Fostering a Love of ReadingMay 04 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line You may have tangible wealth untold;
caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I, you can never be~
I had a Mother who read to me.
Strickland Gillilan
This "Random Thoughts" Editorial write-off is sponsored by tinasamuels. Please be sure to check out the rest of the participants! As we watched the first T-ball game of our lives, we realized something: you don’t always pass on to your children what you’d hoped you might. My husband, Dustin, has played and generally excelled at sports all of his life. He even got a scholarship to play baseball in college. I’m certain it’s hard for him to see Ty finishing dead last when all of the kids run laps around the bases. After all, as parents we want our children to have the best and to be the best. Genetics sometimes comes through, and sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes I think that a love of reading might be like that. How can it be that one person can completely immerse themselves in a book, so much so that they can ignore the television (me) and another person has never even read a book all the way through (hubby)? I’m not willing to chalk that one up to genetics just yet. I believe that there are certain things you can do to can foster that love of reading that is so important. Like Dustin and his dreams for Ty of super-stardom, my own dreams are a little simpler. I just want him to be brilliant. Is that too much to ask? Certainly not! Though I mostly read trash novels like Stephen King and Dean Koontz, I still believe they have an inherent value. My everyday vocabulary is probably above average and I am a faster reader than some. But above all, my mind is filled with the pictures a book creates that every reader knows no movie could ever hope to compare. Why would I want to watch TV? I’ve tried to go on a literacy campaign with my husband, bringing home books about Michael Jordan, Michigan football and the like, but he’s just not interested. I was determined to get a hold on my son quicker than my husband! I began reading to my son while he was still in my womb. I don’t know if he heard a word, but it made me feel warm inside thinking of the day he’d arrive and could listen to me up close. While he was just a little fellow, we introduced Bedtime Stories to our nightly bedtime ritual. Usually a short storybook like Goodnight Moon or Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? would suffice. Over the years, my four-year old has graduated to longer books with bigger words and smaller pictures. We’ve even begun reading a book with chapters, and are working on Iron Giant right now. Growing up, reading was something that was a common sight in our home. I can remember sneaking my mom’s Stephen King novels to read when I was around twelve and having nightmares for weeks! My mom always had one or two books going at a time and could be seen reading during any restful activity: sitting by the pool, lying in bed or while the family watched television. She never pushed reading on us in any way, but we followed her example. Another nice way to foster a love of reading is to take trips to your public library. Mine has a story time where children of all ages can come to hear a story and do a craft project afterward. Ty is always allowed to choose his own books to read, so he can get subjects (trains) that he is interested in while I choose other books to balance out that train fixation. I would also recommend that you educate yourself on some classic children’s literature so that you can introduce these to your child as well. I’ve found Jim Trelease’s The Read-Aloud Handbook to be an invaluable resource. It gives suggested books for each age-group, synopses of the books and suggestions of other books you may like if you enjoyed a certain story. It’s a gift to introduce your child to the joys of reading that will bring a lifetime of enjoyment. My own son has a wonderful vocabulary (his pediatrician said so, not just his adoring mother!) and recognizes many numbers, letters and words. He can even write his own name, and could since he was just three. Even more importantly, he climbs into my lap each night to cuddle with a few stories before he gets his shut-eye. That means a lot to a momma whose baby has gotten too big to kiss her in front of the guys on the T-ball field. Here is a list of the other fine participants. Please check their reviews if you are interested! tinasamuels fiona32 mom2daniel mom2TyZick debbie26 westerbear fallyn96 mimi369 marytara aliventiasylum  |
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