Quote:
Originally Posted by Wordeater
I was staying with a friend once, whose 8 y.o. son was reading well below where he ought to have been for his age.
They were having him read for 20 minutes a day in their presence. The kid fought them all the way around it. Their reason for 'forcing' him to read, was that it was important for him to improve in order to get better grades.
I explained to their son that improving his reading would allow him to read material that he WANTED to read. To this point, reading had simply been a chore for him. He couldn't even imagine that someone would read 'cause they wanted to!
It will be no surprise to you that the mother and father read less than maybe a couple of books a year, between them. They just don't get it.
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My SO's older brother was a voracious reader. His wife was not. When Dad came home from work, he'd plunk himself down in front of the TV till dinner was ready.
Guess what example his two sons followed? (I once watched the older son go into a trance as soon as the TV was turned on.)
Dad never quite got why his kids weren't into reading...
I don't remember
not knowing how to read. Mom read to me every night when I was a small child, and I got the idea of what was going on well before I could actually do it myself. I've always read everything that didn't read me first, and a lot that did, and I know where I got the habit.
Want kids to read for pleasure?
Set an example, starting when they are very young. Kids are like the young of all species: they don't do what you
say - they imitate what they see you
do.
______
Dennis