Creating the reading habits in children

[strawberrybird]

Thanks for this post. Reading is so important to developing all the skills necessary for a successful academic career, as well as sparking imagination and critical thinking. Reading to your children is very important. My husband tells a story of how he refused to learn to read (beyond what the school taught) until his mom stopped reading to him. She would read one novel and then another, and while he enjoyed them immensely, he felt no need to read for himself. So, finally, one day when he was about 9 or 10, she said, if you want to read it, you read it yourself.

The moral of the story is that it's just as important for children to tell you the story than for you to read to them. Even children who can not read sentences and phrases yet can tell the story based on the pictures in a book. It helps develop their critical thinking skills, storytelling skills, imagination, and fluency.

One other thing, the library can not be undervalued. Take your children to the library regularly. Let them choose the books they want to read. Encourage them to ask the librarian help them find a good book. I read a study this morning that mentioned how high school students who were able to take books home over the summer did better long-term than their non-reading counterparts. Just having the books in their home increased the likelihood that they would read them, and helped reduce the "summer slip." Keep in mind, it's important the chosen books are ones the students wished to read, not forced to read.

Thanks again for all the great advice!

 

[SFG75]

strawberry-That was an Op-Ed by David Brooks of The New York Times. You can read it here. What I was really impressed with was the notion that when kids built up their own libraries, they began to see themselves as readers and took pride in what they owned. I believe the researchers correctly identified what it was that helped change the perspective of kids; from thinking that they were readers, as opposed to thinking reading was boring or somehow disconnected from their lives.

 

[Mark Peter]

I think Reading book is a good habit.It should become habit of every children as it increases your word power and can also speak that language very fluently.That is so important.

 

[Michel]

HI i would like to suggest you to spend your reading time with your child.
And try to convenience all the words.

 

[Peder]

Excellent thread. We were readers. One wall of our living room was covered with books. When the children came, we read to them and made weekly visits to the local library to take home armloads of children's books for them. There were books all over the floor, and huge library fines to be paid from time to time. Later the older ones read to the younger ones. Reading just took care of itself as a part of total family life. /Knock wood/

 

[Libra]

I've read to both my kids when they were young and I am happy that they both have my love for books.

 

[Rocio44]

I think it is very difficult to get kids to read once they reach elementary school and beyond. They are prone to more distractions. When they are in pre-school they are fascinated by the stories and pictures within books due to the fact the Pre-school teachers make it a habit of introducing things they would like. I think if elementary school teachers and beyond present students with books that would interest their age group, they would most likely continue to read in the future. Also they have to take into consideration the amount of reading assigned to each student. This just makes the students less likely to want to read the book.

I cannot stress the importance of teachers in classrooms.

Excellent thread! I would love to hear how a parent turned a non-reader to a reader story