World Book Day 2023
When is World Book Day 2023
World Book Day 2023 will take place on March 2 2023. The day looks to try and cultivate a life-long love of reading in children and young people through promoting the joy that books can bring.
Schools, education settings and some businesses may participate in World Book Day 2023 by suggesting that staff and children attend in fancy dress based on their favourite literary characters. Some may set up reading events or read stories together in groups.
World Book Day was created by UNESCO on April 231995 with the intention of spreading positivity about the fun that books can bring, as well as the skills that reading can help develop. Today, World Book Day is celebrated in over 100 countries worldwide.
Why is world book day celebrated?
Reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator as to the future success of children, surpassing the influence family circumstances, parents’ educational backgrounds and income.
By drawing attention to how fun reading can be, World Book Day 2023 aims to promote the habit of reading for pleasure and encourage non-readers to take an interest in literature, as well as communicate the importance of reading to parents. Just 10 minutes of reading and sharing stories with children a day can make a vast difference to a child’s future prospects.
Furthermore, the results of World Book Day are plain to see, with a reported 70% of early years settings and 77% of primary school settings reporting that the event is effective in helping to cultivate a culture where children read for pleasure.
How can I get my child interested in reading?
World Book Day 2023 is a fantastic opportunity to help get your child more interested in reading for pleasure. The event looks to portray reading as something which can be both fun and interesting through initiatives such as encouraging literature-related fancy dress, and as part of 25th anniversary celebrations, World Book Day provided over 2 million books for £1 to children and young people.
However, though getting your child interested in reading for pleasure may begin with World Book Day 2023, getting involved with the event doesn’t have to be all you do to encourage reading habits. Activities such as reading to your child regularly and designating reading times at home can have great impacts on familiarising your child with the joy of reading.
Moreover, though it may seem obvious, children need to be able to have access to books in order to read, so ensuring your child has access to a few books of varying types will help them find reasons to not want to put books down!
How do you improve a child’s reading comprehension?
Reading comprehension is vital, not just for enjoying reading fiction books but also because it’s an important life skill. By encouraging primary-aged children to get into reading earlier through participation in events such as World Book Day 2023, we can help them prepare for secondary school and beyond.
If you’re looking for more ways in which you can help children bolster these skills, our webinar, ‘Developing Reading Comprehension Skills in Readiness for Secondary School’ is designed to equip headteachers, curriculum leaders, subject leaders, teachers and teaching assistants with evidence-based pedagogical techniques and resources.
Whilst most children will have acquired necessary reading and comprehension skills, for others, difficulties in these areas can pose a barrier to learning. In this webinar, Emma Rogers, experienced literacy and learning expert, defines the required standard of reading comprehension for pupils transitioning to secondary school and identifies best practice and resources which schools can draw upon to support reading comprehension.
What makes effective literacy teaching?
Effective literacy teaching is key to helping children feel confident. Research tells us that the more developed and articulate a child’s speech is, the better they are likely to be at reading and writing.
By improving oracy, educators can significantly improve literacy standards, helping pupils to achieve in all areas of the curriculum.
In our webinar, ‘What Makes Effective Literacy Teaching?’, Ros Wilson, a leading education consultant with a breadth of experience spanning 45 years in education, explains the benefits of oracy education in building literacy skills, highlighting the practical steps schools can take to improve oracy.