Nursery World - Reading

Educational neuroscientist Paul Howard-Jones tells Annette Rawstrone why reading is the most important skill we can teach to children

Reading is our ‘prime technology’ which readies young children’s brains to interpret new concepts and new ways of thinking, including mathematics, says educational neuroscientist Paul Howard-Jones, an expert on Channel 4’s The Secret Life of 5 Year Olds.

‘Children can begin to understand the value and concept of books by seeing adults experiencing books and having their attention drawn to books. This can start in the first two to three years of their lives, well before they themselves know how to read but when their brains are at their most plastic and malleable. That’s a great start – and it can develop into a resilient enthusiasm for books in their school and adult lives,’ he told attendees at the BookTrust Annual Lecture in November. (BookTrust’s Storytime prize was also awarded at the event – see panel, right.)

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