Why you should still read picture books to older children! (5 Reasons Why #2)

For this feature, I like to explore a certain topic and list my reasons why or why I don’t support the topic in question. This time, I’d like to talk about picture books!

It seems that a lot of parents want to push children on to chapter books ASAP. I don’t know if it’s because they think their children are more proficient when they’re on chapter books. I would like to say that there’s still a time and a place for picture books for children up to the age of 12 and some beyond that!

Here are my reasons why I love reading picture books to older children!

1. Some picture books have incredibly complex sentence structure and rich vocabulary.
2. The illustrations can encourage conversation and allow children to find something new each time.
3. Pictures can stimulate the imagination much more than a chapter book. They give children with little imagination an idea. They can paint a picture in the child’s mind.
4. There are so many more picture books out now for older children. Don’t be put off by books aimed at younger children. There are some fabulously rich text picture books out there now for them.
5. Pictures books can encourage fantastic conversation.

Here are just two ideas of picture books for older children:

 

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Why I love reading David Walliams to my class (5 Reasons Why #1)

I like to spice up my blog content to keep things fresh so recently thought about doing a 5 reasons why post every now and then with a topic of my choice.

First up are reasons why I love reading David Walliams to my class. My current class (20 week days left with them… 😦 ) are between 7-9 years old.

This school year we have read:

1. They make them laugh out loud. David Walliams is funny.
2. His stories (particularly The World’s Worst Children) have inspired some fantastic writing (and drawing!)
3. The children genuinely enjoy his writing.
4. It’s a logical step up from Roald Dahl. Walliams writes in a similar style.
5. Lots of his stories have heart. Quite often they carry with them a lovely message. When we read Gangsta Granny recently it particularly touched one child who had gone through a similar thing (no spoilers) with her grandparent. The story brought tears to her eyes!