Reading is Fun!

I loved reading as a child. I learned the art of walking and reading two decades ago far better than today’s cell phone reading public. I read Ramona Quimby and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Pinballs, and Charlotte’s Web before my teen years. And during those teen years I broadened my horizons to include Ruby in the Smoke and The Baby-sitters Club. Those were just the ones I read for fun.

As a middle school teacher and an aunt, I’ve fought the resistance of children and teens to the wonderful books I bring before them like succulent fruit at a feast. They avoid books the same way they avoid greens. I was always telling my students, “It’s good for you like lima beans.”

If you’ve read my recent posts, you’ll understand why reading is so important. Not just for the kids but for society as a whole. But how do we get them to read?

First of all, you need to read to them. Toddlers and elementary age students are not alone in their desire to snuggle up with mom and dad to read a good story. It builds intimacy between parent and child, and they’ll carry that positivity with them into their encounters with other books. It’s not unlike a child who has a good time at the beach with family; he or she will long associate family and beach with happiness. Your child will read on their own to regain that positive feeling. So read to them, even older children who are approaching the teen years. And young adult and “tweener” books often tackle uncomfortable topics that give a parent a great talking point and conversation starter.

Secondly, reading to your children will help them cultivate the ability to focus on a single task. Our current society shouts at us with myriad flashing images and rain showers of noise. We flit from image to image and thought to thought like a squirrel chasing a glittery butterfly. Reading together calms us, helps us focus past the glittery butterflies, and eases our restlessness. Studies have shown that children who have a parent who reads to them faithfully grow up to be adults who read to relax.

Finally, having their parents read to them allows children to grow up believing there is joy in reading. They don’t view it as a chore. These children will excel during their school years, but as an adult who loves to read, I can say that reading is a joy in and of itself.