Getting Your Child To Read: Part Two

Updated: Sep 7, 2022

THE TEACHABLE TUTOR'S THOUGHTS

Volume 2 Issue 1

August 4, 2022

"TO LEARN TO READ

IS TO LIGHT A FIRE"

Victor Hugo

Here's part two of "Getting Your Child to Read." Hopefully you've read the first blog but if not you can read it here: 📰 .We all can agree that the ability to read and to read well is an essential skill. Every teacher will tell you that reading is a great indicator of a child's overall academic performance. The better the reader, the better the academic outcomes. or vice versa, the poorer the reader, the poorer the academic outcomes. So what exactly is reading.....???

Let's Answer The Question

Reading is THINKING! The general understanding that most parents and others have about reading is that it involves decoding words. While this is true, the most important indicator of one's reading ability is comprehension. In other words, can the reader restate what they read in their own words and demonstrate a deeper understanding of the text. As parents and educators, we aim to cultivate this deeper understanding. The best way to do this, is to encourage your child to do more reading. As they say "practice makes perfect."

Let's Get Started

Here are a 5 more tips, tricks and ideas of how to get your child to be a more avid reader

Reverse Roles

Instead of you reading a book to your child at bedtime or at anytime, have your child read the book to you. This works well with most children (4 to 12 years old). A younger child can tell the story by using the illustrations in a book if they are not yet reading the words. There are many wordless wonderful books to choose from. If using a book with words, the illustrations should be detailed enough to be able to tell the story. Older kids (ages 8 to 12) can read longer books with chapters. They can do so by reading a chapter at a time to you during a designated reading hour. I did this with my daughter. We did it a bit different. I would read one page and then she would read the next page. We did this as part of her nighttime routine while reading through the Harry Potter Series.

Use Ebooks

It's okay to read electronically. Today, books are literally just a few finger tip clicks away. Most books, if not all, are available on a variety of electronic or online platforms. The best part is, that there are many free platforms. Here are a few:

Barnes & Noble Free Kids eBooks (free with Nook)
Amazon Free Kids eBooks (free with Kindle)
Storyline Online
Open Library
Good Reads
Overdrive
Magic Blox
Wilbooks
The Library of Congress
BookSpring
Storyberries

Electronic books can be read online or downloaded onto a device for later reading. These books can offer a personalized experience for users. Children can benefit from: audio functions, hyperlinks, font enlargement, animation, and are often more affordable than paperback books.

Make Books

Uncover the inner author and illustrator in your child. Making a book is one of the most empowering experiences children can have. The creation of something precious of their own that is repeatedly shared with others and cherished enough to preserve, has a long lasting positive experience. Most kids like to draw. These drawings could be the beginnings of an idea for a book. To inspire their inner author you can share the works of other children who have created their own books using this website link: books written by kids

Here are some great videos to view for ideas for at-home book making:

⭐️. How to make your own books

⭐️Easy ways to make your own books

⭐️ Make a minii comic book

Here is a link for websites where kids can create their own professional looking books that will fit right in with your at home library of books ➡️ CLICK➡️ 📚📖📚.

Take A Book With You

Reading can happen anywhere. Often when long periods of waiting occur, the automatic go-to is often to view something online or play a video game on a electronic device. Let's change this by taking a book with you when you travel. It can be a paperback book or an ebook. The next time you visit the doctor's office or any other appointment, have a book for you and your child to read. Books can make long trips or waiting times seem short. As long as your child does not suffer from motion sickness they can try reading on the train, bus or even a plane. When you go on your next picnic, take a book to read outdoors. Reading outdoors is a lovely experience. If your child struggles with reading a book; they can always listen to an audio recording via an ebook or an audible book. There are so many opportunities to make time to read that there really is no excuse.

Reward Your Child

So your child is still a reluctant reader.... then it is time to try using incentives. Find out what your child wants and likes the most. Use this information to motivate them to read more. Find books that match your child's interests. Set an expectation of how many books will result in a reward. Reward them with tangibles (buy them something that they really want) or earned opportunities (allow them to enjoy extra time to do a highly favored activity).

Hopefully part 2 of "Getting Your Child To Read" has provided you with some additional ideas, tips and tricks to get your reluctant reader to pick up a book. Feel free to leave a comment and some feedback about your thoughts on this blog. Remember.... reading is thinking, so let's get our children to do more reading!

💜💜💜