Educator tips

Apr 24, 2024

The Magic of Wordless Picture Books

Apr 17

I began my teaching career as an early childhood teacher and discovered the power of wordless picture books very early on. The freedom to interpret and narrate these visual stories sparked endless creativity and engagement among my Year Two students, and my collection of wordless picture books began in earnest.

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The who, what and how of teen reading

Allison Tait

Mar 13

“My teen has stopped reading.” “How can I get my 13 year old to read more?” “My 14-year-old son has lost interest in books.” These questions, and hundreds more like them, turn up in some form or another several times a week in the Your Kid’s Next Read community.

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Diversity in book collections

Allison Tait

Mar 4

Diversity in children’s literature has been a hot topic in recent months and, with Harmony Week taking place this month (18-24 March, 2024), it’s a good time to think about the range of stories on offer in our home and school libraries. A good starting point might be

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How many books will you read this year?

Feb 12

Never let it be said that the #qualitywaffle on the Your Kid’s Next Read podcast doesn’t bear fruit! In episode 140, Megan and Allison shared their best tips for setting up for a great reading year at home or at school, including this one: Megan mentioned that she was planning to create a visual reading record – printed larger size for her kids to use at…

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How to be an Idea Hunter

Allison Tait

Jan 14

This post for paid subscribers was written by Allison Rushby from Team YKNR. As an author, the question I’m most asked at school visits is, of course, the evergreen ‘Where do you get your ideas from?’. I always tell my young audience that the answer isn’t straightforward. I also like to tell them that ideas are not magical, rare things.

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How do readers grow into writers?

Allison Tait

November 15, 2023

Have you ever wondered what it is that turns a reader into a writer? How do authors go from consuming stories (at frantic pace, in many cases) to creating our own for others to read? It’s a question I often think about, so I decided to find out by asking a range of Australia’s best children’s authors to think about the building blocks of their journey into writing.

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Katherine Rundell's top tip for young writers

Allison Tait

September 11, 2023

Katherine Rundell's top tip for young writers

In episode 119 of the Your Kid’s Next Read podcast, we got to spend about 15 minutes with internationally acclaimed author Katherine Rundell, who shared insights into the research and writing process for her remarkable new novel ‘Impossible Creatures

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Three quick tips for young writers

Allison Tait

August 20, 2023

This post for paid subscribers was written by Allison Rushby from Team YKNR. This morning I did an interview about my The Wish Sisters series books for CBCA Book Week and the last question the lovely interviewer asked me was, “Can you give me three quick tips for young writers?”.

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The YKNR Author/Illustrator Visit Checklist

Allison Tait

August 6, 2023

The YKNR Author/Illustrator Visit Checklist

With CBCA Book Week looming, we thought this was the perfect time to share this exclusive checklist to help educators organise and manage author/illustrator visits to their schools. Created by Megan Daley, it’s an overview of everything you might need to think about, from the moment of booking all the way through to after the visit.

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All about teachers

Allison Tait

July 24, 2023

This post is written by Megan Daley. When Affirm Press approached me to edit an anthology about educators who inspire and create change, my first thought was 'I'm a titch busy (?!) but I will absolutely have to make time for this'. So I did, and the final product is available in good bookshops and online today!

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30 Holiday Reading Ideas

Allison Tait

June 23, 2023

The school holidays are upon us again and it’s time to put the fun back into reading! Keeping kids in touch with books (and off screens…) over the break need not be a battleground. Instead, it’s about looking for book-related activities that keep reading top of mind.

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Weeding your library collection

Allison Tait

June 18, 2023

This post is written by award-winning teacher-librarian Megan Daley from Team Your Kid’s Next Read Nobody loves to cull books (well, except, perhaps for me), but it’s important to periodically review library resources to maintain a relevant and up-to-date collection that meets the needs of your school collection.

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10 tips for reaching reluctant readers

Allison Tait

May 31, 2023

If you’ve listened to the Your Kid’s Next Read podcast, you’ll know that we have a segment called the Bingo Question. Bingo questions are the questions that come up over and over in our Facebook community – the kinds of questions we could rely on if we were ever to create a Bingo card.

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Megan's top tips for reading a picture book aloud

Allison Tait

May 22, 2023

Megan's top tips for reading a picture book aloud

Are you ready for ALIA National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) this week? Held annually by the Australian Library and Information Association, NSS is a celebration of reading and literacy. Every year, one picture is chosen to be read aloud simultaneously in schools, libraries, pre-schools, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops and many other laps and corners across the country.

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