Reading
for Pleasure
What
do you and your kids do for fun?
Texting? TV? Computer games? Facebook? Going to the movies and out to dinner? Bike riding?
Soccer?
All
of these are great activities! Not
including school assignments and various e-messages from friends, how much time
do you spend per day reading, just for fun?
Reading
a book, usually fiction, has been my favorite leisure activity ever since I
learned to read. I love to get in the
lives of other characters, and see how they tick. I love to vicariously live their
adventures. While I also enjoy TV shows
and movies, reading lets you imagine how everything is, and the stories last
much longer. After lugging a large book
to Boston, I am finally planning to get a convenient e-reader.
The
great thing about reading books is that it is not only fun but has the added
benefits of increasing vocabulary, spelling, writing, and of course improving
reading skills. I would even argue that
reading for pleasure does all of these things even better than assigned reading
because you actually want to be there. Here are the overall benefits in a
nutshell:
1. Reading is
relaxing and fun. You have to pick out
your own material, though. Read what you
love!
2. Readers
effortlessly improve their comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, and
writing. This way, you can practice your
whole life for the SAT and ACT verbal and writing sections. As an added bonus, it is super easy to look up
vocabulary words on e-readers, if you happen to own one.
3. Reading
stimulates the imagination.
4. Reading
expands the mind by exposing you to different cultures, different walks of
life, different personality types, and useful information. Find history books dry? Try historical fiction!
5. Reading for
pleasure improves standardized test scores.
6. Practice is
the only way to become an excellent reader.
7. Once you are
an excellent reader, you can advance to more difficult material, understand
everything you are learning at school, and even develop a desire to read and
learn in greater depth.
How
to promote reading for pleasure
- Make reading a priority for all family members. Do not over-schedule other activities; limit TV and computer time. Consider having a family reading time each day.
- Do not force young children to read before they are ready.
- Read aloud to your children, even after they learn to read.
- Encourage fun reading, such as magazines, comics, and series books.
- Read the books your children are reading, and discuss them together.
- Help your child find what interests him and choose reading material accordingly.
- Allow your child to read easy material, as it will be more pleasurable for him.
- Make reading relevant. Follow directions for a recipe or model building.
- Take regular trips to the library and book store.
- Let children read in bed after “lights out.”
- Listen to recorded books on car trips.
This
summer, the best thing you can do to prepare for school next year is read for
pleasure all summer long. If your
children are young, you can join the library summer reading program and get
coupons as a reward.
Happy
reading!
Cheryl
Gedzelman, President, Tutoring For Success, Inc.
These are really great tips to inspire kids to read for pleasure! I am definitely going to use them in my own home.
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