Riihimäki addresses concerns about children and young people's literacy skills with a new policy

The City of Riihimäki will start a new "Permission to Read" policy to support the development of literacy skills from Thursday, March 13, 2025. From mid-March, children and young people in comprehensive schools and upper secondary schools will be allowed to read for at least 10 minutes every weekday around ten o'clock. Early childhood education will also pay attention to reading and find new ways to stop by literature during the early childhood education day.

During the ten-minute Lupa lukea session in elementary and upper secondary schools, teachers and students immerse themselves in reading fiction, non-fiction or magazines of their choice. The sessions are based on traditional books, not digital materials.

I can't read the assignments.

The idea for reading sessions came from Riihimäki Upper Secondary School principal Kari Jukarainen. Riihimäki Upper Secondary School started reading sessions every morning in February. Inspired by the example, basic education and early childhood education are starting to implement the practice.

"I became aware of situations where the assignment in different subjects can be too long for the student's ability to concentrate. The situation makes the student nervous and the negative feeling reduces motivation towards the entire subject. We discussed this with our colleagues, and as one way to do this, we started reading sessions in upper secondary schools at the beginning of February," Jukarainen says.

Bookworms, author visits, reading festivals

Many methods have been used to promote reading in Riihimäki comprehensive schools.

"Reading grandmothers regularly visit Eteläinen School to read to students. In addition, authors have become known through author visits. We have also implemented, for example, reading festival weeks and collected stamps for a reading passport. The Reading School team works systematically to support the school's students and teachers in developing their reading skills," says Eteläinen School's principal Eija Siilimäki.

In a previous study on learning materials commissioned by Riihimäki Basic Education, teachers found that paper textbooks were better suited than digital learning materials to support concentration and support Finnish language learning. The study also highlighted concerns about students' reading skills and brain health, and the need to limit the time spent on digital devices.

Adults can also participate

Reading sessions have been held in schools and early childhood education before, but there have been differences in the practices of the units.

“Reading moments are not new in themselves. However, now we want to make reading a daily routine for children and young people of all ages throughout the city and give reading the attention it deserves,” says Outi Ervasti, Head of Education.

Those who started the Permission to Read project hope that adults in Riihimäki would also set an example of reading at home. You can set an example by focusing on a magazine or book for ten minutes on weekends in front of your child.

Adults and children can get tips from the library on choosing interesting books.

www.riihimaki.fi/lukutaito

Read the previous announcement (August 2024): Riihimäki replaces digital learning materials in secondary schools with traditional ones – extensive research behind the scenes