I am going to stand on a little itty bitty soapbox for a moment...
"We've read that book already." Children love to read the same stories over and over again. It's a normal developmental stage for toddlers. Children of all ages have their favorites as well. I know it can be tiring for us adults. I remember trying to skip pages in books that I had read soooo many times, but my daughter called me on it every time! Why discourage any interest in reading? Why make any negative connotation with their choice of book or their enjoyment of it? Check out this great article from the Baby Center:
"Toddlers learn everything — including language and stories — by constant repetition," says Debbie Wright, a clinical psychologist and associate professor of education at the University of Missouri. Every experience creates connections between neurons in your child's brain, which is how he learns. Repeating an experience over and over again creates stronger connections and helps his learning stick. While reading the same story might get tiresome for you, it's important — and interesting — for your child. "Children are listening to the sounds and intonation of the words and they're predicting what's going to come next in the story," Wright says. The consistency is comforting, too. Wanting to hear the same story at night is similar to your toddler wanting to sit in the same chair at daycare, asking for the same plate at dinner, or wanting the same stuffed animal at naptime. This kind of regularity helps toddlers understand the world and feel secure in it. To make reading the same book more interesting for you, try letting your child fill in the ends of rhyming lines. Ask questions, like "What animal will we see next?" or "How can you tell that the bunny is sad in this picture?" "And keep thinking of how good a familiar book is for your child," says Wright. "Not only is it helping him develop strong language skills, the comfort of it is probably helping him sleep better."
"We are not going to check out a Christmas book. It's summer." Again, I ask, why not? Children don't care that it's not Christmas. They will watch a Christmas movie and read a Christmas book anytime of the year...or a Halloween, or Easter, etc..Again, why discourage reading of any kind? One of the 6 Skills of Early Literacy is Print Motivation. It is developing a child's interest in and enjoyment of books. One thing that is sure to develop that skill is allowing them to choose books that interest them.
"We are not at the library to get any books." Ouch! That stings! I want our families to enjoy the Reading and Learning Tree. I want them to try the new puzzles and enjoy the train table and computers. But...of course, I would love for them to check out a few books to take home as well.
"If you don't behave, you will not get to take these books home." I am all for discipline and following the rules. Of course, taking away something a child enjoys is a common form of punishment. TV, video games, toys- yes! Books- I have to vote no!
"I want you to read this classic." I don't know if I will get in trouble with the Librarian Oversight Committee, but the 'classics' can be boring! Ugh! A lot of books that are considered the 'classics' were originally intended for adults. They were also written a long time ago in a very different time. Although I believe children should be introduced to a wide variety of literature and indeed in school they are required to read many books that are considered classics and award winners, I think there are so many wonderful books to choose from that are more current, interesting and encourage them to read for leisure. One of the easiest ways to discourage reading for pleasure with children is to make them read what they do not want to or have no interest in reading.
What all these points have in common is they actually discourage reading. Making reading a positive experience and a source of enjoyment is so important for children. Whatever opinion they form at an early age, whatever positive or negative connections they make with reading early on, generally stays with them as they get older.
Now, I have jumped off that box...
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