Parent Evening: choosing great books for children parent evening

On Thursday 19 November Big Sky Stories’ Jane Vaughan and Robyn Ewing offered an evening for parents and caregivers to discuss their important role in choosing books for the children and young people in their lives.

While we were a small group, our discussion was rich and wide-ranging. We discussed why imaginative fiction is so important for developing children’s empathy and compassion. Our own reading histories and habits were shared and we reflected on the sometimes unconscious modelling we do as readers.

We also commented on the challenges in finding the ‘right’ books that will engage each child given that they are all so unique and come to reading in different ways. The importance of sharing and talking about a range of books, sometimes more sophisticated or complex than a child would choose for themselves, was also canvassed.

Time passed quickly and we all agreed it was a relaxed evening in which we all learnt new things, asked questions and reflected on our roles as our children’s most important teachers.

Big Sky Stories is keen to meet parents’ and caregivers’ needs in this important area so please suggest topics that will be of interest for you.