A Love of Reading Starts at Home

alphabits… and continues in our schools.

I can tell you exactly when I decided I didn’t like reading. I was in 3rd grade. Gashland Elementary. Mrs. Gossage’s class.

I loved school. I loved Mrs. Gossage. She read us Superfudge by Judy Blume, with voices and everything. But that isn’t what made me change my mind about reading. You see, in 2nd grade, I had been in the highest reading group. I had been labeled a “good reader” by my brand-new, first-year 2nd grade teacher. However, when I moved to 3rd grade, my much more experienced teacher felt that I wasn’t quite ready for that level of reading and thus, I was moved down a group. It devastated me. If I couldn’t be the best reader, then I wouldn’t be a reader at all.

In middle school, I had a good friend who loved to read. She convinced me to try a book she claimed I would love. She was right – I loved it. I read every book she lent me, and I haven’t stopped reading since.

When Post Alpha-Bits approached Kansas City Moms Blog about sponsoring posts on literacy, I jumped at the chance! Literacy is my life. Literally. I’m an English teacher, for crying out loud! One of my main goals as a teacher is to foster a life-long love of reading in my students and to help reluctant readers discover books that they’ll love. For many students, the reason they don’t love reading is that they just haven’t found the right book yet. That’s where I come in! I have read thousands of books in an effort to steer my students in the right direction.

Nothing fosters a love of reading like a partnership between home and school. Here are 5 SUPER FUN things you can do at home to help your child LOVE reading:

1. Make learning FUN! Kids love to eat, and moms love healthy snacks. We’ve been using Post Alpha-Bits cereal at our house to make letter recognition a game. When my guys correctly identify a letter, they get to eat it! What’s more fun than that?

2. Practice making letters with Bingo Markers. They are easy for little hands to grasp and they don’t make a mess. Plus, you can find them super-cheap at many discount stores.

3. Another fun food idea is to make marshmallow treats using Post Alpha-Bits cereal. My guys devour marshmallow treats made with traditional Rice Krispies and these were no different. As an added bonus, we spent some time identifying the letters before we CHOMPED them!

4. This probably goes without saying, but check out your local library. Not just for checking out books, but for other activities, as well. Our local library has a toddler story time every week and my guys LOVE it. They sing songs, do a craft activity, and listen to stories all related to a specific theme each month. And, BONUS … it’s FREE!

5. Don’t be afraid to read the same books over, and over, and over, and over again. Kids learn by repetition. They love to hear the same books over and over again because they are memorizing it as you read. Read slowly. Ask questions as you read. If your child starts to “read” along with you, then encourage it – even if the story changes a little!

Bonus #6 (for those of you with older kids): kids of all ages love to be read to – even middle school and high school kids. Don’t stop reading together just because your child enters middle school. Stay involved in your child’s reading life! Find out what they are reading for school, and read the same books so you can discuss them together. Many middle level and Young Adult books deal with some pretty heavy topics these days. Be sure to check out The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared by Alice Ozma if you don’t think reading to your tweens and teens has an impact.

A love of reading starts at home, but it continues at school. When parents and teachers partner together, every child can learn to love reading!

Cali
I'm Cali. I'm a wife, co-parent, and mom of twin boys who are soon-to-be 6, as well as brand new step-mom to 3 young adults who are 19, 16, and 14. I was born and raised in the Northland, and I can't imagine living anywhere else...unless you were to offer me a beach house, or a villa on the coast of Italy or France. I have been a public educator for 21 years, and I currently teach middle school, which I truly believe is the very best age in all the world. I enjoy reading, cooking, and traveling, and I believe ice cream is an acceptable meal any time of the day. I drink entirely too much diet coke, and my floors are rarely clean. I joined the mommy-club later in life after an 8 year struggle with infertility. I've decided being an "old mom" is a pretty great gig.