homeschooling, reading to your children

Building An Interest to Read & It’s Purpose

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Our children’s ability to read is one of the most powerful life tools we can teach them to wield. Reading is an invaluable skill which enables our children to assume an ever-growing sense of control over their learning—and lives. They will use this one skill to access academic disciplines, extracurricular activities, social networks, competitions, games, travel opportunities…you get the point. 

Getting Acquainted

The first step Lettice and I took to lay the groundwork for Blair’s nascent reading skills was to establish an early familiarity between our son and books.  Since his earliest days, we made conscious efforts to bring him inside of as many books stores and libraries as possible.  We have treated book stores and libraries like interactive museums, allowing Blair to roam freely and invite the many covers, titles, and illustrations to his senses.  Our hope was that these many visits would create a sense literary normalcy for Blair.  Sometimes, the biggest hurdles standing between our kids and books are feelings of intimidation.    

  

Thus, as a way to foster a stronger intimacy with books (and save gas money), we often borrow or purchase books so that Blair sees reading as a natural extension of everyday life.  Having a collection of books at home proves invaluable, as it plays right into a budding child’s tactile nature.  Over time, we would repeatedly model how to hold and treat books so that he could, at the very least, develop an initial respect for books. 

 

kids love to read

Who Doesn’t Love Options?!

 

Sometimes our kids won’t know what type of books they like until they are shown them.  Introducing our young children to a myriad of characters, authors, and genres will help stretch the boundaries of their literary imaginations.  Once they are developmentally ready, have them accompany you when searching for the next amazing releases.  In time, they will assume an ownership over the stories they love most, and insist you take a seat while they collect a hefty stack of books from the shelves themselves.

 

Engage the Text (& Your Child)

 

A great way to promote reading for our kids is to have them become invested in the stories they read.  Before you flip open a book to page one, discuss the front cover with your young readers.  Have them make predictions about the story’s plot, based upon the cover’s imagery.  Ask questions about the summary.  Does your child find it interesting?  Why or why not? Are there any facets of the story that speak to your child’s interests, or pique their curiosity?  Hear what they have to say. 

While we read stories to—or with—our children, pause periodically and dialogue about the characters or plot developments (or illustrations, for our toddlers).  As parents, participating in the story-reading process with our children can make reading all the more enjoyable for everyone.  Moreover, our engagement may also strengthen their critical thinking and imaginative capabilities, effectively boosting their confidence levels as they seek out more challenging texts to pore over.     

 

reading to kids, learning, school, love to read

Real Time Reading

 

In his book A Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainers Will Rule the Future, author Daniel Pink posits how the human brain is wired for story.  Whether an old folk tale, a myth, a historical account, or a mere rundown of a crazy weekend, he argues that stories possess a remarkable power, and can grip our collective minds and emotions as tightly as a python’s clutch.  

Story time sessions at book stores, libraries, or at home provide awesome opportunities for our kids to engage with reading without being put on the spot. Watch as they become lost in a story. What stories resonate the deepest with our sons and daughters?  What parts of themselves do they see in the stories they ingest?   

I think it is also important for our kids to see reading as a process, one that takes time to improve upon.

Let them see how readers stumble, and recover, after tripping over words or tongue-twisting phrases.  Let them know that it is okay to make mistakes along the way towards proficiency.  Ultimately, story times should be fun, a time for our children to simply relax and enjoy all kinds of tales.

knowledge is power, read, learn, connect

 

Make a Lasting Connection

 

As a parent and former educator, I become particularly enthusiastic when I witness my son make real-world connections to the books we read together.  Whenever he points at a person, animal, or object and exclaims the book (title) containing the same—or similar—figures, I know that he is exercising his memory and finding reality within his beloved stories. 

Whenever you and your children are out and about, pause for a second and take in your surroundings.  Turn on your senses and think about when, and where, you have experienced these feelings before.  You may find that much of what you see, hear, taste, touch, and smell can be found on the pages of your child’s favorite books. 

 

As much as I want for Blair to become an avid reader and lover of literature, I have to come to terms with the possibility that the written word may never ignite his deepest passions.  Just like BASE jumping, sculpting, or cooking may never join my list of hobbies, I will have to accept the degree to which he chooses to read in his downtime—whether grand or small in scale.  Above all else, as it pertains to our kids and reading, what’s most important is that they learn how to read effectively, so that they may take full advantage of any opportunity they choose to pursue—both inside and outside the classroom. 

 

P.S. If Blair does, however, profess an undying love for reading one day, I’ll wait for him to leave the room before I jump for joy.  (I wouldn’t want to completely weird him out!)     

 

Mrankin Bio

 

Wife to an amazing husband, mother to an exploring toddler and an MPA graduate aspiring to impact the world with encouragement in mothering and in social entrepreneurship.

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