Reading with your children

I saw this article and wanted to pass it along. 

Reasons Why Reading With Your Child Is a Habit Worth Keeping by Adriana and George Sifakis.{Accessed 11/12/14} 

Any stories you want to share about the bond reading with your child has promoted? 

Cathy 

Raising Children Who Read for Fun

SCHOLASTIC PARENTS: RAISE A READER

Raise Children Who Read for Fun

Try this 10-part plan to help your children develop into readers who read for fun.

ByAllison McDonald

on September 10, 2014

I love reading. I take books with me everywhere -- in a bath, on the treadmill, and in the car while my kids have sports practices. I am the type of reader I hope my children will grow up to be. Reading doesn't just come easy for me, it is also a refuge. It feeds my curiosity, it lets me escape, and it is a way for me to connect with others. I want all these things for my children and have a 10-part plan to help them develop into readers who read for fun.

1. Make reading a part of their daily routine.

Find a time every single day to read to them and stick with it. It will just be something they always do.

2. Fill the home environment with reading.
Books, magazines, comics, reference materials… have it available. Watch movies that are based on books, buy toys that are characters from books, tell stories using your favorite characters from books.

3. Make reading an event.
Go to the library, go to the bookstore, and make it as exciting as going to the park or zoo. Make it an event, not something you slip in between errands. Make it fun!

4. Let them choose what they read.
This one is hard for parents. This isn't the get-out-of-homework-reading pass. This is about letting them choose what they read for fun. Every family will have different books that are and aren't acceptable for them but within those boundaries, however wide they may be, let them choose what they read for fun.

5. Bite your tongue when your child reads things you do not love.
There are plenty of books I don't love, but if my children are enjoying themselves reading I will bite my tongue. Be careful when you criticize reading material because what you intend as a criticism of the material a child can hear as a criticism of reading as a whole.

6. Make sure they see you read for fun.
Practice what you preach. Make time to read for fun too. It doesn't have to be literature – there's nothing wrong with fluff. The important thing is that they see you getting pleasure from reading.

7. Bend rules when reading is involved.
Many voracious readers were created after bedtime. Letting bedtimes slide if and only if they are reading is a great motivator once children are reading independently. When kids are younger the simple act of reading one more chapter with them, or choosing one extra picture book can send a great message.

8. Never force feed reading.
Avoid using reading as a punishment. This can make a child who loves reading into a child who associates it with being in trouble.

9. When they find an irresistible book, help them find more just like it!
When my son gets into a book series I reserve the next books at the library before he is done with the first. Having that next helping right there is such a great tool for keeping the momentum going.

10. If they are struggling, pay attention and advocate on their behalf.
Learning disabilities like dyslexia, behavioral issues, and even emotional upsets can contribute to reluctant or struggling readers. If you think that your child may have more than a lack of interest and be struggling with reading, talk to your child's classroom teacher and/or pediatrician. They will be able to help you find the right interventions and help for your child. After you figure out the issue, you can get back to reading for fun.

Not every child will turn into an adult who reads for fun. Parents can follow every step here and still have a child who prefers the outdoors, likes music more than stories, or just doesn't find the act of reading enjoyable. But as a parent, I know that I want to create the strongest foundation for my children and these steps are the foundation for raising readers who will read for fun.

This is my plan to get my kids reading for fun. What is yours? Tell us on the Scholastic Parents Facebook page!

Accessed September 11, 2014 {http://www.scholastic.com/parents/blogs/scholastic-parents-raise-reader/raise-children-who-read-fun }

Cathy 

Why you should read a book vs e-book for children

Eight Reasons Why Print Trumps Digital for Reading

By Annie Murphy Paul on July 1, 2014 

1. No need to make choices. Lacking hyperlinks, paper books enable total immersion in reading—no need to continually pause and ask, “Should I click on this?”Given the focus on ebooks these days, could old-fashioned print books provide a superior reading experience? Actually, yes—especially for young children whose literacy skills are just beginning to emerge. 

Here are eight reasons to keep recommending traditional books:

2. No distractions within the text. Research suggests that the visual and aural gimmicks and game-like features embedded in many kids’ ebooks draw young readers’ attention from the written words, diminishing their memory of what was read.

3. No Internet temptations. The only thing you can do with a paper book is read it, while with Web-enabled ereaders, the temptations of the Internet are a click away.

4. Imagination required. Without the bells and whistles of ebooks, young readers must mobilize their own imaginations to fill in the gaps left by authors and illustrators: what a character looks like, for example, or the sound an animal makes.

5. Satisfaction of the senses. The smooth feel of paper and the rich colors of illustrations are largely lost in ebook reproductions. The distinctiveness of the reading experience is reduced, as well—such as when an oversized picture book is squeezed down to the size of an ereader screen.

6. Literary attitudes. Children accustomed to using digital devices for fast-paced entertainment may approach an ereader with the same expectations, while a printed book comes with an entirely different set of associations: a quiet focus on words and stories.

7. Easy to share. A printed book lends itself to being shared by children and adults, while an ebook may not be shared quite so easily. Research suggests that parents reading ebooks with their children are less likely to stop and ask questions or make comments, and more likely to issue commands (“Swipe the page now,” “Don’t touch that button!”).

8. Strong selection. The number of quality children’s books published in paper still vastly outnumbers those available in a digital format. Research suggests that the ebooks selected most often by children and parents are more akin to movies than to books, and thus of dubious value in promoting emerging literacy.

This article was published in School Library Journal's July 2014 issue.

Cathy

Why you should read aloud to your children

On Tuesday, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued its first-ever policy statement focused on literacy promotion, calling for pediatricians to advise all parents about the many benefits of reading aloud, which promotes literacy and social-emotional skills.

Read about it here. 

What a great time to check out the Summer Reading program at your library. We have reading programs for babies, kids, tweens, teens and adults. Registration starts Friday, June 27. The link to register will be on the library's homepage Friday morning. 

Cathy

Reading to Babies and Toddlers

Babies and Toddlers are meant to explore their surroundings. If you keep trying to read with your baby and they don’t seem interested, just keep reading. Eventually they will start to become more interested and may even bring you books from the book basket and sit in your lap, ready to read. You may catch them sitting down with a book, turning the pages, and even "talking" to the pictures or babbling the story.  Remember to make a special time that is reading time every day, even if it’s a few minutes. Have a special place you like to read in the baby’s room, before nap or bedtime. Having a weekly library story time you attend is another way to explore new surroundings, expose your child to new vocabulary, books, song’s and even make new friends. You also can check out board books! And it’s all free! 

Ask these questions as you choose your books for baby...

Can I Move It? Can I feel It? Does It make noise?

Are there pictures of babies? Does it have bright colors?

Are their real objects? Can I sing it?

Could I read it again and again?

All of the above make reading more appealing to babies and toddlers!

Strategies for Reading to Babies

• Make a variety of books available (library books make for great variety!)
• Books that you can touch and feel
• Board Books with bright colors
• Board Books with real images
• Books with sounds
• Books with things that move or lift the flap
• Picture Books with Family Members ( Grandma, mom and dad)
• Books with a CD ‘s
• Books about songs (Wheels on the bus, itsy bitsy spider)
• Ask Questions ( what sound does that make? Do you know what animal that is?)
• Change the sound in your voice as you read
• Think of what they are interested in, does your son love cars, then look for car books, or animals, animal books. There are so many things to explore in board books!
• Join a Baby Story time at the Library
• Check out Board books from the Library
• Read it again and again... they love the language of a good book! 

Some book suggestions:

Peek-a-moo by Cimarusti

Chicka Chicka Boom, Boom by Martin 

Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do You See? by Martin

Charlie Chick by Denchfield

I spy Under the Sea by Gibbs

I spy Pets by Gibbs

I spy on the Farm by Gibbs 

Board Books to look for include:(we don't put these books in the card catalog, just search the board book area)

DK Touch and Feel Farm 

Eyes, nose, toes Peekaboo! by 

Where is Baby's Belly Button? by Katz 

Jen