How to build a reader :)

 

 "Reading should not be presented to children as a chore or duty.It should be offered to them as a precious gift." — Kate DiCamillo

"Books make great gifts because they have whole worlds inside of them." — Neil Gaiman

One of the greatest joys I have ever known as a teacher, a mother, and a grandmother is sitting beside a child as they laugh - or cry - and talk about a story they have just read all on their own :)  I can think of few things that are more rewarding - or that take more time and effort to achieve!  

 

Great readers do not develop by happenstance or chance - I cannot remember when I began reading myself, but I certainly remember the stories that were read to me, the trips to the library on Saturday mornings with my Dad and the conversations - endless conversations - about books, newspaper articles or magazine serial stories that were discussed at the dinner table all through my childhood.  Those were not events that just happened - they were choreographed (albeit perhaps unintentionally!) by my parents, who were readers themselves, and that knowledge of how to nurture a child to become a great reader was passed on to me as surely as all the gardening advice, table manners and laundry tips I gathered through the years.

 

We learn many things from our parents - how to behave in public, what to eat and when, our sleeping habits, most of our slang terms and voice tones, how to laugh and cry, how to make friends and lose them, how to argue and how to apologize - even how to text and tweet these days!  We learn when and how to have baths, how to pack and travel, what games and sports to play and how to spend our leisure time.  We learn independence, how to get what we want and how to give in gracefully when we don't, we learn to hug and wave good-bye and dress for the weather.  We also learn what's important and valued in life - school, perhaps church, different clubs,  our family's extended families, neighbours, pets, ideas, political perspectives, horses or sometimes even motorcycles (an ongoing point of contention in our family!).  We learn to appreciate life skills like reading or counting, to value the ability to fix a car, paint a wall or make a cake from scratch.  Parents are the first and most important teachers of children - everything we learn begins at home.

 

The good news is that planning to nurture great readers requires some very simple input from parents that will yield tremendous results :)

•  Read something aloud every day with your child - a story, a poem, a recipe, a nursery rhyme, a newspaper headline, a catalogue description - anything that lets your child know reading is valuable and worth doing every day

• Rhyme, rhyme, rhyme - repeat nursery rhymes, share giggles over riddles or tongue twisters, share puns with your 'tweens & teens - have fun with words as often as you can

• Encourage your child to choose books to read with you - small children will often choose the same book many times over until they know the words by heart - these are the early roots of reading, understanding that particular words belong to a specific story.  As children grow in reading, they will begin to choose favourite authors or topics, non-fiction or fiction stories - and be more than willing to share them with Mom and Dad

• Every child in CBE schools - and every Calgarian - is able to obtain a free library card. Use it with your child - learn how to browse books, choose a book for a good reason, get to know favourite authors, share ideas with each other about the books you share together

• Use your tablet apps as teaching tools - there are many, many letter, letter sounds, numbers, words, patterns and rhyming apps that will entertain and engage your child while teaching them how to smoosh letters together to make words, label pictures with words, identify letter sounds, etc - and for older children, there are numerous story apps, fan fiction sites and always thousands of books available for purchase on Kindles and ibooks - not to mention the audio book apps :)

• Talk and talk some more about what you've read - ask your children to read recipes, newspaper ads, cartoons, make lists as they become more and more proficient with reading and talk about the differences and similarities between the items they have read - I have been sharing novels with my grandchildren, ages 12 to 14, for a few years now - I love getting a text that says "Nana - have you heard of this book?" and the title! A new read for me! And it is loads of fun when we get together to talk about books and find out about sequels or new stories by favourite authors

• Celebrate accomplishments!  When your child reads a book by themselves, talk about it, dance about it, track it in a journal, sticker book or on a white board - make a fuss that acknowledges this is hard work and you are very proud of their efforts :) Make a video of them talking about their book - or reading it - and share with grandparents or relatives or friends - readers are worth it!  I have videos of my children and grandchildren as they grew as readers - from turning pages and telling stories to triumphantly sharing their 'all by myself' first reads - it is as lovely to treasure the first moments in reading as it is to treasure their first steps :) 

Children learn to read at different rates, in different ways and at different times in their lives.  As teachers, we aim to have all our students reading independently by the end of grade one, but sometimes it takes a little less - or a little more - time because learning to read is as unique as each child.  One thing I do know is that just about every child will learn to read in some way with the supports necessary to do so, and that support at home is one of the most important elements a child can have present in their life - because learning to read is quite simply the most important skill a child can develop for future success.

The most important thing is that reading is not about decoding and saying the words only - a true reader must be able to comprehend, make connections, predictions, ask questions and summarize. These are all skills best learned orally through conversations and then applied to texts.  At Eric Harvie School, this year we are focused on building readers together with our families.

The only homework we will ask students to do on a daily basis is to read - 20 minutes a day can make such a huge difference in a child's life - and we have 30 years of research to support this data! Read to your child, share the reading with them, listen to their stories and connections, pause and let them fill in a missing word, look for rhymes and word patterns, ask 'what does this story remind you of?', laugh and cry and build a beautiful relationship with them around stories as they assume your values and joys as a reader. Want a reader? Be a reader :)

Reading is such an amazing experience to share with a child - I highly recommend investing the time and effort in sharing in your child's 'learning to read' journey!

Lorraine Kinsman, Principal