365 Days of Reading: Tip #16 - The Book Worms

How do you keep a young child who is already a blossoming book worm continuously engaged? How do you challenge a child who is already literate beyond their years? This post is for my little friend Lily who loves books.

Here are some tips for keeping your little book worm engaged & entertained:

1. Give her access to any book that she is interested in, even if it seems way too hard, over her head or full of advanced concepts. (Keep in mind, book worms will devour books, so trips to the library will be in order lest you spend the college savings far too early.)

2. Vary her media. Audio books, e-books, cloth books (to go to bed and wake up with), magazines and newspapers can all make interesting reading for even a young child. You will want to censor what publications you offer, especially with magazines and newspapers that may be intended for older audiences. You can even find great read-aloud videos on YouTube (see my post on Goodnight Moon).

3. Word or letter games and puzzles are a great way to engage her interest in language without risking book boredom. Think - alphabet blocks, word jumbles, refrigerator poetry (see below).

4. This may seem counterintuitive, but now is a great time to introduce books WITHOUT words. There is more than one way of telling a story, and some picture books are written using ONLY pictures. These are a great way to grow your child's story telling abilities and realize that THEY have stories, too!

5. Once your young child realizes the value of telling a good story, encourage her to tell stories orally. These can be real stories - "tell me about your day at pre-K" - or made-up stories - "tell me a story about that squirrel in our tree".

6. Teach her the art of bookmaking. Give her some art materials and let her be the author.

7. Expand the genres on her bookshelf. Now might be a good time to introduce collections of poetry or find some nonfiction books that tie in to her fiction favorites.

8. Help her begin to define her own interests in books, topics and authors. Experiment with themed collections from a certain author or on a certain topic (say, several books in different genres on one topic). Guide her to seeing the connections between these groups of books.

Here are some examples:




A collection of books of different genres on a single topic:

365 Days of Reading: Tip #15 - Make Dad a Reader!

How do you model good reading behaviors if Dad isn't so interested in reading?

The truth is, he probably does read and he might even enjoy the time he spends reading. It just might be a different KIND of reading than what most women do.

Men tend to read for a purpose. They tend to choose nonfiction over fiction (as do their sons - see Tip #12). And of course, they love their gadgets.

So here are my best tips for getting Dad to model his reading skills for your child:

1. Subscribe to your local newspaper or a widely available and well-respected publication like the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal, depending on his interests. Get it at least twice a week; most big newspapers have deals that allow you to subscribe to just the weekend editions. A lot of men enjoy reading the newspaper, but they also enjoy the ritual of it, too, so this is why you want the actual paper and not just an electronic version. Kids often enjoy completing the puzzle pages with Mom & Dad.

2. However, electronic print has its place, too! He needs an e-reader like the Kindle or at the very least a smartphone (he can get the Kindle app for free). Then, add a few children's books to the e-reader in addition to the books that Dad is reading on there. This will make it a fun shared activity for them both. (For kids, e-reading can't replace real books, so just keep it in perspective and view it as a way for your child to understand that Daddy is indeed reading when he picks up his smartphone or Kindle.)

3. Give books as gifts. I mean, for every holiday - birthdays, holy days, anniversaries, you name it. Find out more about his hobbies and every time you give him a gift, get a book that goes along with it. Guys read for a purpose, so choose books that are informative or humorous on the topics he loves.

4. Place a book in the bathroom. Yes, I'm serious. Do it. How bad do you want him to read?! Just do it. If you really don't want your books in the bathroom, then subscribe to a news magazine like Time or guys' magazine like Men's Health, and place a new issue in there every month. Place the reading material in a stylish little basket and everything will still look nice & tidy.



P.S. The basket featured above is made of recycled newspapers! How cool is that?!

365 Days of Reading: Tip #14 - Use Books to Help Kids Identify Emotions

I was teaching in Atlanta. As I was lining up my students to change classes, I overheard teachers talking in the hallway. I thought they were talking about a movie, because nothing like that could have happened in real life.

(I was wrong.)

The next morning, shop owners had changed their billboards to messages of sympathy and solidarity, and the digital signs above 75/85-S read "AMERICA IS IN A STATE OF WAR. USE EXTREME CAUTION". A coworker, born & raised in NYC, sent around pictures from family members taken of the Towers as they burned.

The next day, we all wore red, white & blue, and changed our classroom bulletin boards. But this was ten years ago, and I was still very young, and I had no idea how to explain how life had changed forever, to my 5th grade charges.

If I had known then what I know now, I would have reached for a few well-written books to help release the questions and emotions brewing in those kids' minds.

Where were you on the morning of September 11, 2001?

Penny Books!

Books for a penny?! Don't mind if I do!! In this collection of penny books, I have hand-selected some of my favorites, a few award-winners and some by favorite children's authors and illustrators.

Ultimately, you will probably end up paying about $2-$4 per book, since shipping & handling charges do apply. But still! That's a great deal for the absolute best in children's literature, both classic and contemporary.

Hover over the slideshow to see details on each book. (The penny prices will not display, however, until you click on the widget!)

365 Days of Reading: Tip #13 - The Wiggly Worms

Moms of boys (or any toddler, really) sometimes wonder, "How can I get him to sit still while I read to him?"

My answer: You don't, and you don't need to, in order to still raise a good reader.

Your child will develop reading stamina over time, so think of learning to read as a marathon (never a sprint!). Just because little Johnny is too wriggly for War & Peace now doesn't mean that he'll be a struggling reader once he reaches grade school. And conversely, just because little Sally recognizes letters of the alphabet at age 1 doesn't mean she'll enter Harvard at age 12. It's a marathon, so relax & enjoy the scenery.

Now for some tips that WILL help you build reading stamina in a very young child:

1. Choose books that are interactive (see my post on multisensory books, Tip #10). Books that have flaps to lift or buttons to press are engaging to kinesthetically inclined boys & toddlers.

2. Ask or allow your child to turn the pages as you read. Pause at the end of each spread and see if he figures out that it's time to turn the page. If not, you can prompt him with a simple phrase like, "Want to turn?"

3. Read a book to him while he moves. Who says you have to sit still to listen to a story? While he builds a tower of blocks or pushes his favorite toy car around the floor, read him a story. Pause after each spread to show him the pictures, but if he doesn't look your way, don't stress it. Just keep reading - he loves your voice anyway!

4. Choose non-story books that have lots of interesting, labeled pictures (see an example below). On each spread, ask him to point to different items that you name. Teach him new ones each time you read the book.

5. Tell or recite stories in the car or while you are out for a walk. My son's face lights up when I recite a few lines from a favorite book that relates to something we are doing. For example, when we go outside to run around, I might say, "City Dog didn't stop to admire the green, green grass - he ran straight for Country Frog's rock!" (from City Dog, Country Frog).

6. Read to your child during bath time and meal time. Waterproof (and therefore milk-proof and juice-proof) bath books are great for these readings.

7. Choose nonfiction books that relate to his current interests. Right now, our shelf is full of books about trains.

8. Avoid relegating reading time to ONLY quiet times of the day (see Tip #9). All times are reading times! Make sure his books are displayed in an open area, with covers facing outward, so that he has constant access to his choice of literature. Rotate the books on display there to maintain high interest.

9. Read books that are connected to recent outings. If you visit a museum, read a book that features a museum or some artwork. If you go to the grocery store, read an alphabet book that includes foods. If you visit a local organic farm...you get the picture.

10. I'll say it again - environmental print (see Tip #8).

Soon enough your wriggly toddler will be a sullen teenager and you'll be wishing you could get him to budge off the couch, so enjoy this time of high energy & take your reading on the go!