Contributor:
Maria Clay
Have you got reluctant readers? We all know how important reading regularly at home is in order for children to improve. This is a tried and proven way to motivate the children in your class to read at home without moaning and nagging! I call it reading around the solar system, but you could adapt it to anything.
The idea is for the children to make their way to each planet by reading at home and filling in a reading log. Once they have read aloud for 15 minutes to an adult or older brother or sister, they record the book title and have an adult sign their log. Once they have filled a certain number of spaces on their log, they move to the next planet and receive a certificate.
I have made my reading log with seven spaces (one for each day of the week). Some children manage to fill theirs in within a week, and others take a little longer. Making a wall display of the solar system is a good place to record what each child is up to; this way, you can easily see who has been reading at home and who hasn’t. It also works as a great incentive as children want to see their name move onto the next planet.
Once they have completed the whole solar system, they could also receive a small prize like a bookmark or free time library pass. The options are endless.