BuZZy Friends author Michael Walter loves visiting schools to read his books to the children, and particularly likes to answer their questions and hear what they think about the books and characters.
There are many ways that schools and children can benefit from having an author visit, aside from having a fun time listening to a story.
Reading and writing are two very important skills to learn, but encouraging children to do so can be difficult, so anything that can help to motivate them to take part in these activities for pleasure is invaluable.
Through reading books, children can improve their cognitive development, increase their breadth of vocabulary, and grow their comprehension and grammar skills, all of which are particularly important as they start their school education.
Following an author visit to a school, it has been found that children feel more inspired to read for pleasure and visit the library more often. In fact, author visits have been responsible for raising the profile of school libraries and increasing their use, even by children who wouldn’t normally choose to borrow books.
Authors can bring their books to life like no one else can, and this really helps children to engage with the story and the characters. Giving the book this added dimension means that children will feel creative and imaginative following the reading, and will be more likely to want to write or read a story themselves.
Having to opportunity to ask an author questions gives children a better understanding of the book writing process, how a book is put together, and how long everything takes. This is an insight that they may not get otherwise, and it really helps to give children a better appreciation of books and the work that goes into them.
Having someone new and exciting in the school telling the children how important it is to read lots of books and work on their writing is a great way to reinforce what their teachers tell them during their lessons. There can also be activities or workshops linked to the story which fit well with the school curriculum.
For any children who aspire to be an author or illustrator, meeting one in person is a fantastic way to give them the belief that they can reach that dream, and it might encourage other children to feel the same way too.
Children love the opportunity to sit and listen to a story, and with all of these benefits available, author visits are a great idea for any school to get involved with.
If you’d like Michael to arrange a visit to your child’s school, or if you are a teacher yourself, please do not hesitate to contact us, we would love to hear from you.
Buzzy Friends Blog 