Hi guys,
Today, I want to discuss something really important:
The future of our children. The issue of a child’s learning is so blatantly
avoided that it could bring one to tears. Being one who would prefer to curb
this growing threat to future generations...I’d like for you to take this
problem really seriously. Our kids will potentially be around long after we
have passed on. So why not build a solid foundation – starting at the
beginning.
Research has shown that children whose parents (or any
significant adults) read to them are always better students than those who are
not read to. Reading to your child exposes him/her to vocabulary, sentence
structure, communication skills, and logic. Reading to them shares the joy of
reading and storytelling. Reading to them also gives you quality time together,
which strengthens your child-parent bond.
1. Encourage
your child to read
Provide plenty of reading material that will interest
your child - either buy books or take them to the library every few days. If
your child is interested in dinosaurs, have books about dinosaurs in the house
- both science or non-fiction books and fiction or storybooks, because reading
is not just for fun, but also for information. Find out what your child's
interests are, and provide books that feed those interests.
2. Help your
child
If your child is having trouble reading, first make
sure they do not have some sort of correctable problem like poor eyesight. Work
with the school to test for learning disabilities like dyslexia, which can
cause poor reading skills. Help your child learn vocabulary and spelling so
that they can read better – you can either have regular Q&A sessions where
you quiz them on vocabulary and spelling words or you can make games like
"Word of the Day" where you find fun ways to improve their
vocabulary.
3. Set a
regular time for schoolwork each day
This will also help with any school subject. Make a
special place for them to do their work, someplace where they will not be
distracted by a TV, games, cell phones, computer chat rooms, IMs, or anything
else. Have at least one hour daily (some children will need longer) during
which homework is done – if they say they do not have homework, then they will
use the time to read over their material. During this time, you can "assign"
reading and writing practice also – have them read a section, then quiz them to
be sure they understand what they have read. You can show them how to read for
information, how to tell when a term is important in a textbook, and where to
look for definitions and more help.
4. Make reading
and writing fun
Again, if you use your child's interests, you will
have more luck with this. Encourage your child to make up stories and write
them down. Don't worry about spelling or grammar at first – just get them to
start writing! Read what they have written if they want you to, and talk about
their stories over the dinner table, or in the car. The more you encourage them
to read and write, the more they will want to – notice I said
"encourage" and not nag. The trick is to make it fun for them.
Go the extra
mile
·
Buy a book that your child can
read with slight difficulty and once you help them master the words in that
book buy the next book up to that one and do the same again and so on.
·
The best way to help a child learn
to enjoy reading is to read with them!
·
The best way to help children
read better is to have a home where reading is a part of life. Start out
reading to the child, and let the child see you reading for enjoyment.
·
Write down the story he tells
you then show it to him. Explain to him that he was the one who came up with
that story. Then ask him to read the story.
·
Many popular children's
cartoons come in book form. You can also try comic books. You can both take a
trip to a local comic book store and let him choose something he likes to read
(Make sure it's age appropriate).
·
Throw out your TV. A week
without television has been shown to improve reading and attention span.
·
Try getting a tape recorder and
have him read a book aloud being taped and then play the tape back to himself
while reading the book of his choice.
·
Good old PHONICS help.
·
Keep it simple with a lot of
praise for doing well (not "good job") if it's not. Don't be negative
but also don't "over praise" for non-performance. Make it fun.
·
Read to him/her every night,
preferably at the same time.
·
Stop the story or the book at
an interesting part, so that he'll look forward to the next night's story time.
·
Let him choose books on
subjects that he is interested in and pick one day out of the week where he
gets to read whatever he wants to you!
·
Make a trip to the bookstore
fun and exciting...stop at the park first or get a treat afterwards.
·
Let them look at the pages as
you read.
-S
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