8 Questions to ask yourself…
- How can I get my kids to read more this summer?
- How often do I choose TV over reading?
- How many books do we have in our house?
- How often do I make a special trip to the library WITH my kids?
- How much time do I spend reading in front of my kids?
- How much time do I spend reading TO my kids?
- How about starting a NO TV // FAMILY READING NIGHT?
- How deliberate am I about modeling by example how important reading and “discovery” are?
Studies show that if kids don’t read during the school break, they will start the next school year, behind. No parent wants that for their child. So…
What is a parent to do?
When children learn to love to read and also to love to learn, they are no longer at the mercy of what others teach them. It has never been easier to study a subject exhaustively…from all angles and from many perspectives, in order to get the whole picture.
They can and will learn to:
- investigate things
- find answers for themselves
- DISCOVER all sorts of amazing things
- love the whole process!
That is TRUE LEARNING
Reading helps them to learn to THINK and REASON things out for themselves rather than just memorizing facts and spitting them back word for word.
(Disclaimer: of course there are things that they need to memorize (like Scripture, for instance 🙂 ), but they also need to learn to THINK things through to conclusion.)
There is a critical window when the child either becomes a reader or not—for life!
Experts say that is the age between 7 and 9. Don’t let that discourage you. I think we can “fudge” a bit on that. Especially when the parent begins to model and encourage the love of reading and reads TO the child. It is never too late to BEGIN this journey together with your child/children…
Has this encouraged you to read more and to encourage more reading with your child/children? Please leave a comment below. What have you done to become a family of readers?
Our library’s summer reading program is fantastic! The “game” of it really drives my kids! Glad to hear 7-9 is the age to really instill the love of reading. My 7 year old is the one who doesn’t find reading natural, but we are reading the Little House series nightly, and she is LOVING every minute. So I hope to continue to make it fun for her during this critical time! It might just set her on course for life!
There is no greater gift to give your kids. To love to read sets them on course for unlimited discoveries! Well done…finding creative ways to do that.
There are so many life skills to be learned in the Little House series. AND Even recipes if I remember correctly!
You did a good job of teaching both of us to love to read.
Awww. 🙂 How nice to see you here, Rebecca. And you are doing a great job at that, too, with your kids!
Whenever I think about the power of reading of think about one of my personal heroes, Dr. Ben Carson retired Johns Hopkins,story of how important reading was in shaping his life.
When he and his brother were in middle school they were not doing very well in school and were acting out because they felt inferior. His ever observant mother who worked three jobs as a domestic for wealthy people noticed that their homes were filled with many books, and that they valued reading.
She decided to set her boys up for success. She realized that her they were watching too much TV and were not reading. So she limited them to one or two TV shows a week and sent them off to the public library to read. She assigned them two book reports a week which she graded with red marks and checks. Soon the boys began know the answers in class, feeling better about themselves, and their grades improved. Both graduated and went off to prestigious universities.
After medical school, Ben settle at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore where he lead a stellar career. As soon as he began making money he and his wife established a Carson Scholarship program which honored academic achievement much like sports achievement is recognized. He also established reading rooms in many schools where children could read many books and wins prizes for reading.
What an excellent example of a tenacious mom and her understanding of the power of reading.
This is a tremendous example, Ellen. I love this story about a mother that was diligent to teach her children the value of reading attentively. And often. And the value of turning OFF the TV. I love the example she set for her sons. Hard work. Diligence. Tough love when needed. And she helped them to believe they could be more than they thought they could be. We all know how brilliant Dr. Ben Carson is and how well he can articulate himself. All because of “a tenacious mom and her understanding of the power of reading.” Well said. Thanks for stopping by to take the time to encourage us all!