• Welcome to BookAndReader!

    We LOVE books and hope you'll join us in sharing your favorites and experiences along with your love of reading with our community. Registering for our site is free and easy, just CLICK HERE!

    Already a member and forgot your password? Click here.

How to Raise Readers

abecedarian

abecedarian

Well-Known Member
Moto has requested that we start a new thread to collect ideas and discuss how best to encourage children of both sexes to love books. So how about it? Ideas anyone?
 
Unplug the tv, then reach for the picture books! I remember once being conned into reading a tall stack-at least 10- in once sitting:eek: Let's just say I learned to say, "More books? More ice water please!"

I look for books with great illustrations, since I want to encourage artwork as well. I like to think of it as hiring artists such as Susan Jeffers to teach art for bargain prices (library card=free).
 
abecedarian said:
Unplug the tv.
Click to expand...
This is a must.

Let children (when their young) see you read... for hours. They will want in on the fun. I have seen this work firsthand with my many nieces and nephews.
 
sirmyk said:
This is a must.

Let children (when their young) see you read... for hours. They will want in on the fun. I have seen this work firsthand with my many nieces and nephews.
Click to expand...

You aint just whistling Dixie pal! Modeling is a HAFTA in this case. If the little guys see the adults in they love most happily engaged with books and other printed material, using reference material etc, they will naturally gravitate towards them as well. When the kid spies a bird or bug they don't know, and they run to get the guide..you'll see we were right.
 
For babies, reading time can be a tactile experience. The adult should snuggle up with the child, let her or him turn the pages, point to things, etc. Board books are great because you don't have to worry that the child will tear the pages.

Books should be familiar objects almost from infancy, even if they're just toys. Pat the Bunny is a classic, because really it's a tactile plaything. I've also seen babies enjoying bath toys that are plastic books padded with foam rubber inside. Each page is just a picture, but it has the shape and page-turning function of a book.

Goodnight Moon is a work of genius because the reading has a sound pattern that can enchant a child even if the words don't mean anything to them yet. It's like reading a lullaby. The book becomes a prop at bedtime, an object with pleasant associations.

Maybe all of these things are intuitive to a parent, but I don't have kids yet, so these are things I've observed for getting kids interested in books at the earliest possible age.
 
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?
 
when they're that age, I look for books to go with their current interests. I look for reasons to give books to go with their gifts too. When my dd became interested in knitting, she got needles, yarn, and a cool book about knitting.
 
I agree, abecedarian. But, just out of curiosity I'll play the devil's advocate and ask, What if kids that age are interested in something that just horrifies you? Would you continue to encourage reading in that area, try to steer them toward other things, or what?
 
The son of one of our friends has ADD, which doesn't necessarily prevent reading, but didn't make it easy in his case. When he was 14, he finally rebelled and announced that he wasn't going to read anymore. For the next two gift-giving occasions, we gave him the Guiness Book of World Records, and a subscription to Sports Illustrated.

The book is full of irresistible snippets, and the magazine has a lot of news blurbs, though he's sometimes pulled into the feature articles as well.

Now that he's 17, they are still the only things he reads outside of school assignments, but he does relish them.
 
abecedarian said:
Moto has requested that we start a new thread to collect ideas and discuss how best to encourage children of both sexes to love books. So how about it? Ideas anyone?
Click to expand...

Wait a minute....Moto has requested?

What's wrong with him starting it by himself? :confused:

Anyway:

how best to encourage children of both sexes to love books.
Click to expand...
Make them out of chocolate.
 
Mari said:
The son of one of our friends has ADD, which doesn't necessarily prevent reading, but didn't make it easy in his case. When he was 14, he finally rebelled and announced that he wasn't going to read anymore. For the next two gift-giving occasions, we gave him the Guiness Book of World Records, and a subscription to Sports Illustrated.

The book is full of irresistible snippets, and the magazine has a lot of news blurbs, though he's sometimes pulled into the feature articles as well.

Now that he's 17, they are still the only things he reads outside of school assignments, but he does relish them.
Click to expand...

But he's still getting some reading in, and it is presented in a format he can enjoy..Would he be interested in audios? Then he could listen as he does something else..
 
abecedarian said:
Would he be interested in audios? Then he could listen as he does something else..
Click to expand...
His school accommodates his ADD by having him use audio versions of some assigned books. He enjoyed Huck Finn that way, especially because of the picturesque dialects.
 
KristoCat said:
I agree, abecedarian. But, just out of curiosity I'll play the devil's advocate and ask, What if kids that age are interested in something that just horrifies you? Would you continue to encourage reading in that area, try to steer them toward other things, or what?
Click to expand...


You devil you;)

So far, that hasn't been a problem...but for the sake of discussion, I would have to evaluate my arguments against whatever this horrifying interest. Having done that, and supposing I just couldn't support that topic, I would launch a campaign to redirect the child to something more acceptable. If my money and endorsement is needed, the child deserves my whole hearted support. At our house, I still read aloud to whoever wants to listen. So, I would choose books to lay around that deal with the topic I want to "lure" the child towards.. I might show them the pictures-picture books cover just about every concievable topic these days..see the DK and Eyewitness lines. They are wonderful, not watered down, or "dumbed down" covereage of all sorts of interesting facets of life. Timelife books are great too. Usborne is another publisher I would use. The possiblities are endless..

Actually, the puzzle you've presented falls under the auspices of good parenting practices..if the kid is getting interested in something horrible, it is time to evaluate the family, friends, school, church, and whatever else might factor in the kid's life at the moment.
 
Motokid said:
No...I suggested.....



The kids or the books?
Click to expand...


I've heard of chocolate bunnies, but chocolate kids and books?!? Man, I knew those Brits worked wonders with chocolate, but I never dreamed how far they've gone...:D
 
1. Turn off the tv.

2. Have many books readily available.

3. Read to tham.

4. Have them read to you.

5. Let them see you read to yourself alot.

6. Discuss.
 
abecedarian said:
I've heard of chocolate bunnies, but chocolate kids and books?!? Man, I knew those Brits worked wonders with chocolate, but I never dreamed how far they've gone...:D
Click to expand...
Just imagine how quiet your house would be! :eek: :eek:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top