25
INTEREST BAGS WITH PARENTS AT SCHOOL
Objectives
•
Children to develop their storytelling and book-taking skills.
•
Children to develop a reading culture, both on a personal and communal level.
•
To motivate and inspire families to read themselves and encourage their
children to do so too.
•
To increase awareness of the essential parental contribution to children’s early
reading development.
Setting, materials and preparation
•
Setting: library, “Parents Room” if available at school or classroom
•
Materials:
o
Six storybooks, one for each theme chosen.
o
“Interest bag” for each story containing props decided on and
chosen by staff or parents.
o
A variety of card games, picture bingo, puppets, soft toys, bid books,
drawing paper and crayons suitable to each story.
o
A folder containing a copy of the story, a prompt card for parents
and a game to be given to each child to take home after each
session.
o
Certificate of completion for each child and parent, to be presented
at celebration at and of module.
•
Preparation:
o
Teachers choose six themes, one per week e.g. food, clothes, myself,
Halloween, animals etc.
o
A storybook is chosen for each theme e.g.
The Very Hungry
Caterpillar, by Eric Carle (Food).
o
Props for stories are prepared for “Interest bags” (e.g. puppets, soft
toys, enlarged pictures etc.)
o
Activities are prepared for each story (e.g. jigsaws, sorting/matching
games, picture bingo etc.)
o
Dates and times are decided for each session and parents are
informed.
o
The initiative is explained to parents at a meeting; the content of and
the reasons for the programme are outlined, the topics and
objectives of the programme are discussed, roles and responsibilities
are assigned.
