How to get children to read (teens opinion)
Ok, so this is a big issue for most parents not only parents but schools. To get your child to read. There are so many reasons as to why the children refuse to read and there are also many ways to get them hooked on reading. It just all depends on the book. The overall concept of reading is to broaden their vocabulary skills and to have them more proficient in reading and how to use context clues. Children are more likely to read a book of their choice rather than one an adult recommends, why? because it's more interesting to them. That's the way to get them hooked on reading. Start off with books they would enjoy and start to increase the difficulty level until you reach the point where they are intrigued by books and can't stop reading.
There are a variety of books to discover and it all depends on which the child prefers. In cases where parents are trying to help develop a child's vocabulary, they tend to for educational books that most of the time bores the child. Books were made to educate or give information on something. So choose a book that doesn't have to be educational but at random that you think would be appropriate for the child and see if there is a difference.
If that way doesn't work you can't give up. Try finding a movie that your child loves and see if there is a book to it and start off from there. Children tend to experiment so there is a possibility that the child might like the book better than the movie and would start reading more books based on the movies they watched. That would lead them into reading constantly and opening their horizons and you know there is also a saying that the books are better than the movies.
People say that books are a way to escape from reality, well I'm kinda trapped but I believe that books are a good way to see other perspectives and lifestyles. When it comes on to reading a person isn't necessarily going to start overnight and it's best to take it in stages. Some stages of reading are listed below.
I know, I know isn't this for kindergarteners? But consider the fact that you just started learning a sport and you start from the easiest stages where you failed almost all the moves but you practice until you become perfect. Take this stage as an introduction to reading, something you would never consider doing but is trying it out for whatever reason. Start off with a simple book like Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Dork Diaries. Those will be sure to grab your attention, they might be out of date now but trust me reading those books will have you wanting to binge the whole collection.
Now we are moving on. So this is our growth passage. You just passed your beginner's stage yay! Now it's time for something a little harder. This stage is almost like a butterfly creating its cocoon and then going inside. You have to try to develop your vocabulary skills and uses of context clues because there are some words out there you don't know and you might not have a dictionary or the internet around to search so it's time to start the development process. This stage can be thought of as skimming through a book in a limited amount of time. Not only does this expand our knowledge of the material in the book, but it helps us determine if we want to read the entire book. Books like The Hardy Boys or The Nancy Drew series would help in this case where you would actually have to start thinking about what the plot would be and the outcome of the book. But it's also great to have books with plot twists and suspense scenes. Almost like a movie of this sort.
Next up we have analytical reading. This stage is when a butterfly is trying to break free from the cocoon. In this stage, you would be open to more perspectives and you would start to ask questions about the different characters and how the setting contributed to your imagination of the book. A book always gives imagery to give you a sense of the surroundings of a character(s). In the meanwhile your reading the book you would start to make your own scenarios and trying to understand the writer's use of speech and grammar. Books that could be suggested are Pride and Prejudice or The Great Gatsby. Ah, so you are going strong, aren't you?
Wow, good job on reaching the last step, if you are reading through make sure you're taking notes and if you are planning on skipping these steps make sure you have a backup plan if you want to widen your knowledge. So congrats on reaching the final and most complex stage of them all. Mwahahaha, ahem. In this case, your knowledge of the previous stages is going to come into play. Another name for this stage might be comparative reading. With the help of the previous stages and the books read, the reader will be able to construct an analysis of the plot and start to look for the deeper meaning within the book. This is the stage where the butterfly breaks free from the cocoon and is finally able to spread its wings.
So, the overall idea is that books are something to not only pass time but to educate you on different aspects. Parents remember that you can't force one into reading because sometimes leads to hatred for it and why would we want to hate on books. The school systems also need to make note of this as well, find books that children would be interested in and who knows you could see them walking up and down reading books and have to tell them to be careful of their surroundings because their nose is in a book. There is always a first time to start anything, so start reading today cause who knows you might just love it.
That's all for this week folks. Muse Out!
If you have dilemmas. Email us at mrsmuse21@gmail.com.
Written by Alyssa Chin :)
Photo Credit ( Quotefancy)
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