Tip - Interactive Reading

Audrey Reading,
originally uploaded by BurningQuestion.

When reading to or with your child develop discussions from the material. For example; after reading to your toddler tell him what you pictured the story to be like, how you felt, what senses were engaged in you. Did the words allow you to smell, feel, hear what the writer was putting across. Focus on these things as you read so that you may share with your child a full experience, thus showing him how to do the same. After you share ask him to share his interpretations of the story. This is a great key to developing a love for reading.

Comprehension Exercises with Dylan - #2

This week we did visualization on a place my son had only been to once, a couple years ago. It was the Lido deck of the Carnival Ecstasy. I told him we were walking out onto the deck and asked him to go from there. I did not even tell him which entrance we were walking out onto. He animated it well. There were things missing from the deck, but I soon realized that he was seeing exactly what he remembered well there; the pool, the mini basketball court, kids playing.

It bothered me at first that he didn’t remember the tables and chairs, lounge chairs by the pool, the bars, and the stage. But what I realized was that it was actually perfect. It made the point and I could show it to him from there. We could both read the same story and see it in our heads completely differently. I explained this with passion. I told him that in a movie or show the actors portray the script in their own way, but when you read you are the director and the actor. I think he really got that!

Tip - Creativity

Getting the child involved:
When I read a good book I find myself obsessed with continuing or changing the story in my head. Try this with your child. For younger children you can say, "What do you think "character's name" will do next? The older they are the more creative they will be. For an older child you can ask them to imagine what the main character will do next, either immediately or the next day, week, month. What will their next adventure be? How will they handle it? Does the child stay within the characters traits? If not is it a natural growth from the book? Kids can be interesting. They may change the character to be more like themselves. This is good too. It is natural to put yourself in the shoes of the hero/heroine in the story.

Comprehension Exercises with Dylan - #1

I took my son through a guided visualization of a place we have been to many times, the local golf course. This exercise is a beginning step in visualization. When we were going through it he actually used his imagination also. He included a golfer on a golf cart in his description of what he saw in front of him. Familiar visualization is a great first step for the reluctant reader or reader who has comprehension difficulties. If you can visualize the story you are reading you will remember it better. Then it is no longer simply an exercise in suffering through an assignment that you don’t want to do in the first place. I started with a familiar place because I have no idea about his ability to create his own world. I wanted to show him that in his head he could see a scene unfold. And it worked.

Tip-The family that reads together...

I know we’ve all heard it a million times, read to your child regularly. But it is important in developing your child’s interest in reading. Listening to your steady smooth reading inspires your child to want to read just like you. If you have the ability to animate your voice it will help the child to find his or her own voice in reading. I do this and I can’t tell you how excited my four year old gets about our before bed reading. Soon you’ll find your child saying the words along with you. Repetition is key when a child begins reading. These are also the books your child will read first when he or she begins reading.
When they learn how to read you can read with your child, taking turns. My son likes this because he doesn’t have to read all of it. We take turns by pages. It’s also important to hear your child read out loud so you can scope where he or she is with reading ability and speed.
Even pre-teens and teenagers can enjoy reading with you, especially if it is an activity you’ve done together for a long time. But if this isn’t the case and the teen does not seem willing to try you can rent or buy audio books to enjoy together. It’s still a story that you share! And once this catches on you may be able to coerce the child into reading with you. Telling stories is an art that can be helpful also. Try telling a story relevant to the child’s age group. Be sure to add tension and action to keep their attention.



Reluctant participants
If your little darling does not stay still while you are reading to him or her try some of these ideas:
-act out the story and try to get the child involved
-change your voices a lot and put more dramatic effect into the story
-reach for the book with fun rhymes

Welcome to my blog!

You cannot function in this era without being able to read, that is a given. The problem is that there is so much competition for our attention. Reading is a practice that offers so much. It gives you the ability to retreat into other worlds and exercise your imagination. It makes it possible to find answers to burning questions. It not only keeps the brain functioning, but also expands the use of this barely used organ. It opens up the path to understanding of others.
I will post tips to help inspire our children to read more: what parents can do, book recommendations, etc. My son has problems with reading comprehension, which I think has a lot to do with problems visualizing and following the story. I will share the exercises that I take him through and updates on our progress.