ADVERTORIAL
BET W EEN THE LINES Being able to read is an essential skill for lifelong learning, says Oliver Snowball, Head of Eaton House The Manor Girls’ School If we want our children to have a lifelong love of learning, then it’s vital we equip them at an early age with the skills required. One of the most fundamental skills is undoubtedly the ability to read. To limit the development and practising of this skill to school is almost to suggest to a child that reading is primarily an experience to be enjoyed by the teacher and pupil. While reading will, of course, be of great value to our children in their future workplaces, it is first and foremost a life skill. In short, reading will enable our children to access the world. At a recent event I hosted for some of my prospective parents, I encouraged them to view the time that they spent reading at home with their daughters as a hugely powerful gesture of love. Thus, for a parent to press the pause button and take the time to share in 15 minutes of reading is a most precious gift and, when done regularly, can have a significant impact both on a child’s learning and on their relationship with their mother or father. On a more academic level, not only will a child’s vocabulary be broadened by reading at home and their understanding of grammar, syntax and idiom extended, but it’s also likely that their knowledge of historical periods, geographical settings and political issues will all be developed. Reading takes us everywhere, from the real to the fantastical, and all genres have their value in stretching a young person’s mind. When narratives are discussed, children quickly start to think, to enquire and to express their own opinions. Crucially, through the use of some relatively simple questions, parents can encourage their children to analyse a character’s feelings by exploring their words and actions. In turn, this can lead to the development of, in my view, one of life’s most important character traits: empathy. For those parents whose children are still in
114 | T.U.B.B. 2022