Many children prefer watching television, playing video
games and participating in other activities over reading a book. In fact, some kids often have to be
coaxed or bribed to flip through a few pages. So what can we do to make this activity more appealing?
Here are some suggestions:
1)
Associate reading with pleasant experiences: Try to avoid getting upset when your
children do not choose to read.
Instead, ignore this behavior and praise them when they do decide to
read.
2)
Make reading a family bonding experience: Select a time, daily or weekly, where
the whole family gets together to read. Make sure to give the event a fun name, such as Family
Fun Time or Reading Roundup. Bring
out some favorite snacks and drinks, and set up an inviting environment by
pulling out a bunch of pillows and blankets so kids can make their own special,
cozy reading nook. Family members
can read independently or as a group.
Young children that can not read yet, can listen to others read aloud. Also, they can be given an old magazine or newspaper where
they can be guided to highlight sight words such as “the,” “said,” and
“what.” Encourage them to read
from left to right over the text so that they can strengthen their tracking
skills. You can also let the young
ones use an IPad or similar device to use interactive reading apps.
3)
Expose your kids to books on tape: Listen to books on tape at home or in
the car. Stop the recording from
time to time and discuss your visualizations. What do the characters look like? Can you describe the setting? You can even play games by seeing who has the best and most
detailed visualizations.
4)
Share a book: Read the same books that your children are reading. Discuss the chapters with them to
assure that they are understanding the vocabulary as well as the content. You can also discuss predictions
and even inferences.
5)
Make sure books are enticing and accessible: Let your kids select what books they
would like to read and make sure that they are shelved in a location that is
very visible and easy to access.
6)
Introduce your kids to a series: Read the first book of a series to your
children, and if they get hooked, make sure to have the other books in the
series on hand.
I hope some of these ideas are helpful. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Cheers, Erica
Dr. Erica Warren, Ed.D. Learning Specialist, Reading Specialist and ADHD/EF Coach
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