York St John University offering free reading sessions to support parents, carers and children
For many, bedtime stories were a memorable part of childhood. But with youngsters so drawn to digital devices these days, there’s plenty competing for their attention.
Now, a Yorkshire university is offering a series of free sessions to support parents, carers and children to read and share stories together.
The new programmes at York St John University aims to foster a love of books and stories by teaching creative ways of engaging in reading and creative writing at home.
Research has shown that families engaging creatively in literacy together can be highly beneficial, both in terms of developing children’s literacy skills and for wellbeing across the generations.
However, as children grow up with digital devices at hand, latest findings from the National Literacy Trust show that fewer than half of children and young people (eight to 18) say they enjoy reading – the lowest level since the survey began in 2005.
With this in mind, academics have set up the Creative Literacies Hub at York St John Communities Centre. Two after-school programmes are on offer, free of charge. Each programme will have six sessions, led by experienced teachers and researchers from the university.
Tom Dobson, Professor of Education, York St John University said: “Whilst schools often offer literacy support for parents and carers, they often do not have the resources to offer a sustained programme of activities.
"Equally, for some families, the school may not be the most conducive environment for learning together.
“The programmes aim to increase enjoyment of literacy at home, to offer parents and carers ways of approaching reading and creative writing with their children at home, and to foster positive wellbeing within families.
"The research shows that this, in turn, is highly likely to have a positive impact on children’s enjoyment of and attainment in literacy at school.”
The first programme, Supporting Reading at Home, starts at the end of October and will give parents, carers and children aged five to 11 experience of approaching a range of books in different and creative ways. This runs weekly from Tuesday, October 22 to Tuesday, December 3 (excluding school holidays).
The second programme, Creative Writing Together, will immerse parents, carers and children aged seven to 14 in co-creating settings, characters, and plots, and writing from different points of view within their imagined world – with stories then published in a special anthology. This runs weekly from Tuesday, January 7 to Tuesday, February 11.
The Creative Literacies Hub is a free service which welcomes parents, carers, and their children, who would like to learn effective ways of approaching reading and creative writing.
Find out more at: www.yorksj.ac.uk/working-with-the-community/communities-centre/children-and-young-people/