Read O Mania: A Magical Week of Reading in Early Years!
“There is no substitute for books in the life of a child.”― May Ellen Chase
What a wonderful week it has been in our Early Years classrooms all inclusive of Pre-Nursery, Nursery and Kindergarten! We celebrated Read O Mania, our special reading week filled with books, stories, and imagination. The students had a fantastic time exploring new tales, meeting favorite book characters, and most importantly, falling in love with reading! Each day brought something new!
Day 1: “Hat, cat, and a giggle like that!” (Rhyming strings Game)
Our Early Years classroom was buzzing with excitement as the children played the Rhyming Strings Game, a fun and interactive way to build early phonics and language skills!
In this playful learning activity, children explored words that sound the same at the end, also known as rhyming words. From “cat” to “hat,” and “log” to “frog,” our little learners had a fantastic time finding words that go together!
Day 2: Little Cards, big Learning! (Flash Card Fun)
On this day, our Early Years learners dived into a world of words, letters, and pictures with a lively and engaging Flash Card Fun activity! Flash cards are a simple yet powerful tool that help build foundational language, memory, and recognition skills.
And in our classrooms, they turned into an exciting game full of smiles, movement, and learning! The students explored flash cards featuring letters, numbers, animals, colors, and everyday objects. We used them in playful ways to make learning interactive and enjoyable.
Day 3: “Flipping pages, building confidence!” (Reading Booklets)
Our Early Years learners have taken another exciting step in their literacy journey with the introduction of Reading Booklets, specially designed mini-books that help children explore letters, sounds, and simple words in a fun and confidence-building way! These colorful, child-friendly booklets are tailored to each child’s reading level, and they are filled with short, engaging stories, familiar words, and fun pictures to support early reading skills.
Day 4: “Tiny eyes, big imaginations!” (Picture Reading)
Picture Reading encourages children to look closely at images, use their imagination, and talk about what they see. It’s all about reading with your eyes, making connections, and developing early comprehension skills. The students were shown a variety of colorful story pictures and asked, “What do you think is happening here?” They described characters, predicted events, and created their own little stories based on the images. Some students even added sound effects and actions to bring the stories to life!
Day 5: “Celebrating stories in style!” Culmination Day (From covers to Costumes)
What an amazing day we had at our Read O Mania Culmination Day! After a week filled with reading, storytelling, and creative activities, the grand finale brought our Early Years learners together to celebrate their love for books in the most exciting way, from covers to costumes! The theme for this special day was all about bringing stories to life. We kicked off with a Book Character Dress-Up Day! Little wizards, princesses, animals, and superheroes filled our classroom with excitement. The students proudly introduced their characters and shared what made them special.
“Through Their Eyes: What Parents Say About Read o Mania!”
We are thrilled to share the wonderful feedback received from parents as well about Read o Mania! To capture their thoughts and reflections, we created a Padlet wall where parents posted their comments, suggestions, and experiences related to their child’s engagement with Read o Mania.
The event reminded us just how magical reading can be, especially when shared. It was a week full of wonder, creativity, and connection, and we are so proud of how our Early Years learners embraced every story.
“Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, a duty. It should be offered as a gift.”― Kate DiCamillo
Let’s keep the reading adventure going, one book at a time! 🌈
