8 ways schools promote reading for pleasure
Get everyone on the same page when it comes to a love of reading, and be inspired to create a school-wide book buzz with these strategies, resources and initiatives from schools and organisations.
Contents
- Challenge pupils to read a diverse range of books
- Link reading to other areas of your curriculum
- Create appealing reading spaces throughout your school
- Get adults leading by reading
- Encourage reading during the school holidays
- Celebrate books through national initiatives
- Publish your reading lists online to engage families
- Host a book fair
Please note that the inclusion of any commercial products and/or initiatives in this article doesn’t constitute an endorsement from The Key.
Challenge pupils to read a diverse range of books
Parklands Primary School’s engaging reading challenge won a reading for pleasure award (with a certificate signed by bestselling author Philip Pullman) in 2020.
If pupils read 10 books from different genres, including a story from a different culture, they get to choose a free book from the school’s vending machine.
Author Brian Abram observed during a visit that the school’s commitment to reading for pleasure shone through in the way pupils engaged curiously with him about his stories and his use of a wheelchair.
This is explained in the school’s award letter, which you can view via the link above.
Use pupils’ ages as motivation
It encourages pupils