Raising A Reader - Children's Book Week Blog Hop & Giveaway
I handed a book to
my (then) 11-year-old daughter and she carefully pulled back the cover so as
not to crack the spine, knowing these books were to be sent out to reviewers
and contest winners. She flipped pages, admiring the chapter art, the large
print and reading a few of the chapter titles. Then she looked at me and said,
“This is so cool!”
How do you instill
that kind of appreciation for books in your children? First it is important to
be clear that you don’t have to be a writer yourself. I’ve been raising kids
for almost twenty years and writing professionally for seven. All four of my kids spend many hours
immersed in alternate worlds and routing for their favorite hero or
heroine. Why? Habits.
The habits of a
reading family start with board books and picture books, but they don’t stop
there. To stoke the hunger for words,
it is important to read to your child regularly before they can read
themselves. You don’t have to be a good reader yourself, but I promise with
practice your reading skills will improve. After you’ve read a treasured
picture book 35 times in one week, your child will be able to “read” it back to
you, starting – oh so subtly – their own reader education with word
recognition.
After reading
enough stories, you and your child will have a pretty good idea of how to
cobble a story together, so get them involved in storytelling. When our kids were young, my husband and I
would gather them around a cozy fire with blankets, stuffed animals and hot
chocolate. I’d start a story and then
we’d take turns adding to it, one sentence at a time. It was so much fun not
knowing which direction the story would turn next and such a challenge figuring
out how to wrap up the tale with a satisfying ending. The boys were rather fond
of saying, “And then everybody died. The end.” But we wouldn’t let them get
away with that.
One of my children
was a reluctant reader. He had to overcome some complications with his vision
and it put a damper on his desire to sit and read a physical book. It was just
too much work for him. So when he was
expected to do his first book report, I asked his teacher if he could listen to
the book on c.d. She agreed and it
opened up the literary world for him and for us as a family. We started
listening to books on c.d. on road trips. A book is so much more interesting
when discovered in a group. It was like
a traveling book club. Sometimes we
would be so enthralled with the story, we would bring the book into our hotel
room and continue to listen in the evening.
Or, we’d arrive at a family gathering, just to sit in the driveway until
we got to a chapter break. As a parent, I appreciated that the kids’ minds were
occupied during the trip so they didn’t argue or incessantly ask, “Are we there
yet?” Plus they were free to enjoy the beautiful scenery we traveled through
instead of hanging their heads over a handheld device.
Another important
habit of a reading family, frequent visits to the library. We will even go out
of our way to drive to another library (Redmond, Sunriver) if one of the kids
expresses an urgent desire for a title not available at the downtown
branch. By frequently curling up on the
couch ourselves, me with my Kindle, my husband with a book loaded onto his
smart phone and his earbuds plugged in, and various forms of books readily
available in the house, we’ve modeled the importance and the enjoyment of
reading.
Yet, the main reason I wanted to raise readers was
because no matter what our children grow up to do in life, the most useful tool
they will have in order to be successful at it, is reading. If they love to read, then they will be
quick to learn more about what they are interested in. They will be able to
research resources; they will be comfortable attending classes. They will be
better communicators. So, give your kids the ultimate weapon. Give them the
love of reading. And maybe, like me,
you’ll discover a new career path in the meantime.
***
Then visit the other GAP authors participating in the blog
hop:
Guardian Angel Publishing Author Blogs:
Nicole
Weaver - www.mysisterismybestfriend.blogspot.com
Hi Kai. Checked out your book, The Weaver. Sounds like it will be an interesting book to read. Nice cover.
ReplyDeleteThanks Susanne. Hope you (or your young reader) enjoys it! I am excited to say The Wishing Well, Another Weaver Tale is releasing later this year. It is set in the same village of Word Weavers and has the same rascally gnome-elf, Unwanted, stirring up trouble.
DeleteYour experience reading with your children sounds a lot like mine. I was big into storytelling with them, too. It always gave us a great laugh!
ReplyDeleteWhen my two oldest were toddlers, I was involved in Toastmasters. I gave a speech about mis-communication that was full of things my children said that I took literally. It was a fun speech. Anyway, afterward one of my speech evaluators said to me, "Your kids are so lucky to have you to tell stories to them." That moment resonated with me and eventually spurred me to become an author. Storytelling rocks!
DeleteGood stuff! I often find myself finishing bedtime stories with the characters going to sleep. ;)
ReplyDeleteGreat tips, especially the cds. When my son was in first grade he began to hate going to school. We began listening to a book on tape on the way every morning. He loved it and began to look forward to the trip as we ONLY listened on the way to school. Soon the problem was solved. Thanks for all the ideas.
ReplyDelete