Making reading fun and meaningful for kids of all ages
Most teachers have students log in at least 20 minutes of reading each night. While it comes naturally to some, it is a chore for others. However, countless studies point in the same direction – reading opens doors to a lifelong love for learning. So how can parents and teachers make reading fun?
For starters, parents can model being avid readers themselves. When the children see Mom look forward to a book club meeting or Dad immersed in a book by the pool, they get subtle messages that reading is fun.
When parents enjoy giving and receiving books and make trips to the bookstore as much a treat as the ice cream parlor, kids follow suit. Getting excited to meet an author at a booksigning and owning an autographed copy of your favorite book can give your child can be your family's way to follow celebrities.
Parents can also explain why reading is important. Knowing where Toni's birthday party is or whether it's expected to rain this weekend are some practical examples of showing kids that reading is important, not just in school, but in every aspect of life.
Reading strategies
Experts suggest that parents need to ensure their children understand what they read.
“I always tell my students that good readers leave tracks,” said Lindsay Siete, a reading specialist at Bell-Graham Elementary School in St. Charles. “When you see footprints in the snow and wonder what kind of animal was in your yard, that's exactly what good readers do — they stop and think.”
Zehra Tahir, mom to 6-year-old twins and a second-grade teacher at Timber Trails Elementary School in Hoffman Estates, emphasizes providing children access to high-interest books.
“Whether it's a dinosaur phase your child is going through or a princess obsession, get as many fiction, non-fiction, magazines or picture books with those themes,” Tahir suggested. “Instead of always buying books, make the most of your library.”
It is also important to provide your child with books that are “just right” for them – neither too challenging that they get discouraged, nor too easy that they are not challenged enough.
Tahir suggests taking the children to the library from a young age and make them proud owners of their own library card. Parents can enroll kids in reading programs, or create their own by rewarding them for reading a set number of minutes or books.
While reading, stop and predict what will happen next or think of an alternate ending, regardless of how wacky it may be. After reading, ask your child to retell the fairy-tale to a sibling or have them name five characters in five seconds so that you know they grasped the story.
Think outside the book
“Listening to books on CD or reading books on an iPad can be a great way to engage reluctant readers,” Siete said. “And because you can enlarge the text on an iPad or enjoy music with the story in an audio book, it just might keep them interested.”
Siete and Tahir agree that children are growing up in a much more different world than their parents. They text their friends and get an instant reply. They are comfortable using multiple forms of media and therefore parents shouldn't ban screens provided it gets children to enjoy reading.
Alternating between reading on a screen and reading from a traditional book may be a safe bet. After all, snuggling with a dog-eared favorite book without needing a charger, WiFi or an iTunes account has its own feeling of liberation.
Ÿ Kiran Ansari is a freelance writer and mom of two avid readers, 10 and 7. She lives with her family in Elgin.