We support the development of parental networks that can provide peer-support to families around reading and book engagement.
We know that reading is a social and cultural activity. Families from working- class or poorer backgrounds tend to have different access to books and feelings about reading (some see it as work, others as relaxation). This can create different home contexts for reading which chime differently with the expectations of schools.
Parents/carers who lack confidence, knowledge or interest in children’s books are often more likely to act on recommendations from friends and other trusted parents in their community, and forging strong networks that promote children’s reading amongst a particular child cohort means they continue to provide relevant recommendations as children move through the school system together.
Supporting families’ access to books, and enabling conversations between children and their parent/carers that link books to wider experience of the world is a good way to both nudge reading for enjoyment in the home and empower children to do well in school.
The Bowmar Bookies
Bowmar Bookies is a parent group that has been involved in developing a local community project for families. A regular ‘Bowmar Bookies’ session is now held in the community centre every Thursday afternoon.
The project has progressed on the basis of working with the local Community Learning and Development team in supporting and training the parent group in how to read with children, recommend books to other parents and facilitate small reading groups to enable this. The group has built and installed a book swap section in the local community centre and facilitates book borrowing/swapping at a local level. It has also been supported by the Scottish Book Trust.
During the summer months (2022) the group planned events involving trips to the zoo, seaside and local parks. Each were supported by the supply of books relevant to each theme and shared within the community centre book swap. seaside and local parks. Each were supported by the supply of books relevant to each theme and shared within the community centre book swap.
The Bowmar Bookies teamed up with Bowmar Soundspace to create their own podcast. Recorded during the Thursday sessions, children and families talk about what they’ve been reading.
Investing in Communities
Supporting community groups to develop reading networks is complex. It requires identifying and then growing a motivated, energetic core group from the community, who have contacts and know-how across the local community and the relevant professional organisations and who can call on contacts to support them as they negotiate this complex landscape.
Community reading projects offer benefits to the core group of organisers as well as to the adults and children who take part. They not only improve reading but the social interactions in such a community project have the potential to offer wider benefits for both the participants and those in the organising group around mental well- being and practical support networks.
What makes community reading projects work well?
- A strong, motivated core group of organisers with positive outlooks, imagination, time and wide networks of contacts and supportive groups.
- High level buy-in from the group and the support necessary to locate a meeting space, resources and advice.