Reading Buddies With preschool

The past few weeks had actually been pretty hectic, with tons of tests and summative. But we were able to finally plan a reading buddies session with the preschool this Friday.

Step 0 – As usual, me and Shinara coordinated with Mrs. Ivonne (pre school teacher) for another reading session with the kids. We were able to arrange a suitable timing, in accordance with both of our schedules. Like before, we still planned on having a brief yet engaging session with the kids.

Step 1 – After having arranged a time, the next step was to find a reading book apt for the level of preschool, and also within the time frame we planned for the session. Reflecting from the last session, we aimed at getting a book which was slightly longer but still had the visuals to attract a preschooler. For that purpose, we chose ‘Meet Me At The Moon”.

Step 3 – The next step, was of course, going to the primary wing and reading the story aloud to the kids. We both noticed, a slight shift in their approach to us. Compared to last time, they were much more open to us. They weren’t as shy, and they listened to the whole storybook more intently. Unlike last time, when we rushed the whole story, this time we actually went along reading slowly. We made sure our pace was apt, and the kids actually comprehended what was actually happening.

Step 4 – The reading session was accompanied by a questionnaire afterwards. Me and Shinara, we both, still lacked the skills to formulate question which were on the level of understanding of a preschooler. Luckily, Mrs. Ivonne helped us and with her help we were able to ask question to the kids and engage with them about what they liked in the story. As I predicted, they loved the baby elephant (who doesn’t!).

Step final – We concluded the whole session, by taking a picture together with the little kids. It was a solid 10-min time, during which I personally bonded well with them (there’s a reason I’m the favourite cousin!). I made a handshake with a few kids, while others were also keen on a high five and giving fist bumps.

I would have to agree that this 2nd reading session was a greater success, and much better than the first one. We were able to make the session much more interactive, and the idea to bond with the kids at the end was also a pretty good idea. From this, I think we can learn that planning can pathway to a greater success. I believe, learning from our limitations during the last session, we were able to capitalize on “what not to do” during this session. The book in itself, again gave a subtle message of separation and how to handle such situations when your loved one are not physically around you. In a way this book foretells our university life, when we will be away from our family and school friends for a while and studying in different universities abroad.

For our next Reading Buddy session, there’s a few goals and improvement points I have in mind. Primarily, we need to ask much more questions and make the session more engaging. This will encourage the kids to participate more in the future. We already discussed with Mrs. Ivonne regarding bigger picture books, with more visuals to attract the kids more. So, it’s something we plan to do in our future sessions as well.

Overall, I enjoyed the session very much. I loved spending time with the kids, and I would love to spend more time with them in future.