READING FOR
CREATING A
PLEASURE
WHAT IS READING FOR
PLEASURE?
Reading for pleasure is often
described as reading enjoyment,
recreational reading or voluntary
reading. It can be undertaken as an
individual/independent activity or as a
social activity. In the early childhood
years, reading experiences are
generally shared, social experiences.
Reading is, after all, a social and
cultural process that is embedded in
the context of its use. Reading for
pleasure experiences require children
to be read to or participate in some
form of a shared reading experience
with children's literature. In order to
make reading experiences engaging
and pleasurable, children should be
responsible for choosing pieces of
children's literature. They will often
choose literature that engages with
their interests or aligns with their
developing values (for example,
children who are about to become a
big sibling will generally choose
literature related to this).
Using Digital Resources -
With the influx of digital books and new
reading devices, reading for pleasure has
not only diversified, but has become more
multi-faceted; meaning that the nature of
shared reading experiences has
changed. Low parental literacy does not
have to be an immutable barrier to shared
reading; listening to audiobooks with a
child is one possible way for a parent to
maintain a shared reading experience
with his or her child.
CLASSROOM
LIBRARY THAT
ENCOURAGES
READING FOR
PLEASURE
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF
READING FOR PLEASURE?
A regular reading habit plays an
immense role in enabling young
people to meet the ever‐increasing
literacy demands of contemporary
society. Shared reading experiences
from birth have a multitude of
academic, vocation, and social
benefits throughout a child's
development. Share reading
experiences also encourage the
development of a child's imagination,
language capabilities, a higher
capacity for empathy and pro-social
behaviours, and helps children
further develop their personality and
identity. Regular shared reading
experiences have also been showed
to improve general knowledge, raise
attainment in literacy and numeracy
and increase mindfulness. These
benefits and attainments achieved
through regular reading for pleasure
experiences are achieved despite
parent/carer literacy levels.
Reading = Building
Relationships.
Reading and literacy experiences are
about partnerships and relationships.
Children choose books, children and
parents ask questions of each other, relate
the context of the story to the context of
their lives (a very important skill), turn the
pages, and punctuate the experiences with
sound effects and exaggerations. The
interactivity in shared reading experiences
fuels the child-parent bond and is what
makes memories of story-time so
heartwarming throughout the child's life.
CLASSROOM SOME TIPS FOR

LIBRARY
CREATING A
HIGH-QUALITY
CLASSROOM LIBRARY

Use high quality Digital Literature

children's literature
Vooks - One year free membership
Some of my favourite children's for teachers. $4.99 per month
literature authors are... afterwards.
- Julia Donaldson Playschool's Story Time -
- Aaron Blabey https://www.abc.net.au/abckids/sho
- Oliver Jeffers ws/play-school-story-time/
- Matt Cosgrove International Children's Digital
- Dave Hughes Library -
- Pamela Allen http://en.childrenslibrary.org/
- Eric Carle
- Nick Bland
- Mem Fox
- Jackie French Set Clear Boundaries -
- Tiffany Hall
- Trace Moroney - Borrowing and returning
- Beatrix Potter expectations
- Bronwyn Bancroft - Caring for the children's literature
- Britta Teckentrup
- Davina Bell Where you can buy
- Jane Godwin children's literature -
- Alison Lester - Scholastic (teacher catalogues and warehouse
- Tai Snaith
sales).
- Vivian French
- Kmart/Big W/Target often have classics.
- Peter H. Reynolds
- Dymocks.
- The Small Folk (beautiful seasonal literature).
- Book Depository.

Ensure you - Why is this important to

me?
- Label every piece of children's
literature (Miss Honey's Teachers
I have lots of experience in low
and Stamp It By Miss M make
socio-economic schools - the
beautiful labelling stamps).
biggest difference I have noticed is
- Create a spreadsheet to keep track
students lack of regular access to
of who has what book.
high quality children's literature.
-Have open lines of communication.
Ensuring every student has access
- Are prepared to have some pieces
to high quality children's literature is
damaged (accidents happen!).
something I feel very passionate
about.