As I sit in front of a draughty bay window on a rather austere and stony Military base in the west country (welcome to the military girlfriend life), I find my mind wandering to the equally stark yet evocative settings of some of my favourite novels. From Emily Brontë’s forbidding Moorland to Daphne Du Maurier’s tempestuous coastline and Thomas Hardy’s bucolic landscapes, it is irrefutable that the British countryside, and more widely this atmospheric October weather, lends itself to a good book. Therefore, whilst my barbed wire surroundings are not synonymous with escape, I find myself on the hunt for a cosy nook in which to explore my latest literary purchase in an effort to mentally evade my current surroundings.
With this in mind, it is important to note the value of a wet weekend in building lasting reading habits and confronting the boredom so often associated with these less favoured seasons head on. As half term is now underway (and for some lucky pupils has been in full swing for the last week), now is a better time than ever to work as a family to build productive and enjoyable reading habits amongst children. After all, in the words of the esteemed W. Somerset Maugham, ‘To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life.’ If rain equates to misery, then what better way to counteract this than the excitement of a new literary world?
In the summer, it is encouraged that children spend as much time outside as possible, making the most of our finite sunshine. It is therefore understandable that some children may not want to spend this valuable time with their noses in a book. However, as winter approaches, ‘FOMO’ seems to dwindle, making this half term a perfect time to introduce children to new, or indeed old, stories. Instead of following some of us adults by example and limiting their reading to a holiday luxury, children should be incorporating daily, or if not at least weekly, reading sessions to expand their wider knowledge, vocabulary, comprehension skills and attention spans. The lack of potential outdoor distractions combined with the atmospheric climate reflected in so many wonderful novels makes for an ideal reading experience.
It is also notable that children of this generation face a number of anxieties and pressures, and for many reading can be a powerful and productive way to escape these, even if just for a moment. In a world of endless screens and instant gratification, sitting down to read a good book enables children to quieten their minds and develop their patience, whilst helping them to build a range of skills that will have only a positive impact on their future academic and indeed personal lives. With discourse around ‘SAD – Seasonal Affective Disorder’ becoming more commonplace in discussions about the autumn and winter months it can be helpful to turn this rhetoric on its head and harness the benefits of these periods, associating them with more positive activities and emotions. Therefore, creating a dedicated reading time for children can be incredibly advantageous in reducing the inevitable wet-weather boredom and attaching positive connotations to rainy days as opposed to the prescribed negative associations constantly reiterated throughout both the media and colloquial conversations.
And if your child is not a reader, struggles with their attention span or simply wants to find an alternative way to make the most of these ambient wintry days, there are so many wonderful audiobooks available that enable them to enter a whole new world without requiring them to even turn a page. Twenty years later, I have such fond memories of my James and the Giant Peach audiobook, so there is a lot to be said for the power of good storytelling (as any Harry Potter and Stephen Fry fans will attest). For younger children, toys such as Tonieboxes or Yoto Players can be another great way to introduce dedicated story sessions from an early age.
So, be it diving into a whacky Roald Dahl classic, embarking on an exciting adventure with Katherine Rundell or Enid Blyton, or succumbing to pathetic fallacy through Dickensian descriptions, children should use this time to capitalise on the one activity this weather is unwaveringly perfect for – reading.
Thus, amongst the sounds of shuffling boots and heavy duty vehicles, I plan to settle down with my latest purchase – a new release from the wonderful Mona Awad – and travel to her surreal world of dark academia to make the most of a grizzly weekend in the countryside.
by Ella Cunningham, Account Manager, Bonas MacFarlane Education