Many parents think their children aren't actually "reading" unless
they've picked up a library book or are doing school-related reading. But there
are many ways to indirectly enhance a broad range of reading skills in the home.
Aside from food boxes and packages, directions for using tools and making
repairs, taking medication, and other printed matter, there is a daily
"reader" that reaches practically every home in America. It’s the
newspaper-and it's a veritable goldmine for encouraging and developing reading,
thinking, and learning skills. The same is true of magazines of interest.
If you are seen reading newspapers and magazines and not relying on
television as the sole source for news and entertainment, chances are high that
your children will do the same. Enough cannot be said about the importance of
parents as role models for what their children do, think, feel, and value.
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The advantage of a morning paper is that time may not be as "tight"
in the morning as it is in the evening. Morning time allows reviewing important
parts of the newspaper and getting a feel for critical issues as the day begins.
Key sections of the newspaper that offer special appeal are:
-The front news section (world and regional events of interest, such as
disasters, conflicts, trends in legislation, deaths of well- known
personalities, etc.)
-Columnists such as Dear Abby and Miss Manners
-Comic strips with special favorites
-Display ads featuring sales and new products
-Movie, theater, concert, and television program reviews
-Sports pages, batting averages, outcome of key games, highlights on sports
personalities, interviews
-Financial news-while they may not have immediate interest to teenagers,
often the financial pages will highlight fascinating trends and new products
-The classified ad section will be appealing to teenagers interested in such
things as stereo equipment, cars. part-time jobs, etc.
-The editorial pages which sometimes carry fairly dramatic letters to the
editor
-Assorted material-recipes, book reviews, human interest stories, et cetera
Perhaps a comment such as "Oh, look at this! Can you believe this?"
will perk up interest as a parent sees something that relates to the child's
life or interests. Or "I think you'll be interested in" might be just
enough to stimulate reading the article. Or even a casual comment between
parents, "I couldn't believe that article about"-----may catch the
youngster's fancy.
You can "teach" skimming and scanning techniques very quickly with
the news sections of the newspaper. Newspaper writers are extremely skilled at
writing various levels of headlines and giving the important facts in the first
paragraph of the article. Show the youngster that he can first quickly scan, for
example, the news section and check those articles he may wish to go back and
read in full. This highlights articles that may be important to him and he can
then go back and check the opening paragraph to see if it really does hold
interest for him.
There are many magazines available either by subscription or at the local
newsstand that provide an abundance of enjoyable reading material. Some may seem
to be targeted to girls, some to boys, but, happily, in today's world there are
no longer, for the most part, clear demarcations. Your daughter may be just as
interested in Popular Mechanics as your son!
Most homes receive through the mail a variety of catalogs which feature all
kinds of products. If you allow your child to order one product, it will
generate his interest in reading through the catalog. "I'm going to order a
few things. Do you see anything you want?" will capture the imagination of
the child. If the price goes beyond a certain dollar amount, arrange some sort
of equitable split on the cost. (You may want to let the youngster help you fill
out the order form-it's good practice).
Discussion can be encouraged in subtle, gentle ways. After the child has read
something, follow it up with, "What do you think? Was he right? I wondered
about his conclusions" or some such informal chit-chat to engender a
response. For example, if you know your youngster has seen a new movie, and
there's a review of it in the newspaper or current magazine, you might
informally discuss his reactions to the review. Does he agree? Disagree? Why?
Small town or neighborhood newspapers are fun to read because of the
possibility of reading about someone you know. It should be easy to encourage
the child to read the write-up of his school's special events.-who has been
chosen May Queen--or who has left town for the service.
Everyone complains about junk mail. On the other hand, everyone loves to open
envelopes and scrutinize their contents. Save your junk mail and let your
youngster open and read it. Most junk mail is written and designed for eye
appeal and quick-and-easy reading.
A good family activity for a cold or wet winter's night is to choose a topic
and look it up in the family reference books. Let the youngster read it aloud
(with help if necessary), and then the family can enter into a discussion. For
example, someone might bring up "ants" as a topic. Everyone has been
plagued with ants in the house, but what are they really like? What are their
modes of living? For example, how fascinating to learn that ants
"raise" aphids, corral them, and milk them. Or-are all bird beaks
alike? If different why? The possibilities for subjects are endless. And once
the resources of the reference book have been exhausted, the child may wish to
learn even more on the subject. Here is where the local library can become an
important resource. Work with your local librarian (or bookstore manager). These
people know what is new and are delighted to make suggestions. Ask them about
trends. You may want to offer a bit of information to them about your child's
reading needs and interests and about your role in trying to meet these needs.
A number of hobbies, such as knitting and building model kits, require a fair
amount of reading. Encourage these, but stand ready to offer abundant and
cheerful help when it becomes necessary. It is important to prevent or eliminate
any frustration that may accompany the act of reading. More ground will be lost
than can be regained in a long time.
Use those convenience foods. What family doesn't occasionally resort to
putting frozen chicken in the oven? The directions are amazingly simple! Try
something like, "Bill, will you put that chicken in the oven! I'll start
the salad. Just read the directions about preheating the oven." (Not only
does this stimulate reading but it can be extremely helpful to the harried
homemaker!) another tactic might be, "I can't read the tiny print (on
medicine riles, cereal boxes, and other pack aged items). Will you read it
me?" In other words, it doesn't hurt to be devious!
If the youngster in your family evidences particular interest in a rock star,
sports figure, et cetera, suggest that he keep a scrapbook of articles about
this person. If you spot an article he's not likely to read, clip it out and
give it to him, saying "Here's an interesting article for your
scrapbook." You can be sure it will be read.
Study the marketplace for novels or nonfiction books that have been designed
especially with the low-level reader in mind. There is now available a large
selection of books of high interest-low vocabulary that the young person can
read quickly and enjoy thoroughly. You need not urge him to read these books.
Just keep them available on the coffee table with the current newspapers and
magazines, and chances are great he will pick them up and read them.
