Aussie Childcare Network Forum

Hi

I have been working in after school care for about 4 months now. I would like to introduce story reading. I have done it a couple of times while the children have been painting or drawing, but have found it difficult. My oldest child I have is 13 in 3 months and my youngest is still 4.5. It is near impossible to read books that they all enjoy and understand. Also it is difficult to keep the children quiet, I don't want to force them to listen but I can't read while they are talking. It is so different to LDC which I'm used to where all the children must sit on the mat and listen to the stories. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

Macoola

Hello Macoola!

I have worked in OOSH for the past 3 years and am currently studying primary school teaching as well. During my time in OOSH, only about a handful of children have requested books to read and nearly half of these children had their own books while the other half were feeling unwell and wanted some quiet time. As Lorina stated, children in OOSH have just finished a day of school in which they are required to sit and listen rather than have the opportunity to talk with their friends and run around enjoying themselves. I 100% agree with the suggestion from Lorina in setting up a nice comfortable quiet area but unfortunately I think you will find the children will not be attracted to this area most of the time. If you do insist on reading books to the children, which is fantastic, I would maybe suggest using afternoon tea time while the children are eating. Not only does this keep the children quiet when they are eating but also gives them something nice to listen to. The biggest problem I can see with this is some will be interesting and some wont and also if you choose to read a larger book which runs over a few days, children will miss out.

I would love to hear your solution!

Thanks Lorina and Mark

That advice is really helpful. Unfortunately our OOSH room is just in a class room and we have very little storage so a book corner with cushions and bean bags is out of the question but I will try to make a nice reading area for the children. I suppose it is just going to take me a while to get used to how different it is to LDC. I appreciate all the help I can get.

Thanks again

Macoola

Hello Macoola,

I completely understand your storage space issues as I am in the same situation! Making the most of a space is essential and sometimes a space can be used for a range of things rather than a single purpose. I have never worked in LDC but my experiences in OOSH have shown me that kids want food, craft, sports and friends Hopefully you can find a nice mix or a perfect time to read books with the kids - Maybe in the afternoon when there are less kids and it is time to wind down?

Best of luck!

Thanks for all your input Mark, it's nice to hear from someone with so much OOSH experience.

Macoola

Hi Macoola,
Maybe you could ask an older child to read to a younger child.

That is a great suggestion thanks JNP

Glad to help!!