With a reading bag” for primary school students: rediscover reading!

With a reading bag” for primary school students: rediscover reading!

A new, exciting project is just around the corner and could bring a breath of fresh air into the classroom as early as the next school year. The “Reading Bag” initiative aims to get students from the second grade onwards enthusiastic about reading in a playful way. The children can look forward to a careful selection of books, which are put together by the Hanover City Library in collaboration with educational specialists. The start of this reading tour is planned for the start of the 2025/26 school year at the first all-day primary schools, supported by a council resolution of 50,000 euros for the years 2025 and 2026. As Hannover.de describes, the students should not only be able to enjoy new books, but also... also take part in creative projects, such as podcasts to implement texts you have read.

In addition to the books, the project offers several modules for the creative design of reading content, which are supported by the Media Center of the Hanover Region. Collaboration with the city library plays an important role here. Volunteer readers of the “Friends of the City Library e.V.” will also take on a central function and ensure that reading aloud in schools is made lively.

Success with reading mentoring

The “Lesementoring” is part of a larger concept that complements existing programs such as Lesementoring. Here, young people are trained as reading mentors to help primary school children improve their reading skills. The mentors design interactive reading lessons that not only impart knowledge, but also promote the joy of reading. This valuable experience is complemented by reflective discussions in which the young people can recognize and develop their own strengths.

The close cooperation between the city library and the district culture creates a unique learning place that increases the children's motivation to read. The positive effects should not be underestimated, because good reading ability is a key skill for children's education and active participation in their lives. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research also emphasizes that supporting reading skills is crucial for success in all school areas.

A network for promoting reading

Good reading skills open doors and are the basis for a successful education. It is particularly important that children with different linguistic abilities can participate equally in the offerings. For this reason, reference is also made to projects such as “Reading Start 1-2-3”, which promote access to books for all children and over 5 million reading start sets have already been distributed.

Through the combination of reading projects, such as the “Reading Bag” and reading mentoring, a comprehensive strategy is pursued to pave the way for children to enjoy reading. Care is taken to ensure that the programs are designed flexibly in order to achieve the goals of a broad target group. Education is a community task, and the initiatives in Hanover show how the promotion of reading and language skills is approached locally and with commitment.