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Reading - An Art Or A Science?"Reading (or books) can take you anywhere" is the common saying, but how do you get into that book? I remember, as a child, my older sister always seemed to have her head buried in a book somewhere. I always preferred being outside playing with my friends! Yet when it came to studying and excelling at school, she seemed to do it effortlessly; while I always seemed to have trouble getting off the starting blocks. Why was that? SHE HAD CULTIVATED A HABIT! Her habit paid off multiple times - I mean, she was head girl at school, had great high school results, graduated summa cum laude and is a great author (when she has the time). This is one habit that is worth cultivating in our children - and there are many, many ways to
create a habit of reading, It can be done!
Begin EarlyI started reading to my first daughter when she was about three months old. She is five years old now (going on fifteen) and still looks forward to "Story Time" before bed. She is now a good 'bookworm' herself, and seems to thoroughly enjoy it when she can complete a book. I've also been able to assess her individual learning style, which helped me know how to effectively teach her. I decided to use this "special time" to bond with her, as well as to cultivate a love of books in her. Thankfully, it seems to have worked! Have A Much Older Child?Your child (or student) may be much older who prefers playing with their Game Boy or Wii. There is still hope! Start by having them set aside a time in the day when they are away from the computer or the TV. Tell them it's a 'quite time' or a 'thinking time' - a time for them to stretch their imagination. Give them the option to read if they want to; or provide them with a book on CD. Next have them follow along with the CD. Tell them you'd like a verbal (or written) report of what the book tells about. Oh, and don't forget to provide incentive, incentive, incentive! A day doing soemthing they love, extra pocket money - you name it. Whatever it takes to get your tweenager or
teenager interested.
You will be suprised how many books they will go through over the period of a year! Consider joining your local library to increase the number of books they can have access to. You might not get them interested in the classics, but you'll certainly get their noses into a book!
Use Reading StrategiesIt is important to have a plan. I will provide you with strategies that will get your child interested in books and telling you the level of difficulty (or fun) that they experienced as part of the book. We will incorporate the use of computers and the media in our strategies - all with the focus of improving interest, motivation, fluency and comprehension.
In ShortMany people have reading down to a science with phonetics, sight words, non-phonetic words and picture books; but in my experience, when you can create a love and appreciation for it in a child, you have already won the battle. So let's begin!!!
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