Making Readers

I’ve been a reader most of my life. I remember as a 4-year-old, the youngest of three, I could hardly wait to be able to read. For one thing, when my parents spelled something, I knew it was ME they didn’t want to know what it was they were talking about. For another, on Sunday mornings, when my brother and sister read the Sunday Funnies, they could get the jokes. By looking at the pictures only … I was missing something.

Besides feeling left out in a reading family, I loved stories. My parents read to us—my dad really doing it up with different voices and inflection.

I don’t actually remember the process of learning to read, but I know books became a part of my everyday life as they are today.

I’ve thought about this some this week because I’ve visited a number of new (to me) sites for the Blog Party. These are primarily moms, and of course part of what they write about is kids and schooling.

Having been an English teacher and now a writer, I have considerable interest in kids and schooling, particularly reading.

It dawned on me as I read at one site that I take for granted some of the things I experienced growing up, which contributed to my becoming a reader. It’s like I thought these things were common knowledge and that everyone already is doing these simple things. Not so. I’ve read posts that make this clear.

So what are the things I’m talking about? (Not spelling words so you child feels left out! 😛 ) Really only two. First, read to them, and don’t stop when they turn 12. Even big kids need to be read to and that gives a very unthreatening interaction with a parent. It’s OK to have the kids read to the adult also, but that should not replace the adult reading to the kids. Hearing written language teaches a lot about the rhythm of writing, sentence structure, sentence variation—all subconsciously, the same way we learned to speak.

Second, model reading. When I was small—again, under the age of five—I used to follow my mom around with a toy broom, “helping her” as she cleaned. This from someone who now HATES to clean. (What a waste of time—it all just gets dirty again. 😀 ) Why? Because I wanted to be like my mom. That innate something that makes a child imitate the important adults is the best teacher, if the modeling is good. Kids will do what adults do more than what we say.

So for your kids to read, you be a reader. You read to them. It’s not an automatic, but it’s a good foundation.

Of course, if you are at a loss as to WHAT to read, leave a comment here—today is the last day—so you’ll be entered in the ACWoF Blog Party door-prize drawing for one of the books (your choice) I’m giving away. Your choices again include the following:

Bottom Line by Kimberly Stuart

Harsh Pink by Melody Carlson

The Wedding Caper by Janice A. Thompson

In Sheep’s Clothing by Susan May Warren

Sands of Time by Susan May Warren

Julia’s Hope by Leisha Kelly

Squat by Taylor Field

Violette Between by Alison Strobel Morrow

Seventy Times Seven by Brandt Dodson

Blind Dates Can Be Murder by Mindy Starns Clark

The Last Ten Percent by Michelle McKinney Hammond

Demon, A Memoir by Tosca Lee

I’ll do the drawing and announce the winners tomorrow (no later than 6:00 P. M. PST, and probably earlier). And even if you don’t win, why not give some of these authors a try? Or some of those I’ve reviewed or listed as “best books.” Or ask a friend.

Then when you find books you like, be sure YOU tell a friend, blog about the ones you especially like, and rush to the bookstore to buy another. 😉