To ensure that reading time with students is both engaging and educational, Primrose follows the READ acronym, developed by the Atlanta Junior League and the Rollins Center for Language & Learning at the Atlanta Speech School:
- Repeat the book three to five times. Discuss the story, characters and new vocabulary.
- Engage and Enjoy, using different voices for the characters to bring the story to life.
- Ask “why” questions, letting the child share his ideas about the story.
- Do more. Bring the story to life through related activities to reinforce learning.
“At Primrose, reading is an integral part of daily activities for children in each of our classrooms,” said Sunita Sanjanwala, Franchise Owner of Primrose School of Overland Park. “By emphasizing the curriculum through reading, we see improvements in language development skills and creativity. Children also gain more from story time when the book corresponds with something they’re learning about in the classroom.”
To supplement our curriculum, the Primrose Schools education team selects each book that is used in the schools. Along with the appropriate books for each age group, Primrose teachers adhere to the following guidelines to ensure a solid foundation for reading is instilled in every child in the first five years:
Ages 0 – 1: Reading books should be associated with comfort and warmth at this age, so little ones are held and cuddled while teachers read to them in the classroom. Sturdy board books with bright illustrations are used most often because they’re easy to handle and invite participation. Books with familiar subjects like babies and animals also resonate with infants since they respond to faces and eyes before other stimuli.
Ages 1 – 3: Research shows that the frequency of reading in a child’s first three years is associated with advanced language and cognitive scores later in life. Primrose selects a wide variety of stories to feature in the classroom to help toddlers build vocabulary and establish an understanding of story sequencing. By asking a lot of questions and using different character voices, reading is more dramatic and captures students’ attention.
Ages 4 – 5: Preschoolers at Primrose are encouraged to discover the magic of books for themselves. Books help young children understand their own feelings when characters face similar life events, so we select topics that students are often curious about. The reading choices in each Primrose classroom feature different authors and genres, which help children develop interests and discover favorites.
To learn more about implementing literacy into story time and other activities at Primrose School of Overland Park, please visit www.PrimroseOverlandPark.com or call 913-400-2435 to schedule a tour.
