Supporting your Child’s Reading During COVID

Back to school has always evoked mixed feelings for parents, from nervousness to excitement to just pure panic.

This year, after a few turbulent months of home school and then a long summer of travel restrictions, children have finally returned to school. However, with COVID-19 safety measures in place and greater levels of uncertainty, school life has changed drastically. We found most parents we spoke to were increasingly concerned about their child’s reading progress slipping – after all it is now widely acknowledged that the more children read, the better they do in school (even in subjects like maths). 

While most parents and teachers expect some sort of ‘summer slide’ or dip in children’s reading ability as they return to school after a summer of fun, teachers are seeing significant fall in the progress they were making pre-lockdown. 

To make matters worse, some schools are no longer sending books home for children to practise with due to new safety measures. One parent we spoke to said, ‘Not having [these] books at the right level sent home from school in the book bag feels like just another huge challenge for families at the moment.’ 

However this challenge of knowing what to buy and how best to support children’s reading progress at home is not entirely new. 

Camilla Macoun recognised this was a huge issue for parents over a year ago when she left her job as a Senior Publisher at Oxford University Press to plan her start-up The Bear Can Read. As a children’s educational publisher, she was often asked by other parents what to buy to help support reading at home. You just have to walk into any bookstore to see all the beautiful children’s picture books – but when it comes to learning to read and keeping in step with the school … what do parents buy? 

Just before lockdown she launched The Bear Can Read, a subscription service for families sending phonics bundles at the correct reading level for their child, straight to their front door. The service is for children of nursery - primary school age, which bespoke boxes created from 2 - 7 years old, depending on the current reading level for your child.  

Those concerned with confusing their child with what they learn at school need not worry - the finely tuned bundle works in step with the way schools teach reading, yet continuing to provide the additional support the need at home to progress.

What’s included?

The Bear Can Read’s activities are all written by phonics experts and teachers to make sure the material perfectly aligns with the school curriculum and national milestones so parents don’t need to worry about buying the wrong thing.

The monthly bundles also gradually increase in reading challenges at just the right pace for your child, creating a bespoke learning experience. From progress charts and sticker sheets to colourful bookmarks, all the boxes are designed to please both the children and their parents.  

On receiving a box for her two children, Shiloh and Boe, our Director Alicia said, ‘The boys were thrilled to receive their bespoke boxes with their names on them! While Shiloh has a more advanced reading age, the books included were still challenging and stimulating enough for him. Boe, 4, is just starting his reading journey and I have been concerned about supporting him through this chaotic time, however the phonic cards are more like a game to him right now, so feels like education through a fun and interactive way in a setting he feels comfortable in. It feels like the right time for finding a service like this as we head towards greater uncertainty and the possibility of further restrictions in place - it's challenging enough for an adult, but even more so a confusing time for children, which can impact their learning. This service just makes it so much easier to provide the right kind of support without the stress”

On speaking about the launch of her service during a pandemic, Camilla said, 

“I was just so happy to be able to help so many parents at home who were struggling with homeschool and really needed the tools to support reading at home. Luckily the largest educational publishers were still sending books and our printer was able to keep us in stock… so we all just worked incredibly hard to get bundles out to families who wanted and needed them. ” 

A busy mum of three herself, she knows how difficult it can be to juggle family and work, so getting everything you need in the one box to have an effective and fun reading sessions with your child is really important to her. “I know how hard it is to carve out even 5-15 minutes a day to listen to your child reading and to help them learn at home so you open the box and everything you need is right there for you.”

 If you are interested in learning more about The Bear Can Read, check out their website. The monthly subscription is £19.99, however, using the code Editors5, you try your first box for just £5. 

Photography by PAULA SIQUEIRA

AD FEATURE by The Bear Can Read