Reading for pleasure in Year 3 can provide entertainment and delight as well as opening up a host of new worlds to children. Books provide children of this age group with opportunities to stretch the imagination as well as to consider what life might be like in a myriad of different settings and situations. Stories about the lives of others can help children to develop empathy and understand emotions, while at the same time increasing children's language skills and vocabulary. Furthermore, research shows that reading for pleasure in childhood is a more powerful indicator of future educational attainment than parental socioeconomic status.

In order to facilitate the enjoyment of reading, getting the right book into the right child’s hands at the right time is the key. At the age of 7-8, many children have learnt to read short books by themselves and begin to exercise a greater freedom of choice over their independent reads at school and home. Funny books are very popular with this age group, as are short chapter books with illustrated elements and visually appealing non-fiction texts. In addition to independent reading, story time with adults remains important and treasured in Year 3, too - both at home and in the classroom.

With this in mind, our team has carefully selected a balance of different types of books to engage Year 3 children in reading for pleasure - either for reading independently or together with an adult. They have a core set of Traditional Tales, Poems and literature which is classed as 'Literacy Heritage' alongside the Books for Topics 50 Recommended Reads. We at Compass Primary review this annually to ensure that children are familiar with new authors and texts. We also select the children's favourites from the year and send up to their next classroom, so they can continue to enjoy them again and again. 

Books for Topics, 2023 - https://www.booksfortopics.com/booklists/recommended-reads/year-3/

Traditional Tales:

Poetry:

Literacy Heritage:

50 Recommended Reads: