Developing the Reader/Writer Series (Part 2)
While some couples can’t wait to take their kids camping or surfing or to soccer games, my husband and I pictured vacations filled with bags of books being trotted out poolside followed by hours of sustained silent reading. Not an unusual dream if you consider it came out of the joint mind of a couple who visited a library while on honeymoon.
Most of these ideas I’m guessing you’ll have heard in some form or other, but the last point I make is probably the one that made the biggest change in my parenting and was key to turning my children into readers.
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Book Baskets
From the moment our children came into this world they were surrounded by books. Practically every room in the house had a book basket filled with chunky board books, soft fabric books, sturdy lift-the-flaps, and touch-and-feel books.
Just as with a toy box, we kept the book baskets accessible. During tummy-time the babies got to look at books along with their toys. When they were able to sit up, I would plunk them in front of a book basket and they could look at will.
Book Baskets worked the best for us. We tried the tiered bookshelves once (found at a garage sale), the kind where the books face out for easy pickings, but it took up a lot of space and wasn’t very portable. I also didn’t notice a change in reading habits from the preschoolers. They were just as likely to pick from the basket as from the shelves.
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Reading Time
Early on we developed a routine of reading at various times during the day. It might have been after breakfast and after lunch. The diaper bag was always stocked with a selection of books to be used at a moment’s notice. I even had a book on a bouncy cord attached to the stroller for casual reading while out on walks. And, of course, bedtime reading is a must. A final cuddle and a rock, and Goodnight Moon.
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Library Visits
I’ve yet to see a library that doesn’t have some sort of program for little ones. (Ours even had a baby time class for awhile.) One branch in particular had a great program where one librarian would read the book while the other acted it out. They were fantastic. There was also singing and bubbles at the end to say good-bye.
Make visiting the library a habit. Once a week for story time and picking out new books. The library will become a familiar and comfortable place for your kids.
And here’s the big one. The one you’ll be tempted to ignore…
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No Electronics
Of all the advice I got as a young mother (and there was plenty!), this next piece of advice was one that changed me as a parent.
No TV until the child is reading. Updated for today’s audience: No Electronics.
Seriously?!? But what about Baby Einstein DVDs? Sesame Street Online? PBS kids? And do you really mean no iPad?!? But my baby is so smart with his apps.
I told you this was a big one. But its impact is huge.
Your goal is to increase your child’s attention span. Media, with its short snipits of information, pictures, colors, and sounds, works against the slow, steady, focused structure of reading.
By the time I read this advice in a parenting book, my kids had already developed a good TV-watching habit. Probably an hour a day. We did not have cable so they pretty much had PBS and videos. This was before Netflix, before iPads, and when websites for kids were in their infancy. I thought no TV until they were in K or 1st grade was extreme. My compromise was to take another idea from the same book (related to behavior, I believe) and apply it as a method to self-limit their TV watching.
Thus, we created TV tickets.
The kids were given two TV tickets each and when they wanted to watch something they had to physically hand one over. When the tickets were gone, they couldn’t watch anything else, so don’t bother asking. This immediately got rid of watching TV out of aimlessness or habit. Tickets were precious and you didn’t want to waste them. It also got the kids working together because they could watch what the other was watching “for free.”
I choose a 30 min ticket because that meant one TV show. I thought of giving one ticket for one show, but then that could mean a 2-hr movie. I gave out more tickets at birthdays, but topped out at 4 TV tickets a week, with bonus tickets handed out for special occasions.
At their young ages, we were able to make the switch with few complaints. (Stay tuned to read about the elementary school years in the next blog post!) Giving up electronics also meant that the TV stayed off while the kids were up. I kept the computer on for checking email, but at their ages (and since they couldn’t read yet!) they didn’t care about the computer.
The results? It worked for us. My kids are strong readers, reading above grade level, with good comprehension and vocabulary skills. I think part of the reason is the strong foundation we gave them early on by creating a book-rich environment.
What do you think? Could you shut off all electronics until your child is reading? What do you think of the TV (electronics) ticket idea?
Easy Ways to Grow a Great Reader–a pdf from New York Libraries
14 Ways to Cultivate a Lifetime Reading Habit–a blog at Lifehack
