Our children become what they read. However, they are not reading as much as they should unless it is on line and at best they are just skimming words. Haven’t we all done that? Reading text is becoming old-fashioned because a world of instant gratification surrounds us with internet, television, video games, movies and should I say more?
Hope Clark of Funds for Writers sparked the subject of teaching children to love reading stories in her Newsletter FFW Small Markets. Hope says “Not only does reading create memories, but it exercises the mind. It empowers a child to write.”
As adults, we are negligent and a major part of the problem. When was the last time you read any of the books your child is reading or do you even know What your child is reading? Consider reading your child’s books and having discussions about the story. When children see how excited their parents become about reading they will want to imitate. When the adult loves the written word so will the child.
I am afraid that we (society) are creating a world where the only quality reading a young person prefers is Cliff Notes where the emphasis is on shortcuts and not the story. Create a love for the story and you will create a love for reading in children.
Michale Morpurgo of The Telegraph in the UK says “Our mindset has to change. We have to stop proclaiming reading as a ladder to academic success. Treated simply as an educational commodity, some kind of pill to be taken to aid intellectual development, it is all too often counter-productive and ultimately alienating.”
Write it down,
Carma
