Do you have reading buddies in your classroom? What are they and what are they for?
What are reading buddies?
Reading buddies are small soft toys that students can hold or sit with when they read independently in the classroom.
You can have a collection of reading buddies to share, or assign one for each student who would like to use one. Students may be permitted to bring their own reading buddy to school.
What are reading buddies used for?
Reading buddies can be used:
- to increase engagement in independent reading
- to help students stay focused
- to provide an 'audience' for oral reading
Considerations when using reading buddies
To maintain effectiveness, reading buddies should help students stay focused on reading. It is important that they not distract students from reading. This is possible if you set up a classroom routine with expectations for why and how they are used
- help students understand why they have reading buddies, be playful and imaginative - Our reading buddies want to hear you read, they want you to stay reading the whole time. They will be listening to you!
- provide structure around the use of reading buddies so they are effective for their purpose - Our reading buddies will sit quietly with us while we read and then they will go back to their home for a rest, until we read again tomorrow.
- outline the rules - Our reading buddies just want to hear us read, they do not want to play. If we play with our reading buddies they will be packed away.
- create a simple routine that students can remember independently - teach your students a daily routine like coming into the classroom after recess, collecting a reading buddy from their cubby or tray and choosing a book to read before finding a safe and happy place to sit on the mat and read. Role play this and model the routine so that students can do this independent of you having to give verbal instructions each day
Care for Reading Buddies
- outline to students how to care for their reading buddy and where to keep it
- monitor the use of shared reading buddies - often one particular toy becomes popular and children will rush to claim it
- keep shared buddies in a tub or box and label it - here we have used a label from our rainbow display in a day pack
- think about choosing reading buddies that are easy to wash - we like these woven woollen toys - made of a natural fiber, easy to throw into the washing machine and they dry fast in the sun
Rainbow Display
For our reading buddy storage we used a book box from Elizabeth Richards and a label from our door display pack.
Our door displays are versatile - they can also be used for bulletin board displays and classroom labelling. Including text editable options, you can type or write information onto each piece.
All our classroom decor and resources coordinate so you can mix and match to combine functionality, curriculum content and classroom aesthetic!
