Getting Your Child to Love Reading
Kathryn Perkinson of the U.S. Department of Education states that “kids will learn reading skills in school, but often they come to associate reading with work, not pleasure. As a result, they lose their desire to read. And it is that desire—the curiosity and interest—that is the cornerstone to using reading and related skills successfully.
By far the most effective way to encourage your children to love books and reading is to read aloud to them, and the earlier you start, the better. Even a baby of a few months can see pictures, listen to your voice, and turn cardboard pages. You may be surprised to find that a well-written children’s book is often as big a delight to you as it is to the kids.
And don’t stop taking the time to read aloud once your children have learned to read for themselves. At this stage, encourage them to read to you some of the time. This shared enjoyment will continue to strengthen your children’s interest and appreciation.
Simply having books, magazines, and newspapers around will help children view them as part of daily life. And your example of reading frequently and enjoying it will reinforce that view.
How you handle books will eventually influence how your kids treat them. Children imitate, so if they see that you enjoy reading and treat books gently and with respect, it is likely that they will do the same.
When you read aloud together, choose books that you both like. If a book seems dull, put it down and find one that is appealing. One approach is to look for award-winning books. There are two famous awards for children’s literature made each year by the American Library Association that are good indicators of quality work: the Caldecott Medal for illustration and the Newbery Medal for writing. But these are given to only two of the approximately 2,500 new children’s books published each year.
Fortunately, there is a lot of other good help available. For instance, there are lists of books recommended by the American Library Association and the Library of Congress, as well as some excellent books to guide parents in making selections.
The best help of all, though, is at your neighborhood library. If you are not familiar with the library, don’t hesitate to ask for help. The children’s librarian is trained to help you locate specific books, books that are good for reading aloud, and books on a particular subject recommended for a particular age group. In addition, your library will have several journals that regularly review children’s books, including the Horn Book and Booklist.”
Source: www.rif.org
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