With the highly anticipated release of the "new" Harper Lee novel Go Set a Watchman tomorrow, and with summer well under way, I thought this would be a great time to talk about the importance of reading.
It is well known that children who read tend to have better vocabularies and imaginations but what if you have a child that refuses to read? How do you get them interested?
Schools are notorious for stifling the creativity of students. From the time they learn the alphabet they are told what to read and when to read. They don't have options or a chance to pick what they enjoy. By the time I get them in 8th grade, they loathe the word reading and would rather take out the trash rather than read a book. This is a problem.
So let's look at ways to fix this problem.
1.) READ TO YOUR CHILDREN. From the time they are young read them a bedtime story. Let them pick it even if it is the same one you read 100 times.
2.) Expose them to a lot of different genres. Yes every child loves fiction, but have them try nonfiction, science fiction, and yes even graphic novels (they count too you know!)
3.) Make time to read. Whether it's 30 minutes or 3 hours, set aside time for kids to read. This can be done before bed, in the morning, anytime.
4.) Get everyone involved. No kid will want to read when their siblings are playing video games in the next room. Make family reading time. Dad can read the paper, mom can read a magazine, and the kids can read a book of their choice.
5.) Help them find books based on interests. So your kid hates reading and only wants to play Halo? NEWS FLASH: There is a series of Halo books. No matter their interests, there are books out there for them.
6.) Read the same book as them. This could be a little family book club. It can also serve as bonding time or a way to get your preteen to talk to you for 5 minutes
7.) Take them to the library. Yes I know it is 2015 and we have e-readers but there is nothing like that great book smell. Plus the library opens their eyes to so many different genres.
These are just some suggestions to get started. Reading is so important and unless we find a way to get students interested, there will be a lot of great books being neglected out there.
So let's all pledge to read with and to our kids. To begin, I have included a link of some great young adult novels to get them started. If you have a kid who still doesn't seem willing, please comment here with their interests and I know I can help find them a great novel!
http://time.com/100-best-young-adult-books/
It is well known that children who read tend to have better vocabularies and imaginations but what if you have a child that refuses to read? How do you get them interested?
Schools are notorious for stifling the creativity of students. From the time they learn the alphabet they are told what to read and when to read. They don't have options or a chance to pick what they enjoy. By the time I get them in 8th grade, they loathe the word reading and would rather take out the trash rather than read a book. This is a problem.
So let's look at ways to fix this problem.
1.) READ TO YOUR CHILDREN. From the time they are young read them a bedtime story. Let them pick it even if it is the same one you read 100 times.
2.) Expose them to a lot of different genres. Yes every child loves fiction, but have them try nonfiction, science fiction, and yes even graphic novels (they count too you know!)
3.) Make time to read. Whether it's 30 minutes or 3 hours, set aside time for kids to read. This can be done before bed, in the morning, anytime.
4.) Get everyone involved. No kid will want to read when their siblings are playing video games in the next room. Make family reading time. Dad can read the paper, mom can read a magazine, and the kids can read a book of their choice.
5.) Help them find books based on interests. So your kid hates reading and only wants to play Halo? NEWS FLASH: There is a series of Halo books. No matter their interests, there are books out there for them.
6.) Read the same book as them. This could be a little family book club. It can also serve as bonding time or a way to get your preteen to talk to you for 5 minutes
7.) Take them to the library. Yes I know it is 2015 and we have e-readers but there is nothing like that great book smell. Plus the library opens their eyes to so many different genres.
These are just some suggestions to get started. Reading is so important and unless we find a way to get students interested, there will be a lot of great books being neglected out there.
So let's all pledge to read with and to our kids. To begin, I have included a link of some great young adult novels to get them started. If you have a kid who still doesn't seem willing, please comment here with their interests and I know I can help find them a great novel!
http://time.com/100-best-young-adult-books/