How to spark a love of reading

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Many young children are eager to read, devouring new tales by their favorite authors or even older classics you may have enjoyed as a child. However, some children — for a variety of reasons — are simply reluctant to pick up a book unless it’s required for school.
In this issue of Elementary Edition, we will look at some of the ways families can help spark a love of reading in their young children — setting them on the path to better learning in all of their subjects. These home-based ideas come from reading teachers and parents, just like you, who are working hard to raise enthusiastic readers!

• Read aloud, even when your children are able to read to themselves. In The Read Aloud Handbook, author Jim Trelease says reading with children is one of the most important family activities. When reading aloud to your children, you introduce them to new vocabulary words and ideas – all while having fun. Many times, hearing a story will encourage children to read independently about a subject. With more independent readers, you can take turns reading portions aloud to one another. Let everyone in the family take turns choosing the books to read together. This guarantees a variety of stories and everyone will learn more about each family member’s interests. 

• Create a home library with lots of different types of written materials. Some kids love curling up with a chapter book, while others (even more experienced readers) want their stories full of colorful pictures or illustrations. Regular trips to the local library can keep your home library stocked with a fresh (and free) source of each. Look for interesting children’s magazines while at the library or bookstore. Classroom book orders are also a great resource for quality, low-cost books. Instruction books for games and crafts, magazines, newspapers and age-appropriate graphic novels (link to http://www.ala.org/ala/booklinksbucket/graphicnovelsforyounger.htm for a good list,) are a few ways to add variety to your home-based library. 

• Practice what you preach. When you and your family read regularly — for enjoyment, for information or to perform a task (e.g. following a recipe, programming the DVD player from instructions) — you provide a positive role model for your children and show them how reading relates to all of the areas of our lives. 

• Tap into your child’s interests. One mother credits the Captain Underpants series—with its comic-book format and irreverent (e.g. bathroom) humor—with turning her fourth grader into an eager reader. Youth service librarians are a wonderful source of suggestions of books your kids will love. So are your children’s friends and their parents.
Though many of the books children read are fiction, non-fiction books can also be a terrific way for them to learn what’s meaningful to them. Books by Capstone Press, at capstonepress.com and at local bookstores and libraries, include titles like “BMX Freestyle,” “Crafts from Papier-Mâché” and “Forming a Band.” Not only do these tap into what interests kids most, many of these books are written for beginning readers — a plus when younger children want to learn, but haven’t yet developed independent reading skills.

• Informal book talks can be a great way to stay connected with older, independent readers. Though they may not want to read with you, try reading the same book independently and discuss it as you go. Local libraries also offer book discussion groups geared toward young teens and their parents. Check with the local library for information about such offerings — or think about organizing one of your own!

• Try movies, plays and books-on-tape. Many books for children have been turned into movies (think Harry Potter) or recorded as books-on-tape — available at school and local libraries. Likewise, check out performances by high school or community theater groups (family event listings in the local paper often include information about these types of performances.) With reluctant readers, stories in these forms may be just what they need to spark an interest in picking up the book (or tackling the next in a series.) This can also be a fun way for children that have already read the book to experience the story from a different perspective. 

Non-reading ways to encourage reading
Adapted from: Scholastic @ http://www.scholastic.com/familymatters/read/reluctant/qc_nonbook.htm

• Play board games. Scrabble and Boggle are good for building vocabulary and spelling, but almost every board game includes reading opportunities. Good ones to try include the child versions of Trivial Pursuit, Monopoly and Clue.

• Learn how to… Is there something your children would really like to do, like perform magic tricks or add sequins to their jeans? Encourage them to learn how by reading instructions in do-it-yourself kits, from the Web or in related books.

• Get cooking. Invite your children to help you bake a cake or a special meal together. If necessary, simplify and rewrite a recipe’s instructions so they can read them. Some kid-friendly cookbooks to look to for inspiration include the Magic Spoon Cookbook by Suzanne Gooding and Honest Pretzels: And 64 Other Amazing Recipes for Cooks Ages 8 & Up by Mollie Katzen. 

• Make cards. Have your children design their own holiday, birthday and thank-you cards and write personal messages. 

• Create signs and labels. Help early readers build their vocabulary by creating stickers or signs for their rooms that identify toys or furniture like “dollhouse,” “desk,” “hamster cage,” etc.

• Take a road trip. Write down travel directions and ask your children to serve as navigators when you drive. Equip your co-pilots with a map and ask them to mark the route according to the directions.

• Write messages for your child. Even if you spend hours together in the same room, there are many reasons to write to your child. Drop a letter in her school bag. Post a list of chores on the refrigerator and write family news or appointments on a wall calendar. 

• Host a scavenger hunt. Make a list of items that your children and their friends need to find inside your house or around the neighborhood. Provide written clues that lead to the treasures. 

How reading is taught during the elementary years: the school link
Most of children’s formal reading education takes place during the primary elementary years—kindergarten through second grade. Here children are taught to recognize many of the sight or frequency words (“and,” “but,” “school,” “mom,” “dad”) that they’ll need to become independent readers. They are also taught phonics skills such as sounding words out, breaking words down into recognizable chunks (as with compound words like carwash and daytime) and to use clues from pictures to help them figure out what a story is all about. Students in grades K-2 will have lots of exposure to different types of writing like poetry and non-fiction (real-life or true accounts) and fiction books in both the picture and chapter forms. They’ll also learn about the many reasons people learn to read — for pleasure (“I can’t wait for the next Spiderwick book!”), to help them understand what needs to be done (most homework directions are written), how to stay safe (exit and street crossing signs) and to learn new and personally important things (“Yea! The Yankees won last night’s game!”)

By the time they reach third grade, most children have become competent readers. However, this doesn’t mean the process of learning to read stops here. Instead, the focus during the upper elementary grades tends to shift from learning to read to reading to learn. Students use their reading skills to conduct research, to tackle longer and more challenging books (to support learning and also for pleasure) and to read other types of written materials to help expand their vocabularies and hone their grammar skills.