For the love of reading
The importance of nurturing (培养) young children as readers has become more and more apparent. Here are four ways to help your child become a reader.
Read aloud.
A six-year study found reading aloud to children every day puts them almost a year ahead of children who do not receive daily read-alouds.16 Using texts above the children’s levels gives them the chance to hear high-level vocabulary and absorb complex language structures. Reading aloud below their levels also allows them to relax and enjoy beloved texts.
Encourage close reading from the youngest age.
17 Use picture book illustrations to strike up deeper questions and conversations. Ask questions you don’t know the answers to so that children will be able to answer in ways that reflect their own ideas.
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Entering the world of stories and knowledge should feel like an exciting discovery process. Create visual ways to track the journey. From a reading minute tracker to a “words we learned” or “our big ideas” chart, we can use these visuals to pause for “hip hiphooray (欢呼)” moments.
Honor each child’s unique identity.
Children become great readers by finding connections as they read. 19 “I notice you like books where animals are the main characters.” “I notice you like books where girls are strong characters.” Even the youngest child will begin to recognize that each person’s reading choices matter.
20A child who sees reading as a lifelong, constant companion is more likely to have a lifetime of success.
A. Make the journey a celebration.
B. Hand them a pen when it is necessary.
C. We can do this by asking them questions.
D. Name what you notice about why a child is drawn to a text.
E. Young children can read early and should be reading all year.
F. It is a way to bathe children in the power of the written words.
G. The child builds the knowledge that is necessary for being a reader.