Blankets, cuppas and a good book

When we don’t use our senses, things just don’t stick. The learning just washes over us.

Having delivered many training sessions over the years, this was always on my mind. If you ever came to a training session with me, you’d find I’d put time into the environment: good natural light, keeping the room warm (but not too warm!), quiet fidget toys on the tables, drinks, sweets, snacks, and a decent lunch if the budget allowed. I’d have memorable visuals on the screen, and I’d make sure we all got up, moved around, and had a laugh at some point too.

Reading is exactly the same for me. The senses involved in the reading experience make a huge difference to how much I enjoy and remember a book.

I love the spring and summer, that warmth and the chance to read outside. My choice of book at this time of year is usually light and easy, often a romance or a fact-based book that’s thought-provoking without being challenging to digest. I’m a rather adventurous soul, enjoying mountain biking, long walks, and paddle boarding, but I also really look forward to a good summer read once our daytime energy has been spent. My family know me for lugging a book almost everywhere we go in the summer. My dream is always that we’ll all sit down at some point, relax, and read together on a day out. My husband used to find this hilarious because, most of the time, it didn’t happen when the kids were younger! But I love those days when the reading goes to plan: long evenings outside, sitting on a beach in the shade, or lying on a picnic blanket reading together as a family. Sometimes we even listen to an audiobook, eyes closed in the sun (occasionally with a cheeky glass of something cool beside us, too).

Autumn brings something different. The dark means reading moves inside, snuggled up under a blanket, keeping warm from the cold air outside. I enjoy something gripping like a good thriller, or a fact-based book where deep thinking is needed, along with a nice warm cuppa. And as it gets darker earlier, there almost feels like an excuse to move into ‘nighttime mode’ sooner than in the summer, which is a joy.

As much as I dislike the thought of the nights drawing in, I really look forward to getting all warm and cozy with a book. Do you feel the same?

It feels so important right now because reading for pleasure is at a 20-year low. The National Literacy Trust’s 2025 report shows that only 1 in 5 children read daily for fun now, especially boys.

So as winter comes in, it’s a great time to make use of those senses when reading, especially with children, ensuring reading is an experience rather than a task. Hot chocolates, reading downstairs before bed (our family “book club”, often involved a blanket den when the children were younger), a pet curled up on your feet, fluffy blankets straight out of the cupboard… these are the things that make reading feel magical, and times children will remember forever.

And after years of me keeping at it, my family all take their books almost everywhere we go now, too. Half the time the rucksack still stays zipped up, but the intention is there from us all! As winter gets closer, the children are even keen to check if the hot chocolate is in the cupboard ready for ‘book club’.

Reading should be a pleasure, not another job on the evening to-do list. It’s a chance to slow down, process the day, and step into a world of thought and imagination. When we bring comfort, warmth, and a little treat to the moment, it stops being a task and becomes something everyone looks forward to.

So let’s get those fluffy blankets out, put the kettle on, and make reading something we all cherish.

Relaaaax.