‘Grow a love of reading’ tips will be published every week on our website and shared across our social media channels suggesting book-based activities which can be shared together. These will range from tips on reading aloud, to games that can be played together with any book.

Ginny Lunn, Managing Director of Coram Beanstalk, said:

“This time last month we had thousands of our reading helpers out supporting children with their reading in schools twice-weekly across the country. The support they gave was helping to boost reading confidence and enjoyment and we are all so devastated that we can’t continue to do that for the foreseeable future. We still need to be there for families and their children through this difficult time, to help them develop sustainable reading habits and create a positive reading environment at home that will help encourage reading for pleasure now and into the future.

By providing a series of regular tips and advice based on the expert training and resources we deliver to all our reading helpers, we hope to inspire families and their children to keep reading and to make it fun for everyone. We want to help remove the worry many parents may have of ‘teaching’ the mechanics of reading and instead show ways in which they can just have fun with books, with children of all ages, so that the motivation to read for pleasure will come naturally.”

Coram Beanstalk was proud to stand alongside the book community last week to help launch #UnitedByBooks – a social signpost for free book-based resources. Through its ‘Grow a love of reading’ tips the charity will be using its own expertise and resources to share effective ideas which will help families enjoy books together and create readers for life.

The first six tips are available on the Coram Beanstalk reading resources hub and include guidance on reading aloud to children of any age and ideas for bringing books into your daily lives.

Ginny added: “It’s so important that all children have time to share a book with an adult on a regular basis – not only does it help improve their reading ability, but it can prompt discussions you might not have otherwise and can be really special bonding time. We would love people to share their reading experiences with us by using the #GrowALoveOfReading hashtag!” 

Access the ‘Grow a love of reading’ tips.