Book Week is a celebration of stories, imagination and creativity, but helping children love reading isn't just something that happens during one week of the year. The good news? It doesn't take expensive resources or hours of extra time. Often, it's the small, recurring habits that make the biggest difference.
1. Let them see you read
Children are more likely to value reading when they see the adults around them enjoying it too. Whether it's a novel, magazine, recipe or newspaper, showing that reading is part of everyday life helps build positive attitudes towards books.
2. Read together, even after they've learnt to read
Many parents stop reading aloud once their child becomes an independent reader, but shared reading continues to support vocabulary, comprehension and a love of storytelling well into the primary years. It also creates moments to connect and talk about ideas.
3. Give children the freedom to choose
Not every child will be drawn to classic novels, and that's okay! Graphic novels, comics, fact books and magazines all count. When children can explore topics they're genuinely interested in, reading becomes something they want to do rather than something they have to do.
4. Make reading part of everyday life
Ten or fifteen minutes before bed or reading together after school helps establish reading as a regular habit. Consistency matters more than long sessions.
5. Talk about stories
Asking simple questions like "What surprised you?" or "Who was your favourite character?" encourages children to think more deeply about what they've read. These conversations also help develop confidence and comprehension.
6. Celebrate curiosity, not perfection
Children don't need to finish every book they start or read at the same level as their peers. The goal is to nurture confidence and enjoyment. When reading feels positive, children are more likely to keep coming back to it.
Wondering how schools help children become confident readers?
At Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese (CSPD), engaging literacy experiences, dedicated teachers and well-resourced libraries help students build the skills and confidence to thrive as readers and learners.
Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
www.parra.catholic.edu.au
-
06 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Happy Fathers Day to all the dads and father figures in our school community! We hope that you have had a great day today. It was wonderful to be able to give thanks to God for the gift of fathers on Thursday. We began with our Celebration of the Word, before welcoming everyone into our classrooms. Thank you to everyone who joined us.05 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Forget the saying, "Jack of all trades, master of none", our Teacher Aides are masters of everything! As we celebrate Teacher Aide Appreciation Week, we say a huge thank you to Ms Agostino, Mrs Cerrone, Mrs Dagher, Mrs Macpherson, Mrs Milas and Ms Stewart, not to mention Mrs Mamae, who is working with us while Ms Agostino is on leave, and our wonderful casual teacher aide staff. We are blessed at OLOR to have such amazing people who support our students and teachers every day.
Latest news More news
06 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Happy Fathers Day to all the dads and father figures in our school community! We hope that you have had a great day today. It was wonderful to be able to give thanks to God for the gift of fathers on Thursday. We began with our Celebration of the Word, before welcoming everyone into our classrooms. Thank you to everyone who joined us.
05 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Forget the saying, "Jack of all trades, master of none", our Teacher Aides are masters of everything! As we celebrate Teacher Aide Appreciation Week, we say a huge thank you to Ms Agostino, Mrs Cerrone, Mrs Dagher, Mrs Macpherson, Mrs Milas and Ms Stewart, not to mention Mrs Mamae, who is working with us while Ms Agostino is on leave, and our wonderful casual teacher aide staff. We are blessed at OLOR to have such amazing people who support our students and teachers every day.
03 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Did you know that fluency is an important skill for successful reading? And it's not just about reading quickly! Informed by school-wide assessment data, and our school improvement plan for learning, teachers across the school are implmenting new strategies for improving reading fluency. One strategy that is being used in our classes is buddy reading, where children to listen to each other read and give specific feedback. Our teachers are doing a great job teaching our children what fluent reading sounds like and what to look for, and our Year 1 students are already providing their buddies with valuable feedback!
03 Sep 2026
From YouTube
Student-Led Conferences are one way we communicate about children’s learning to parents and carers. This video is designed to provide you with an overview of our Student-Led Conferences and how to help engage your child in powerful reflection on their learning.
03 Sep 2026
From YouTube
Student-Led Conferences are one way we communicate about children’s learning to parents and carers. This video is designed to provide you with an overview of our Student-Led Conferences and how to help engage your child in powerful reflection on their learning.
02 Sep 2026
From Facebook
Be an OLOR Road Safety Star! Only children get out of the car at Kiss and Drop. That's why the spaces after Kiss and Drop are designed for short-term parking. Help keep your children safe by using the short-term parking if you need to get out of the car to assist your child.
01 Sep 2026
From Facebook
It was an exciting start to our week yesterday morning, as we opened our new playground equipment! Our school captains cut the ribbon, and grade groups have started visiting the equipment to learn the expectations for safe and respectful play before their scheduled playtime. Thank you to Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese for their support and management of this project, and to Simpson Landscapes and Consultants for their construction work. With a few finishing touches to still to go, we look forward to opening our new Kindergarten play equipment soon.
30 Aug 2026
From Facebook
We invite you to join us on Thursday for our Fathers Day Celebrations. Children, and all members of our community are invited to participate in Jersey Day on this day, which raises awareness of the importance of organ and tissue donation. We look forward to seeing you.
28 Aug 2026
From Facebook
What a week it has been! Our Book Week celebrations have been filled with excitement, imagination and of course, a whole lot of books! This week Kindy, Year 1 and Year 2 were thrilled to welcome Australian children’s author Pip Harry yesterday, spending time connecting with a real author. Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 enjoyed a fantastic performance by Meerkat Productions, based on this year’s Children's Book Council of Australia Younger Readers Book of the Year - "Inked". Everyone in K-6 has challenged their thinking with the ‘Mystery Picture Book’, uncovered clues to decide who ‘The Masked Teacher Readers' were, explored the wonderful ‘Book Fair’ and watched a funny Reader’s Theatre adaptation of ‘Alpacas with Maracas’ performed by the teachers. From beginning to end, our school has been buzzing with a love of reading and stories. What an incredible way to celebrate our ‘Symphony of Stories’ Book Week 2026!
28 Aug 2026
Our schools are cracking the reading code
Do you remember how you learned to read? For a vital skill that is linked to all other learning, it’s surprisingly difficult to explain how to go about learning it.
27 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Yesterday, schools from across Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese gathered together to celebrate the annual Education Mass. This year was particularly important, as we celebrate forty years since the establishment of the Diocese of Parramatta. Thank you to our school captains, Mr Battikha and Miss Takchi for representing OLOR.