How often have I heard a parent despair “my child” (usually a boy) “just will not engage with books”
Yes – some kids LOVE being read to but will not choose to read for pleasure themselves.
Here are some ideas from the third video in the ‘Let’s Read’ series for engendering a LOVE of reading with some handy links!
- family reading time and being read to will help grow a love of reading!
- regular visits to a public library (children choose their own books)
- fun science instructions,
- craft instructions,
- baking,
- game rules, (Minecraft etc)
- directions for a journey from a site like Google Maps,
- construction instructions (Lego, Meccano)
- clapping games from around the world,
- emails from a pen-pal in a different country where they read and interpret.
- a family reading challenge: -names of family members (or pictures of them reading) and a place to list what they have read and how long they read for or A family reading challenge – each person reads a book of their choice aloud and uses the kung fu punctuation
- current events on the website newsela.com (you can change the reading levels so readers can read at an appropriate level)
An annual event can be the reading of memories added to a good things jar throughout the year.
If you go on a family holiday – write down the thing that you loved the most from the holiday, how you felt, what you experienced, what you would like to do again – and add it to the jar.
Special events (first football goal for the season) birthday gifts…really anything that is a ‘good thing’ can be written down, added to the jar, and read on the day of memories!
So many things to read – so much fun – and before you know it, like me, your kids will be all grown up and looking forward to sharing their love of reading with their own kids!
Previous Video: Let’s Read! Part 2: … And then they start school
Thank you,
Lesley
Chief Learning Officer