Why Your Child Needs a Reading Nook and How To Create One Without Breaking The Bank

A reading nook, what’s that?  

Thats exactly what I asked myself when I first saw the phrase splattered over several mum blogs. 

Nonetheless, I soon found myself entranced by an array of books, posters, paintings and bean bags, all of which brought back beautiful memories of childhood. 

There’s something about reading that is so magical and transformative, especially for children and it’s those memories of reading a beloved book that stay with a child for a lifetime.

Reading is magical.

If you’re wondering what a reading nook is, it’s simply a small reading corner or area within your home that’s dedicated to reading. It’s like a little haven where your child can go to escape from the hussle

and bustle of school and delve into any book of their choosing. 

The reason why it’s so beneficial to have one is because it enables your child to allocate time and space to reading; it separates reading time and helps them to prioritise it. 

Furthermore, your child can read to themselves, with a sibling or you can join in and read with them.  

Plus, reading nooks/corners are pretty and inspiring which means that children naturally gravitate towards them. They make reading fun. 

And by the way, it doesn’t need to cost a fortune to make one. I recently used a windowsill as a reading corner space in my house and it looks beautiful. I literally can’t stop staring at it.  

Here are some of our favourites for your inspiration.

A reading corner with a beautiful decal quote. 

A beautiful pink reading corner.

A window-based reading corner that’s bright and colourful. 

A collage of some of our favourite reading books. 

This week, think of some ways in which you can create a reading corner in your home. It’s the perfect excuse for a trip to IKEA 🙂.

Why Your Child Needs a Reading Nook and How To Create One (Without Breaking The Bank)

A reading nook, what’s that?  

Thats exactly what I asked myself when I first saw the phrase splattered over several mum blogs. 

Nonetheless, I soon found myself entranced by an array of books, posters, paintings and bean bags, all of which brought back beautiful memories of childhood. 

There’s something about reading that is so magical and transformative, especially for children and it’s those memories of reading a beloved book that stay with a child for a lifetime.

Reading is magical.

If you’re wondering what a reading nook is, it’s simply a small reading corner or area within your home that’s dedicated to reading. It’s like a little haven where your child can go to escape from the hussle

and bustle of school and delve into any book of their choosing. 

The reason why it’s so beneficial to have one is because it enables your child to allocate time and space to reading; it separates reading time and helps them to prioritise it. 

Furthermore, your child can read to themselves, with a sibling or you can join in and read with them.  

Plus, reading nooks/corners are pretty and inspiring which means that children naturally gravitate towards them. They make reading fun. 

And by the way, it doesn’t need to cost a fortune to make one. I recently used a windowsill as a reading corner space in my house and it looks beautiful. I literally can’t stop staring at it.  

Here are some of our favourites for your inspiration.

A reading corner with a beautiful decal quote. 

A beautiful pink reading corner.

A window-based reading corner that’s bright and colourful. 

A collage of some of our favourite reading books. 

This week, think of some ways in which you can create a reading corner in your home. It’s the perfect excuse for a trip to IKEA 🙂.

The Real Scoop on The ISEB Common Entrance Pre-Test

The ISEB Pre-Test is aimed at providing a platform through which independent senior schools can gather information and measure a pupil's academic potential.

The test therefore aims to identify  the potential of a student rather than focusing solely on their academic ability.

The ISEB can be challenging for new parents to understand, however, this article will guide you through some of the main facts concerning it.

Key Facts About the ISEB Common Pre-Tests

• It’s usually taken by pupils in Year 6 who are ages 10-11.

• It provides a measure of ability and potential.

• It tests English, Maths, Verbal, and Non-Verbal Reasoning.

• It takes about 2.5 hours to complete.

• The text is taken online and is not paper-based.

• The questions are adaptive (correctly answered questions will lead to harder questions).

• The Maths and English tests are based on the National Curriculum.

• The tests are multiple-choice style.

• The tests are used by competitive independent schools to select which pupils could potentially be a good fit for their school.

• Candidates can only take a test once per academic year. 

• The test can be taken at a child’s current prep school.

Why should your child sit the Pre-Test?

Sitting the Pre-Test helps to measure pupil's learning over a given period. It provides independent schools with evidence that pupils have satisfactory proficiency at KS2 level and have the potential to excel in KS3 and KS4 exams.

Furthermore, it gives teachers the opportunity and ability to establish, one or two years in advance, the academic potential of the pupil transferring to their school.

Ultimately, schools need to know if pupils meet their academic standards. If a child passes the Pre-Test, they are usually offered admission, although they are still required to pass the Common Entrance exam at 13+.

Each school has the power to decide on how they use a child's Common Pre-Test results. Competitive and popular secondary schools often use the Pre-Test to shortlist pupils.

Which Schools require the ISEB Common Pre-Tests?

The ISEB Common Pre-Test is of the most popular pre-tests available.

The following schools use it:

Ardingly College

Bedford School

Benenden School

Bloxham School

Bradfield College

Brighton College

Bryanston School

Canford School

Caterham School

Charterhouse

Cheltenham College

City of London School

Culford School

Dauntsey's School

Eaton Square Upper School

Eton College

Harrow School

Headington School

Hurstpierpoint College

Marlborough College

Monkton Combe School

Mount Kelly College

Oratory School

Palmers Green High School

Radley College

Reddam House School

St Paul's School

St Swithun's School

Stowe School

Tonbridge School

University College School

Wellington College

Westminster School

Wetherby Senior School

Worth School

Source: ISEB website

Are there other Pre-tests?

There are three primary forms of Pre-Tests; ISEB, UKiset and CEM. 

Can You Prepare for the ISEB Common Pre-Test?

Although most schools claim that tutoring isn’t necessary, we’ve observed that early preparation can be tremendously beneficial in helping students to improve their scores and increase their familiarity with the exam format and question types. We therefore recommend that students practise the GL Assessment papers and also complete online tests. 

About ISEB Common Pre-Test

The ISEB Common Pre-Test consists of four individual tests which can be taken together or at different times and in any order. However, candidates must complete each particular test in one sitting.

• English – assesses spelling, punctuation, comprehension, and sentence completion.

• Maths – assesses mathematical ability based on the national curriculum stage.

• Verbal Reasoning – assesses thinking and problem-solving skills.

• Non-Verbal Reasoning  – analyses thinking with shapes, space and diagrams.

Each test has a time limit allotted to it. For every question, candidates must select an answer from five given choices and then press ‘next' to submit. Once an answer is submitted and the ‘next' button pressed, it is impossible to return to a question. The timing for each test excludes the time required for login and test set-up. However, it includes the time needed for candidates to read the on-screen instructions, as well the time allotted for reading the comprehension passage.

The time given for each test is given below:

• English – 25 minutes

• Maths – 50 minutes

• Verbal Reasoning – 36 minutes

• Non-Verbal Reasoning  – 32 minutes

Each test begins with a set of instructions and candidates can view their progress on the progress bar at the bottom of the screen. The progress bar indicates how many questions are remaining and the timer at the top of the screen indicates the time remaining.

The test is administered in a formal test environment. Thus, candidates are expected to maintain normal behaviour and follow the constraints of a test environment by working in silence.

Teachers are not allowed to render any help with answering test questions.

How to Prepare Your Child for the ISEB Common Pre-Test

• Familiarise your child with computer based  tests such as 11+ Hero. 

• Encourage your child to answer questions under strict timed conditions. 

• Early preparation gives your child ample time to improve their confidence and master excellent exam technique. It’s never a good idea to leave preparation to the last minute as it will simply cause more stress for you and your child.

Now it’s over to you, leave a comment below sharing one thing you’ll do to help your child prepare for their ISEB exam. 

11+ Maths: How To Answer Complex Multiplication Questions In Half The Time

One of the biggest areas that 11+ students struggle with is speed, especially when it comes to answering complex mathematical questions in less than a minute.

Often, nerves and anxiety can get the best of any child and slow them down.

That’s why it’s so important that students learn timeless techniques that are easy to remember.

In this tutorial, Harry goes through one of his favourite techniques for answering multiplication questions.

This method is so easy to follow and fun too.

Watch the video below:

3 Ways To Help Your Child Improve Their Comprehension Skills

Many parents complain that their child struggles with comprehension.

Perhaps it’s because they struggle to understand the text, or perhaps it’s because they find it difficult to figure out what the question is asking of them.

Whatever the reason, there are things that you can do to help your child improve their ability to read and understand even the most complex of texts.

Here are five of our favourite comprehension boosting tips:

Create an environment of literacy in the home.

This is a piece of advice given by the wonderful Dr Kathryn Weston and it’s one that’s stayed in my mind for a long time.

What does it mean?

Well, many parents completely dismiss literacy at home and often prioritise Maths and Sciences because English is often deemed a less important subject. And then, all of a sudden they realise that their child actually needs to have strong English skills because literacy is assessed throughout a child’s education. Such parents then frantically begin hunting for an English Tutor and panic because there isn’t much time to help their child improve their comprehension skills.

Instead of doing this, you can create an environment of literacy in the home by doing some of the following:

• Reading to your child at night.

• Asking your child to read to you for 10 minutes each day.

• Using vocabulary flash cards during meal times so that you can create table topics around them.

• Asking them to re-write some of the stories they’ve read recently and read them aloud to friends and family.

By doing this, your child begins to understand how important it is to build strong English skills especially with regards to comprehension.

Encourage them to read a variety of classic and modern texts.

It’s so easy to encourage your child to stick with the usual “fun” books such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid but such books don’t necessarily encourage much creative thinking or help a child develop their deduction or inference skills. By encouraging your child to read a variety of texts, you’ll be helping them to create the skills needed to make studying comprehension much less difficult.

Use 10-minute boosters.

We love the CGP and Bond 10-Minute series of books because they enable children to improve their comprehension skills in such a short space of time. It’s therefore worth purchasing some of these books and gradually working through the books with them. Start by going through the books together, discuss the passages and then eventually encourage your child to complete the comprehension papers on their own. It takes just 10 minutes and it’s so worthwhile.

So, there you have it. Three of our favourite tips for improving comprehension skills.

If your child needs additional help with comprehension, consider purchasing our online course which enables students to study at their own pace. Click here to learn more.