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The Old Schoolhouse
Magazine
Home Where They
Belong
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August 29, 2007
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 Do you ever get worried because your child doesn't just
"love" reading?
This week our writers share some of
their favorite tips for encouraging a love of reading.
For me, I found that I just had to back off a little
bit and not get discouraged myself. The boys enjoyed being
read to, but they just didn't get lost in a story the way that
I did as a child. However, when they finally did find books that
were real page-turners for them, I saw that sparkle in their
eyes. It didn't happen as young as I would have liked for it
to and it doesn't happen as often as I would like for it to,
but the boys do enjoy reading now.
I'm just thankful
that we worked through those difficult years when they were
reluctant readers in a way that they can enjoy reading today.
There is a world of wonderful books awaiting
them!
Enjoy every
minute!
THM Editor
PS - If you want to work from home and have a minimum of 20
hours a week to put in, talk to Mari over in
our Sales
Department. | |
 Mercy Every Minute
Deborah Wuehler, TOS Senior
Editor
Seems so easy. Read to them a ton when they
are still babies, read over and over and over again their
favorites when they are toddlers, read aloud some good,
exciting, wholesome chapter books when they are anywhere from
baby to teens. Make going to the library a special treat. Let
them pick out special books from the bookstore as gifts or
rewards. Let them catch your spirit of loving to read and hope
that they model your reading behavior. That should do it,
right?
It should - for most kids. Then there are those
who love to be read to, but don't love to read. Maybe it's
hard for them to read still, a learning disability, or maybe
it's just not something they enjoy doing. I have a teenager
who would prefer doing anything else but read for pleasure.
Don't get me wrong, he reads his required books, biographies,
and classics, is an excellent language arts guy, and enjoys
books while reading them. But give him a choice, and he'd
rather be doing something active. In fact, he'll even go so
far as to say, he doesn't enjoy reading.
Some kids
enjoy the books, but choosing between the act of reading and
the act of something more active, or artistic, or science-y
and they'll choose that other activity every time. They are
just wired different. And that's okay. We provide read-alouds
and books on tape for such a child so they can listen
while they are doing.
I still require my son to read
a lot as he would say
- and he's glad I do, as he wouldn't do it on his own and ends
up liking the stories - but I don't worry that he's not
consumed in books like his other siblings whenever the time
affords. He's been fashioned in God's hands to be just who he
is.
Is it important to develop a love of reading? I
think it's more important to develop discernment of what
constitutes good reading and also develop a love for the words
of the greatest Writer of all time. God as an Author has given
us everything we need in His penned words and in His Son, the
Word.
We definitely need to teach our children to read
with the goal of them being able to the read their Bibles on
their own. As soon as my children can read, we purchase a
brand new Bible and make it a big deal that now they can enjoy
and discover and develop a love of reading their own special
Bible while also developing a love for its
Author.
-Deborah
". . . and he
shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn
to fear the LORD his God . . ." Deuteronomy
17:19
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Schoolhouse Spotlight
Dena Wood, Schoolhouse Store Manager
I don't know of a homeschooler
that doesn't love books! If your home is anything like ours,
you can never have enough bookshelves.
Frankly, I think
the best way to raise great readers is to help your children
develop a love for reading. Even if you're only reading TO
them, rather than them doing the actual reading, they are
learning to love the adventures and insights found in good
books.
Fortunately, the Schoolhouse Store is
overflowing with good books! Lamplighter Publishing
offers many wholesome, meaty volumes that are wonderful
additions to any home library. Young children will be
enchanted with the story and enthralled with the illustrations
as you read aloud to them from any of Johanna Bluedorn's
books. Kregel Publishing
offers a wide variety of books for all age. The Scripture Sleuth series
is a fun favorite of my children and makes for a great morning
devotional.
Honestly, there are simply too many great
books to mention. Not only for children but for adults as
well. Be sure and check out our Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Books for Kids
categories in the store. You're certain to find a few
must-haves. Now, if you can just find room on your
bookshelves!
-Dena
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It's Just Common
Sense
Ruth Beechick, Curriculum
Specialist
I have written a lot on making reading
easy and real, so what should I include for a short blurb like
this? I decided to point you to a book by Mark B. Thogmartin
called Teach a Child to Read with
Children's Books.
Thogmartin's system helps
children love reading right from the start by using real
reading, not an academically engineered sequence of sounds and
rules and drills that eventually lead up to reading.
Hopefully. You all read to your young children, and that's the
way to begin. From there you can let the children gradually
move into the reading. Good books for this are the
"predictable" kind, those with such a pattern that a child can
predict most of the next line. Some are predictable by
repetition like Brown Bear, Brown
Bear, some by cumulativity like Old MacDonald Had a
Farm, some by rhythm and rhyme.
Thogmartin suggests
numerous techniques for this gradual shift from you reading to
the child reading. Pause for the child to fill in a word, or
he pauses and you fill in the unknown words. Point word by
word as you read. Notice letters. Brown and bear begin with b
like your name Bob or
Betty. Notice beginning consonants a
lot and other letters as need arises. Plenty of phonics is in
this system but it is integrated with real
reading.
These children will not grow to think that
"reading" consists of filling in blanks, memorizing rules, and
such, but they will think that reading is enjoying delightful
stories. Who wouldn't love that?
(Afternote: I would
skip the latter part of this book where Thogmartin moves into
record keeping heavier than I like. I don't need records to
tell me what sound a child forgets. We'll run into that when
he reads, and I can re-teach it
then.)
-Ruth
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The Familyman
Todd Wilson, Familyman Ministries
I'm
sure there have been volumes written about how to instill a
love of reading in your children. I'm sure they have some good
things to say and plenty of solid advice, but in this age of
'we want a formula for everything,' I'm going to share a
fool-proof formula for instilling the love of reading in your
children. Brace yourself for this.
Here it is: Don't let your children watch TV or play
video games.
There you go. I have
spoken.
OK, I can tell you need a
little more explanation. Here's the deal. If you put TV and
video games (VG) head to head with reading, TV/VG will win.
You can entice them with exciting books but the TV/VG will win
out. Always.
That's the reason I'm
not much of a reader. I didn't need to read; I had
TV.
My children are readers. They
read when they get up, during free time, and in their beds.
Why? Because they have nothing to watch.
Now, if I give my book-loving children a choice
between reading a good book and watching a mediocre video,
guess which one they'll choose? Right, the video. That's the
power of TV/VG.
So, if you want your
children to be readers, unplug the TV/VG and they will become
readers. Guaranteed.
It's that
simple . . . and it's that hard.
Be
Real,
Todd
PS -For all the dads who are reading
this, let me encourage you to flex your muscles and take the
lead in "unplugging" the reading-stealing-culprits in your
home.
|
 Homeschool Freebies
Julie Nott, TOS Marketing
Manager
After you've sweat blood and tears TEACHING
your children to read, how do we encourage the LOVE of
reading? My top three:
1. Kids must see their parents
enjoying books.
2. Visit your library...often.
3. Offer
incentives.
I'm still trying to figure this one out. My
oldest (a girl) LOVES to read...although she loves to read
books that aren't necessarily assigned for "educational
purposes." My three boys are a combination of "reads technical
how-to computer information online when he has to", "reads
comic books" and "loved to read for a while and now prefers
comic books."
I've also followed our pastor's
technique and offered a reward for reading a book I want them to read and
writing a list of 20 things they've learned. Gotta keep 'em on
their toes...
Here are some freebies online to help in
YOUR journey:
- Julie
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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