Be a Reading Model

In the last post, I talked about the importance of reading to your children from infancy in order to help make them readers. There is another key factor in helping your children to become readers--modeling. And no, I'm not talking about strutting around the house in the latest outfit you bought on Amazon.

Monkey see, monkey do. Kids are nothing if not impressionable, and the adults around them serve as models to imitate. When they see an adult doing something, they want to do it, too. If an adult is cooking, they will want to cook. If an adult is building something, they will want to build. Similarly, if kids see an adult reading, they will want to read.

If your kids don't see you reading, the concept of reading and books will be foreign to them. It's difficult to get them to do something if they don't see you doing it first. As they get older, your kids may even make the argument, "Why should I have to read if you don't have to read?" That's a legitimate question, in my humble opinion.

Reading should not be a chore for anyone, young or old. I know we're all busy and tired these days, but let's try to set aside 20-30 minutes each evening for leisure reading. It can be a thriller, a romance, a cookbook, a how-to book, a newspaper, even a graphic novel (hey, it's still reading). Just read and let your kids see you reading. And don't forget to read to or with your kids, especially when they're very young. When your kids are older, talk with each other about what books you're reading. It will give you a subject for conversation as well as an opportunity to bond and know each other better.

Wishing you many good family reading moments from the perch.

Get Them While They're Young

A number of you know I lead Storytime on Wednesdays at 10:30, but more recently I've also been reading books on Friday mornings at the Child Development Center. My experiences there with the preschoolers have been nothing less than eye-opening, to say the least.

Each week I read to a different classroom, and it never fails to amaze me how eager the kids are for books and listening to stories. They're so excited and aren't afraid to comment about the characters or the pictures they see on the pages. Sometimes, by popular demand, I need to read a book more than once. Other times, several children rush to give me books they enjoy from a classroom shelf so I can read them aloud.

I taught high school English 20 years ago, and I honestly don't remember my students being half as excited about reading as the preschoolers at the CDC. More often than not, trying to get the teens to participate in class discussions was as easy as pulling teeth, no matter how I tried to get them involved or interested. Even though I made Friday a day to read any book for pleasure in class (in my time, it was called SSR or "Sustained Silent Reading"), some students agonized over reading. And bringing some reluctant readers to the school library to help them choose books about things they liked didn't always make a difference.

Thinking about my high school students from years ago and seeing the CDC kids' enthusiasm for reading today has made me realize, more than before, that if you want your children to be readers, you need to start reading to them and with them from infancy. Yes, infancy. Reading board books to babies and progressing to picture books as they grow help kids develop a love for books and reading in addition to developing their thinking, analytical skills, and imagination. It sets them up to succeed in school and beyond. Spark their interest in reading while they're very young; that spark will transform into a raging fire as they get older.

What are some of your favorite childhood books? Share with us!

Looking forward to sharing more reading journeys from the perch.