How to Raise Readers

[tallwhitegirl]

What about when they get older, around 12 - 16. Do you continue to encourage it then if they start to lose interest? If so, how?

Continue to have family read-alouds. Who says that you can't do that even as the children grow older. My family continued to read aloud books and discuss them well into adulthood. We may be deemed as weird - but I don't care. We all love books because our parents loved books. I hope that my children when they reach that age group (12-16) will have already have a well established love of learning through literature.

 

[SFG75]

Some time has passed since I last posted in this thread. Just some obsevations since then. My 1 1/2 year old absolutely loves books. We have big red tub filled with children's books and he will pull a few out and sit on his little recliner chair and look at the pictures to his heart's content. My older boy, who is 3, is way more active and doesn't like to sit down as much, but we are now drilling him on letters, numbers, as well as signign his name hand over hand. He is progressing very well, and will turn off the t.v. while he's playing from time to time......which just thrilles me.

How are other parents doing on the front?

tallwhitegirl's post is definitely a good one. I believe that "teachable moments" are extremely valuable. I remember reading about Joseph Kennedy and his expecting the Kennedy boys to show up with an article to discuss and debate. Family friends loved to be with them as needling questions and wily sophistry were used by the father "against" the children. Ralph Nader grew up in such a household as well. No matter what the political leaning, it appears that engaged parents rear engaged students, though like everything, there are exceptions to the rule.

 

[Peronel]

I don't have children either, but I remember that when I was little we lived in a rural area and would have to go into the nearby town to do our shopping. Mum always used to say "If we get time, we'll pop into the library and we can all choose a couple of books!"

I was always excited because she seemed so excited (modelling rules!), and I remember being so comforted by the smells and sounds of the library.

This was a ritual that we performed once a week; it became a part of my childhood. So I guess I'm saying, make the prospect of reading/going to the library exciting for them, then help them make it a habit.

 

[ValkyrieRaven88]

Hmm. When I was little, my mother read to me all the time. That alone encouraged me to read when I got older. I liked stories, I guess. And she continued reading out loud to me regularly until I was twelve years old. (Just a couple days ago, she decided to read a fairy tale out loud to me, and I'm seventeen.) So I think the really important thing to do is to read often to children, and they'll do the rest on their own.

 

[Carica]

a) Read to them from being babies, to being as old as they will accept it. Read every day if possible and be prepared to read as much as they want, within reason. When they beg for another chapter/story, say yes, if possible.

b) Teach them to read as soon as they are able and willing

c) Take them to the library often

d) Listen to them read as children and as older children - reading a classic C19th book aloud can help their language and their understanding of the text.

e) Be interested in children's books yourself so that you can help them choose if they need help.

f) Be prepared to spend money on books - if you have books in your home, they won't have a problem reaching out to find one at any given moment.

g) Model reading by regularly turning off the TV and reading yourself - at home and on holiday.

h) Discuss the books they're reading (that sometimes, if not always, means reading them yourself) and discuss the books that you're reading. Also, show them book reviews of books or authors they've read, from newspapers or elsehere.

i) Audio books.

 

[SFG75]

Excellent suggestions Carica, something to definitely print out or bookmark.

Did a little googling and discovered that Maine has a reaising readers program whereby children are given a book every time they are visited for home check-ups or doctor's visits. Wyoming has adopted a similar program utilizing funding from public and private sources.

There is some interesting research about the first three years of life and reading.

Just as a child develops language skills long before being able to speak, the child also develops literacy skills long before being able to read. What parents do, or don't do, has a lasting impact on their child's reading skill and literacy.

Children develop much of their capacity for learning in the first three years of life, when their brains grow to 90% of their eventual adult weight. When parents talk, sing, and read to their child, links among the child's brain cells are strengthened and new cells and links are formed.

Play is the work of young children. From the first lullaby to dramatization of a favorite story, music and other creative arts can stimulate language and literacy development. Parents can help build pre-literacy skills through dramatic play and one-on-one interaction.

Many pediatricians believe that a child who has never held a book or listened to a story is not a fully healthy child. Reading aloud to young children is so critical that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that doctors prescribe reading activities along with other advice given to parents at regular check-ups.

Despite the considerable evidence of a relationship between reading regularly to a child and that child's later reading development, six in ten babies and five in ten toddlers are not read to regularly by parents or family members.

http://www.rif.org/parents/articles/Raising.mspx

 

[abecedarian]

SFG-I think its great that there are programs to give books to kids, but the bottom line is its the parents' responsibilty to encourage their kids to read. This means mom and dad should be springing for books out of their own pockets. We all know that books can be had for spare change if a person really wants to do so. I'm glad government agencies are reckognizing the importance of books in children's lives, but kids really need their parents and extended family to step up to the plate and carry ball home.