The fall he started first grade, we discovered together the wonders Narnia held. He'd received a complete set as a gift and that became our bedtime reading material.
It was truly a magical journey for us both. We laughed and cried over Reepicheep, his favorite character and discussed the parallels between Aslan and the Lord Jesus.
By the end of the school year, when we completed the last chronicle, I had been booted from the job of bedtime story teller (too slow for him).
We also discovered the Time Warp Trio and Encyclopedia Brown series as well as the Wishbone Adventures and a generous helping of classic children's books. Our reading menu was certainly a superbly balanced diet!
Monday, June 16, 2008
Reading in Kindergarten
When my son's reading skills began to develop, we enjoyed reading in tandem. Since he was very tentative at first, I'd read a few lines and then have him take a turn reading the next few. Pretty soon we were alternating pages.
Once he grew more confident, he preferred to read simple books to himself while I read those that were too difficult for him. By the time he started kindergarten, he was able to read simple stories to his class.
Dr Seuss was his favorite author then and he progressed smoothly through the different difficulty levels of those books. It's amazing what effect the things he read had on his little mind. For instance, after reading the Lorax he became a strident critic of nearby land developers who stripped the vegetation and trees off a nearby lot.
That spring, he discovered the Boxcar Children and Magic Tree House books. Those adventures captivated him and he gobbled them up. By this time he was reading effortlessly and we'd regularly spend time at the library. I'd research book lists, trying to get him challenging material appropriate to his level of maturity.
It wasn't always easy and I made some mistakes. Like the time he cried his heart out at the end of Charlotte's Web because the spider died - a bittersweet moment I'll never forget...Bitter because it broke my heart to see him so hurt and sweet because this little sprig of a boy was reading so well in kindergarten.
Once he grew more confident, he preferred to read simple books to himself while I read those that were too difficult for him. By the time he started kindergarten, he was able to read simple stories to his class.
Dr Seuss was his favorite author then and he progressed smoothly through the different difficulty levels of those books. It's amazing what effect the things he read had on his little mind. For instance, after reading the Lorax he became a strident critic of nearby land developers who stripped the vegetation and trees off a nearby lot.
That spring, he discovered the Boxcar Children and Magic Tree House books. Those adventures captivated him and he gobbled them up. By this time he was reading effortlessly and we'd regularly spend time at the library. I'd research book lists, trying to get him challenging material appropriate to his level of maturity.
It wasn't always easy and I made some mistakes. Like the time he cried his heart out at the end of Charlotte's Web because the spider died - a bittersweet moment I'll never forget...Bitter because it broke my heart to see him so hurt and sweet because this little sprig of a boy was reading so well in kindergarten.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Give Your Child A Headstart
When I started reading real stories (not the goo-goo, ga-ga baby type) to my four month old baby, his poor nanny seemed to think I wasn't right in the head. He, on the other hand, loved being cuddled and read to. We had this cute little book about a turtle who wanted to change his shell and found that nothing fit quite right except his natural one. It was a longish poem that ended with the words: "sometimes what you look for is inside of you". I loved the message and we both loved the rhyme and rhythm of it, so pretty soon the covers were well worn.
That early start was crucial to his present reading success. Once he had mastered basic phonics (by about age three), he read stories with appropriate intonation and pauses, a skill that seemed to come naturally to him. He pretty much bypassed the phase of stilted reading that I like to call word-counting and I attribute this to his many months of regular story time.
My advice: read early, read interesting stories, read often and most of all, relax while you do so and enjoy that time of closeness with your child.
That early start was crucial to his present reading success. Once he had mastered basic phonics (by about age three), he read stories with appropriate intonation and pauses, a skill that seemed to come naturally to him. He pretty much bypassed the phase of stilted reading that I like to call word-counting and I attribute this to his many months of regular story time.
My advice: read early, read interesting stories, read often and most of all, relax while you do so and enjoy that time of closeness with your child.
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