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Dashka Slater, Nancy Tafuri, Eric Carle, Jim Arnosky, Sheila White Samton, Bob Staake.
I don’t really know them. But I think if my 3 yr old daughter met them on the street, she’d most likely give them a hug. Or two. You see, they’re a part of her life now. She comes across their names every now and then. She knows what they do. She likes what they write. They’re the people she probably dreams about because they’re the ones who bring drama, emotion, adventure, fun, wonderment, imagination and a love of reading into her life.
They’re the authors of some of her favorite books.
When you read a book with your baby, do you pay attention to who wrote it?
I didn’t, at first. Initially, when M and I cuddled up with a book, I’d usually read out the title and then move on to the first page, ignoring the other elements on the cover. It wasn’t intentional, of course. I just didn’t know any better. It didn’t occur to me back then to point to the author and illustrator’s names on the cover. The act of reading aloud to my baby in itself was a new, joyous experience and I didn’t really think about it that much. It was amazing to me that someone in the world was (apparently)so enamored by my voice and read aloud skills that she actually calmed down, stopped fussing and listened to what I was reading. Wow. It wasn’t until later, when M started pointing to words and pictures in the jacket and began asking who those people were that I realized that maybe I didn’t deserve all the credit after all! I had been keeping her in the dark about the creators of the books she so loved.
It was then that I decided to start giving credit where it was due. With every book we pick up now, we first read the title, followed by the author’s and illustrator’s names and their bios, before beginning the story.
You won’t believe what a difference this has made to our reading experience.
I’ve noticed this in other kids too as I’m sure you have. Show your kid something once and well, you had better be ready to do it forever. Or at least a few hundred thousand times.
Now, every time we pick out a book, M wants to know who the author is. Who drew the pictures? Where do they live? What do they look like? She has begin to connect and relate. When we pick out a book by a familiar author, she can tell. Sometimes, she remembers the name. Or has some vague recollection of it at the very least. She makes connections between the author and other names we come across. We were reading a book the other day and came across a character whose name was Eric…and I tell you – I couldn’t proceed a word without first answering her questions about Eric Carle and whether this was the same person and why we were calling someone else by that name when clearly, he’s not the Eric we know.
These days, I couldn’t skip the author’s name even if I wanted to. She’ll know. She’ll pound me with questions. If we read something, anything, she wants to know who wrote it.
I think this is fantastic. Frustrating sometimes, but fantastic. It’s like she’s realized that books don’t just magically appear out of nowhere. People create them. This discovery, in my opinion, is crucial to a child.
Talking about the creators of a book is a great way to introduce your kids to the idea of writing. And art.
Equipped with the knowledge that a person somewhere wrote the words in the book and drew the beautiful pictures on the pages, kids begin to see a whole new dimension to the rectangular object in their hands.
Knowing that someone thought of the words and images to tell the story helps kids appreciate books. And enjoy a fuller reading experience. To me, it’s like when I read to M, she imagines the author(whose picture we would have looked at and whose name we would have memorized by then) telling her the story. Before we begin, she always wants to know, “Who’s the author?”. Maybe she just likes the word ‘ author’ …or maybe she’s got it mixed up with Arthur from the Arthur and DW series. Or maybe she really understands. Whatever it is that’s going on in that brain of hers..only she knows.
All I know is she’s added ‘Author’ to the list of things she wants to be when she’s a ‘big girl’. And I’m mighty pleased about that.
Do you talk about a book’s creators when you read with your children?
So, we’ve established that reading to kids is important. Not just our own kids, but to those who don’t have the benefit of being raised in an environment which comprises of books and reading.
There is no question – if we want our kids to inherit a better world, we had better begin equipping them with the tools today. And, among other things, improving literacy levels ought to be our number one priority.
So, besides reading to our kids everyday, exposing them to different kinds of books and knowledge and providing them opportunities to learn and expand their minds – what else needs to be done in order to raise the generation of readers that will make this possible? In other words, what specific actions can each of us – parents, educators, librarians and anybody interested in creating such a world – take?
Plenty. Regardless of the time on your hands, your skills, interests or motivation, there is always something you can do about spreading literacy around you, be it small or significant.
Whether we spare 30 minutes a day or 1 hour per week – the time we choose to spend in helping kids(besides our own) learn to read is probably among the best investments we make towards our children’s future.
1.Believe that it’s NEVER too late to start. Yes, it’s true that kids should be read to from an early age and that they benefit most when they are exposed to books and language at home since birth. And yes, most of the nerve connections in a child’s brain are formed by the time he turns 5 and his brain, up until that age acts like a sponge – under ideal conditions, he would have been read to countless times by that golden age. However, just because a child missed out on reading for the first few years doesn’t mean that he has to miss out for the rest of his life. If you know a child who hasn’t been read to since he was a baby or a family where kids are not exposed to reading – do your best to encourage them to start. Now. Reading, no matter how late you begin, improves things.
2.Volunteer your time and skills. Become a reading mentor. If you enjoy reading to your children and have seen them benefit from the process, why not share the experience with other children who may not have access to books or people who read to them? Several organizations provide you the opportunity to volunteer just an hour of your time every week to read to children from low income families or who are at a high risk for dropping out of school, taking to drugs or crime or simply choosing lives they don’t really deserve. It’s hard to imagine that 30-45 minutes of your time a week will make any difference to these kids, but you’d be surprised at how eagerly kids start looking forward to these sessions, how well they respond to your reading and how this seemingly insignificant gesture on your part could improve their chances of staying in school and opting for better lives. A list and description of various organizations and programs that you could volunteer with warrants a separate post – but just to mention some of them – Everybody Wins Power Lunch( spend 30 mins of your lunch hour a week reading to a child), Reach out and Read (among other things, volunteers read to children in waiting rooms, organize community book drives, build bookcases), Communities in Schools After School program( Help kids prepare for life by providing homework help and reading to them for about an hour every week) You could also do this on your own for kids in your community, if you don’t want to commit to a particular organization or program. But I find that doing it through an organization has many benefits – it is regulated, you have a common place to meet, a set time for reading, coordinators you can discuss issues with and books always readily available to read.
3. Donate children’s books – new and old. One of the most important factors affecting literacy is access to books. In low income neighborhoods in the United States, there is only one age appropriate book available for every 300 children. (Source: FirstBook) So, when it’s time to clear out the clutter in your child’s bedroom, the attic or in your garage, have a plan for salvaging and separating children’s books, categorizing them and boxing them so you can donate them to kids who could use them. There are several places you could donate used books that redistribute them to needy children. Alternatively, if you know kids or families that would benefit from those books, you could donate directly to them. But, unless there is someone in the family who can read the books to the children, this may not be of much use. So, even if you donate books,spending your time reading to those kids is still important. Of course, if you’d like to and can afford to donate new books – even better.
4. Encourage your kids to read to others. It’s no secret – kids are mirrors. If they watch you reading to other kids or know that you donate your time for the purpose, they’re bound to be inspired to do the same. If your kids are reading at or above grade level, encourage them to read to/with their classmates or peers who could use some reading help.
5. Read to your child’s class. If your child is in elementary school, your child’s teacher may be more than happy to have you volunteer in her class every week. Even if you can’t volunteer with an organization, try committing an hour or so a week to your child’s class. You could either offer to help a handful of kids with reading, or read to the class as a whole, depending on what the teacher prefers, the reading levels of children in the class and how much time you can commit each week.
6. Start a reading program at a library or community center – Your local library will most probably have story time sessions for babies and preschoolers. Check with the youth services librarian if you can start a program to help older kids to read or expand on an existing program. You could start a weekly reading session and invite older kids who have difficulty reading or who don’t have access to books or reading mentors to participate. You could even use the library to interact with kids individually, tutor them and help them with reading. Work with your librarian, parents and teachers in your area to come up with a program that will benefit kids with regards to reading.
7. Read about reading to kids. Write about reading to kids. Talk about reading to kids. No matter how much you know or do, you know there’s more that could be done. If you’re truly interested in and passionate about raising a generation of readers and thinkers, keep looking for ways to make reading accessible and pleasurable to children. Use any platform you have to your advantage – blog and tweet about why it’s important to read to children, write to an editor of a magazine or newspaper, talk to your friends, join ‘groups’ or become a ‘fan’ and use whatever medium and technique you’re comfortable with to share your interest in raising enthusiastic readers.
8. Hold reading events at home, the park or at the library. In an earlier post about why it’s never too late to start reading to your kids, I suggested a few fun ways to get older kids interested in reading. Use whatever works for you in your efforts to help kids with reading. Meet other parents and kids at the park, library or a picnic area and have a reading party. Reading to kids in an informal, outdoor environment may help them overcome inhibitions associated with school work or required reading, especially if they have difficulty with it.
9. Help kids start or join a book club. Guide them. Encourage participation from kids of all reading levels and not just those who read above their grade levels. Help kids select books that appeal to reluctant readers. Ask your librarian for book recommendations. Be open to stopping a book mid-way and switching to a new one if it doesn’t ignite interest in the group. Encourage interaction, provide directions for discussion, ask questions, suggest alternative answers – your goal is simply to get the kids excited about the idea of reading. For very young children, a book club could simply be a version of a story time where you encourage other parents to bring their children to a certain venue every week and read aloud to them from various books, tell them stories and even show parents by example, how to read with their kids. Or you could just help spread the word about story time sessions at the library or book store in your community. I’m always surprised by how many parents I talk to aren’t aware of or simply do not have the inclination to bring their kids to these free reading sessions.
10. Talk to friends and family about steps 1-9 and encourage them to adopt as many as they can or would like to.
By adopting these or any other measure, if each of us make just a little impact on a few children during the course of a lifetime, and manage to encourage friends and family to do the same, we might actually be closer to creating a better, more literate world for our kids. Laughable? Maybe. Anyone who has ever tried to do any good, wonders at some point, “Will this really make a difference? Is this enough? A drop in the ocean!”
I’m no exception – I often wonder if these 30 minute reading or tutoring sessions will really have any impact on kids. Will those 30 minutes spent with books make a difference to the other countless hours spent away from them?
I’m not always convinced, but I have to believe that it does make a difference.
Studies show that even with a late start, children who are read to and who have a positive mentor or role model in their lives, have a better chance of going on to complete school and enroll in college and lead better, healthier, more fulfilling lives than their counterparts who don’t have the experience. When we remember that the idea, to start out with, is to get kids enthusiastic about and interested in reading, learning and books, and not so much about grades or instant improvement in academic results – we may begin to view things in perspective. So, remember – if you start today and read to a child, albeit an older child, once a day or week, by the end of the year he would have been read to 365 times. Or at least 52 times.
Which is way better than 0. No matter how old the kid is.
My husband has this weird benchmark when it comes to measuring anything – he says, look at it terms of a calendar year – 365 days. And pretty much like the father in My Big Fat Greek Wedding whose solution to every problem is Windex, my husband’s answer to almost any frustration or problem is – give it a year and see how it turns out.
Me: I don’t think I like this new city. I want to go back. Him: Give it a year and then we’ll see.
Me: I’m sure this new project won’t work out. Him: Give it a year and then we’ll see.
Me: I’ll never be able to potty train M. It’s just impossible. Him: Why don’t we keep trying and check back in a year.
And sure enough, when I look back a year later, I’ve almost always managed to accomplish what I believed to be impossible 365 days ago. And at time, it seems ridiculous that I was ready to give up even before I had begun.
So, I’m thinking – Maybe, if we all worked at it, our little efforts and baby steps at spreading literacy and raising readers will pay off after all.
What do you think we can do to raise a generation of readers?
You could probably come up with hundreds of reasons why books make the most wonderful gifts. Classics, picture books, board books, bedtime stories, fairy tales…how great is it that you’ll NEVER run out of choices when picking out a book as a gift?
But if I had the time and was looking for a really special gift for a child, I’d probably go with a personalized book, especially for milestone occasions. In my search for unique and meaningful gifts for children in my family, I chanced upon I See Me a couple of years ago. The brain child of Maia and Allan Haag, this website sells personalized children’s story books. If you haven’t considered buying personalized books before or have been looking for a source of very high quality, classy personalized children’s gifts, you should definitely check out I See Me!
Last week, I had a chat with Maia Haag, mom of three, co-creator of I See Me and author of personalized children’s books. In this interview, she shares her thoughts on her company, her kids and why she thinks personalized books are so important for kids.
Creators of Personalized Children's Books
How did you come up with the idea for I See Me ? What is the story behind all these children’s stories?
I was working at General Mills in a marketing position and really wanted to start my own business. I had gone to business school and come back to General Mills and was anxious to start my own business. I was looking for an idea to start a business and I knew I wanted it to be something to do with children. And I was looking for some sort of product that would take advantage of my husband’s creative skills -he’s a graphic designer – and also leverage his printing connections. And so I was thinking about greeting cards or some sort of printed products. Then my husband and I received a personalized story book for our first child when I was on maternity leave. And that was the light bulb – because I looked at the personalized product and my husband and I both thought – we can create personalized books with higher quality, better illustrations and better writing and it was a great idea for starting a business. So that’s the beginning of the story. I had a six month maternity leave and I spent the last three months of that maternity leave working on the idea for the first book which was My Very Own Name and started to write the story. Then I left my job at General Mills. I went and spoke to the president of my division and told him that I was leaving to start my own children’s book business. He thought I was a little bit crazy.(laughs) I spent the next three months after that writing the business plan and that’s how it started.
How do you come up with the story ideas for all the books? What’s the process like?
Well, I knew we wanted a book that was focused on the child’s name in the story and so everyday I would take our newborn in a stroller around the lakes of Minneapolis and think of different book ideas as I was walking around the lake. Then I would come home and share different ideas with Allen. The one about the animals bringing the alphabets that spell the child’s name really stuck. We thought that was unique and would be a great way to focus on the name.
…All the animals you picked out and their illustrations – they really each have a story of their own.
Yes, Allan and I worked together and for each animal we sat down and defined whether it would be a boy or a girl and what its personality would be, what it would be doing and where and then we gave those directions to the illustrator who would then sketch it and that’s how we created all the animals.
Personalized Chilldren's Storybook
Is the process pretty much the same for all the other books?
Well, for 6 years, we only had that one book – My Very Own Name. And my focus was really on building the operations side of the business and getting distribution for the books and marketing. Then, we finally got to the point where we really needed a new product to grow the business. I noticed that year at Halloween that a lot of girls were coming to the door dressed as princesses and fairies. And that was the inspiration behind the second book – My Very Own Fairy Tale.
Do you have a personal favorite among all your books?
Wow, I’ve never been asked that before. Probably, my favorite book out of all of them is actually The World According to Me. Which is a book that features the child’s own illustrations and the child’s own answers to questions. And the reason I love that so much is because the child gets such a kick out of seeing their own illustrations in the story and it’s really fun reading the book to the child – the words that they wrote. And it’s a keepsake that I think will be really fun for our kids to have when they’re older.
Yes, and I like how the book engages the child in the writing process and through the book the child and his family learn about each other. So, tell me, why do you think personalized books are important? How are the different from any other book – say classics or just books in general which are considered great gifts for children? Why are personalized books even more special?
I think personalized books are fabulous for children because they encourage the child to want to read that book over and over again. They hear their own name in the story. A personalized book really engages the child because it’s such a personal story that’s about them. That’s the primary reason. The second reason is that personalized books build self esteem in children – especially because we’ve made it a point to create stories that boost self esteem in children, which make them feel that they’re really special and unique.
How do we purchase a personalized book from your website? Please describe the process.
It’s very easy – you just go to our website – www.iseeme.com and provide the child’s first name, last name and birth date and the dedication that you would like to include in the book in the title page. And we take that information and we make the books. So it’s very easy to order, and also very friendly and personalized. With the World According To book and we also have a new one called the You and Me book – with these two books – you order a kit that has everything you need in it – to provide the answers to questions, drawings, photos and there’s a mailing envelope to mail the materials out to us. So we make it as easy as possible for the person who’s doing the book and we do all the work to layout the book, type set the answers and produce a beautifully designed book. They get the book back about three weeks later.
What are your thoughts on reading to children? Any tips and advice for parents and educators on how to read, what books to pick?
Yes, for very young children it’s important to find books that are colorful with their illustrations, that rhyme. Rhyming is important because it helps children learn the sounds of the English language. Before they learn all the words, they start getting interested in the sounds of the language. Finding a book that builds self esteem in the child and shows a child from an early age that he or she is very special. Many books have a message of one sort or another. It’s a question of finding a book that has a strong message that you’d like to teach your child.
It’s important to understand the child’s reading levels, that you get a book that has the right number of words on a page, so that they continue to be engaged.
Besides I See Me books, what are some of your favorite children’s books, your recommendations for young children?
We love Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar because it’s interactive. Our kids have always loved putting their fingers in the holes on the pages. We turn to so many books and they like different books different nights – let me think. Both of our boys love Cars and Truck that Go by Richard Scarry because they’re interactive and a lot of things to find on each page. We’ve actually incorporated that in our book My Very Own Fairy Take – there’s a fairy on each page for the child to find. It makes the book more fun for the child and makes them want to read it that much more. And The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg is another favorite.
Do you have any plans to create personalized books in other languages – since there are so many children coming from bilingual or multilingual families and it’s important for children to be read to in their mother tongue?
Yes, we have been evaluating that and when it’s the right time we will. It involves not only translating the books but also developing a marketing and distribution plan to get the books into the right places. One challenge in translating the books is that they’re all written in rhyme. So it’s not as simple as straightforward translation. We would have to completely rewrite the books if we wanted them written in rhyme in the other language. So, the short answer is Yes and we’ve been sort of deciding when is the right time to do that.
Do you have any interesting experiences to share with regards to I See Me books and your children?
A: With all three of our children, when we’ve read My Very Own Name, they’ve all fully believed that they’re the one in the bassinet in the beginning of the book and that makes the books so much fun. Our daughter loves My Very Own Fairy Tale and she likes to point to the girl at the back of the book – whose back is to us so that it could be any girl. She talks about the fact that it’s her and that she’s about to sit on the throne. So, it’s very fun for us as a family to watch our children see themselves in the story.
And you do have a new book with the holiday theme…
A Christmas Bear for Me – I was just thinking about that one. That one has also been a very popular one. One thing I’d like to share is that our son Austin, who’s 11, has become a key part of our product development. He reviews all of our books before we finalize them to look at it from a child’s perspective. And he has made some significant recommendations to us that we have used to make our books even better. For example, with A Christmas Bear for Me, we were planning on including a Certificate of Ownership for the bear and it was his idea to instead include a letter from Santa, because that would be more important to a child than a Certificate of Ownership of the Bear. And for example we had an illustration of all the stockings on the mantelpiece on the night before Christmas. And they had some candy in them and he was the one who noticed that the stockings shouldn’t have anything in them yet because it was still the night before Christmas. So, he sees things that we don’t always see. We have three kids who are 11, 8 and 3. So we read books at different levels at home which has helped in the product development.
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So, if you’re looking for a perfect gift for your kids, nephews, nieces or other children – pay I See Me a visit. And be prepared for the widest grin and the loudest squeal of delight when your gift is opened. If nothing else, at least, you won’t have to worry about giving the exact same gift as someone else. And I think it’s safe to assume that your gift won’t be forgotten or lost amidst a sea of plastic toys any time soon.
Raising a better, smarter, more compassionate generation starts with reading to your baby from an early age, but it certainly doesn’t stop there.
Why reading to your baby everyday isn’t enough
We know that reading to babies and interacting with them is one of the greatest gifts we can give them. The love of reading is the gift that empowers them for life. The experience of hearing and watching print come to life is the foundation for almost every kind of learning. And since you’re reading this post, it is safe to assume that you are already giving your child this incredibly important gift.
However, according to studies, in almost 50% of American families, children are not read to even for the recommended minimum number of minutes a week. I can only guess what the percentage may be in lesser developed nations.
So, unless literacy conscious people like us reach out to the millions of kids out there whose parents aren’t reading this blog or any other for that matter, who for reasons known best to them – circumstance, affordability, or the inability to read themselves – do not give their children this crucial and priceless gift, it’s clear that they won’t benefit from it.
Just think. Millions of kids growing up without knowing what it is to be read to, without experiencing the joys of reading, the freedom and thrill that, as far as these kids are concerned, remains trapped within the world of books. For every minute you spend reading to your child and every new book you bring home to read to your baby – there are probably tens of thousands of kids out there who are missing out on that experience.
Time spent not reading as a child is related to problems in adult life
And it’s anybody’s guess what those kids are doing in that time and what alternative experiences they are being exposed to. The fact that high crime rates, high healthcare costs, poverty and various other social problems are directly related to one’s literacy levels, especially early literacy efforts, speaks for itself.
So, basically, while you’re cuddled up reading to your kid, enriching his vocabulary, helping him form nerve connections in his brain, making him smarter, reading him stories about being kind, diligent, perseverant, honest and helpful and hoping that it will all impact his life for the better – his counterparts elsewhere are undergoing experiences that probably lie on the other end of the spectrum.
While you may be doing your best to raise a responsible, intelligent, thoughtful child who loves to read and learn, there are other kids, maybe in your own backyard – who, simply by virtue of where they are born, may be growing up to be everything you don’t want your child to be.
And although these kids may be strangers to us today, we need to remember that they will grow up sharing the same world with our kids.
These are the very kids that your baby is likely to encounter later in his life – at school, on the streets, while shopping or as he takes his commuter train to work.
Which leads us to the point of social responsibility
When it comes to education and literacy, what do you consider your responsibility? That your children learn to spell and read, that they go to the best schools you can afford to send them to, bring home grades that make you proud, that you help them with their math homework or find the best tutor who can and ensure that they develop a well-rounded personality that will set them up for a productive life? Great. But, is that enough?
Does our responsibility to our kids stop with merely educating them and ensuring that they have the skills to lead successful lives?
What of the dozens of kids in your son’s school whose parents simply don’t know how to, can’t afford to or are unable to spend as much time with them? (Let alone read to them.)Who don’t have the benefit of being surrounded by well-educated family members? Or whose lives have been predetermined by who their parents are and not by their own potential or desire to succeed? Who is responsible for them?
Why, we are, of course!
The answer isn’t immediately obvious. We all have enough to worry about without having to worry about strangers’ kids as it is. I mean, we barely squeeze time to spend with our own kids in the first place. So, how can we possibly be bothered about others we hardly even know? We are even aware of their existence only because our child happens to share a classroom or school bus with them. So why would we worry about who’s reading to them and even if they have a positive influence in their lives? And even if we wanted to, how could we possibly help?
Let’s talk about the Why, first
Leaving aside philanthropy for a minute – although I’m sure many of us agree that that too, should be an integral part of our lives – let’s look at this from a completely selfish point of view.
We should care about kids who don’t have the benefit of being exposed to books and reading because those are the kids that will grow up into adults whom our children will interact with. Wouldn’t your child be better off living in a world surrounded by peers who value reading, learning and intelligent discussions, who have had the enriching experience of being read to when young? Who enjoy reading themselves? Who are well-read, open-minded, expressive, articulate, creative, kind hearted and thoughtful?
Of course you would.
But how can you provide your child such an environment when at least half the kids in his own country are deprived of the benefits he enjoys, with respect to early literacy? These are some statistics compiled on The Literacy Gap, a report published by Everybodywins – a national literacy and mentoring nonprofit that hopes to create an impact with one mentor, one child and one book at a time.
* In the US, the typical middle-class child enters first grade with 1,000-1,700 hours of picture book reading time; a low-income with 25.
* Only 50% of low-income 4th graders read at or above the basic level compared to 79% of their middle-class peers, according to the Department of Education’s 2007 Nation’s Report Card.
* According to Dr. G. Reid Lyon, Chief of Child Development and Behavior at the National Institute of Health, “surveys of adolescents and young adults with criminal records indicate that at least half have reading difficulties, and in some states the size of prisons a decade in the future is predicted by fourth grade reading failure rates.”
* $500 billion: Annual cost to the U.S. economy of children growing up poor, a result of eventual lower productivity and earnings, higher crime rates and health costs
So, with all that in the background, how can we help but wonder – what can we do to create the kind of world we want for our kids?
The answer to this question could fill hundreds of books and still be incomplete.
How do you spread the gift of reading?
When it comes to giving children the gift of reading – the one gift that is likely to lead them to all the others – there are specific actions each of us can take to enrich the lives of children, not just our own, but hundreds, maybe thousands of others who desperately need the gift to succeed and to lead fulfilling lives.
What can you and I do to spread the gift of reading? How can we raise a generation of readers?
If you want to read to your child, start today. (Even if you have never read aloud before)
You may have heard how reading to babies from birth benefits them in various ways – making them smarter, improving their language and communication skills, boosting their confidence levels, enhancing their reading comprehension and writing skills and basically, just making better readers, and hence, better learners out of them for life.
You may not be all too happy about it if you aren’t one of those parents who began reading to their babies from the day 1.
Maybe, you simply had too much on your plate and had to mange things single-handed. A screaming, new baby couldn’t have made it easier. Maybe you just didn’t have the energy or the time. Or maybe, reading aloud simply wasn’t your thing. Whatever your reasons, it doesn’t really matter – if you want to start reading to your child today, the past shouldn’t stop you.
The great news is that you want to start now. And reading aloud is beneficial no matter how old your baby is.
But, if your baby is not really a baby anymore, and is in fact an active toddler, pre-schooler or even a kid in elementary or middle school, things could get a little tricky, before they get easy. That’s not to say that it’s going to be hard, but, hey – we all know only too well – a helpless little baby who can’t wriggle out of your arms is way easier to handle than a 5 year old with a mind and will of his own. So, we just need to figure out more creative and fun ways to get the older child interested in reading with us.
But, the point to bear in mind is this. It is never, NEVER too late to start reading to your kids. With a little determination and creativity, you CAN enjoy the experience of reading to your older children while helping them enjoy the benefits of being read to. As Emma Walton Hamilton says in her book, Raising Bookworms, it is essential to continue to read to kids even after they become independent readers.
So, how is reading to an older child different from reading to babies and what can you do about it?
1. Pick books that match your child’s interest. When you start reading to babies, they are still getting used to sounds, voices and language – so it doesn’t really matter what you read in the initial days, as long as you are exposing them to some reading or talking. However, with older kids, who have begun to understand and comprehend language, have started speaking and who may already be exposed to an environment of books at daycare or preschool – your approach needs to be a more tailored one. To make the transition to reading together easier and fun, initially choose books about things or topics your kid loves. Trains, cars, dinosaurs, bugs. As long as the book can manage to perk his curiosity and get him somewhat interested, you’re getting closer to your goal.
2. Establish the routine and explain it. If you haven’t been doing it for the first 5 or 6 years, your child may be confused at first, when you start reading together. He may wonder what it’s all about and why you’re doing it. He may have begun to associate books and reading with school or homework, so it may take a little while for him to see how your reading to him is different. To put him at ease, at the end of the first book or first read aloud session, ask him what he thought of the story or book. Tell him how much you enjoyed reading to him and would like to do it again. Tell him how much you would love to read stories together and ask him if he would like to pick out any books to read with you for the following night. Keep it sweet and simple. Make sure you pay attention to your child’s body language and listen to anything he tries to tell you. If he doesn’t seem sure, give him a little time. But, do commit to a certain time everyday and be sure to show up with a few books at that hour and read to him. Encourage him to interact and discuss, but if he is reluctant initially, do not make too big a deal out if it. Simply do your best to read to him. Be consistent, punctual and keep an open mind. Most likely, in a few days, your child will begin to see the routine you have established, come to expect it and even look forward to it.
3. Create a special reading ritual for the two of you. Above all, the purpose of you reading aloud to your child is for him to be able to see how enjoyable an experience it can be. The fact that reading is a great source of learning and language enrichment is almost a byproduct. When your child begins to enjoy something, learning is bound to happen almost effortlessly. So, to help him along in this journey of finding the excitement in reading, make a special ritual out of it. Maybe you pick a theme for a week and dress up as characters related to that theme. Or pick a reading venue that relates to the books you’re reading – something as mundane as your attic or as special as a ’secret garden’ in your backyard could work. Set an alarm or timer to go off at the same time every day so both of you, no matter what you’re doing, will know it’s reading time and meet at the designated reading spot. When your child begins to see reading with you as an adventure or as a fun activity that you care about, he is very likely to be more enthusiastic about it.
4. Have a reading party! Group reading sessions could be a lot of fun. Invite a couple of your child’s close friends over, for a snack or sleepover. Encourage them to bring their favorite books along to read together. Offer to read aloud with them. Or to help them with related discussions or activities. Play a reading game where each child has a copy of a book. One starts reading and the others follow along. When the first child stops, the second child has to start from the exact word or sentence where he left off. Or ask each child to read aloud a book or a favorite section and record it in your video camera. Make a special video out of it, adding titles, credits and editing effects. Let kids exchange these videos as birthday gifts.
5. Follow all the other Read Aloud rules. Such as not allowing interruptions while reading. Treating reading time as a special time to bond with your child. Creating or choosing a calm, inviting environment for reading. Watching and listening for cues as you read, to know if your child is enjoying a book, feeling uncomfortable or bored. Know when to switch to a new book or maybe even stop reading for the day, if your child seems particularly anxious or bored. Stop reading and chat about something else instead. Yes, I said Reading Ritual, but just like every other aspect of parenting, let your intuition be your guide.
So, whether you have been waiting for the right time to start reading to your child or are just not sure if your child is too old to be read to – it’s time to stop wondering and start reading.
Educational gifts for kids – let your kids experience other cultures!
Unique gifts for kids are usually hard to come by. Especially the kind that holds their attention and excitement for more than a few fleeting minutes under the tree. Which is why I am really impressed with Little Passports.
(Disclaimer – I haven’t purchased a Little Passports subscription yet – my daughter is too young for it – but I really do like the idea a lot and will definitely be choosing it as a gift for one of my older nieces in the coming months. This is NOT a paid review. )
Little Passports – Let your child view the world through Sam and Sophie’s eyes
If you can’t take your kids to see the pyramids or the Taj Mahal, you could still give them the experience of world travel this holiday.
When you give your child a Little Passports subscription, what you’re really giving them is a window to other cultures and countries. A subscription brings your child souvenirs, maps, accessories, music and other items from countries across the globe. So, what’s so different about this, you ask? It’s not just the gift in itself, but also how it is presented and delivered to children.
Remember your pen pal days?
The whole concept revolves around two pals – Sophie and Sam – who travel the world and send your child souvenirs from their adventures. Every month from a different country, for up to 12 months. So, each month, your child rushes to your mail box – yes the physical one standing beside your drive way – and opens it eagerly, in anticipation of the package from a far away land. Currently, the subscription brings you gifts from Japan, Brazil, India, Australia, Egypt, Argentina, China and a few other countries.
The gift set includes a suitcase and a realistic looking ‘little passport’ plus distinctive items from each country, representing their culture such as small statues, photographs, maps, music clips, stamps, reading material and activity sheets pertaining to each place. Each package is accompanied by a personalized note from Sam and Sophie addressed to your child, describing the places they’ve visited and the experiences they’ve had – a travelogue if you will.
The pricing is approximately $11 per month, and subscription packages currently offered are 1 month, 6 months and 12 months.
Now, Little Passports has won several awards including the iParenting Award for 2009 Outstanding Products and Parents’ Choice award. I don’t know what criteria they used to judge. But me?
I can immediately think of a few reasons why a Little Passport Subscription would make a terrific gift for kids.
- History and Geography become favorite subjects all of a sudden. Did you ever think the day would come? But, that’s exactly what Little Passports accomplishes. It gets kids interested in the world beyond their neighborhood, video games and chat rooms and opens their eyes to a whole new global experience with this interestingly packaged staycation.
- It fosters other related interests and hobbies. Stamp collection, map reading, souvenir collection, flag identification, learning a new language, listening to different types of music….need I go on?
- It opens their hearts and minds. In this day and age of hate crimes, bullying and school shoot outs…we could all use a generous dose of studying, understanding and showing compassion for other countries and their people. Let’s start with our kids learning a little bit more each day. And maybe it will rub off on us?
- It gets them to read. Be it the personalized letter from Sam and Sophie or any of the other fun, educational material included in the set – Little Passports nudges your child closer towards and/or encourages his existing interest in reading for the purpose of learning and for pleasure.
If you are considering putting Little Passports on your list when buying kids’ Christmas gifts ( or for any occasion for that matter), check out more details and testimonials on their website.
It all started with two San Francisco area moms who were looking for children’s products with a global element. From their website : ” We both felt a deep and personal drive to help raise a generation of children who are more empathetic to people and cultures around the world. ” “…We remembered the joy we experienced as kids when we received personal mail. We wanted to find a way to deliver that same excitement, surprise and delight to children via good old snail mail.”
I think it’s a fantastic way to get kids interested in other countries, languages and cultures without blowing your budget or stepping foot inside an airplane. And what a great way to restore the anticipation associated with the arrival of a good old-fashioned snail mail!
I often wonder if our texting, IMing, tweeting kids even know what purpose the mail box outside our home serves? If we gave them the Little Passports experience, they just might find out.
I hadn’t read or heard about Emma Walton Hamilton’s book, Raising Bookworms, when I started this blog a few months ago. I picked it up a few days ago and found to my delight that a lot of what she says, is what I believe in as well. I can’t tell you how good it feels to find reinforcement and reassurance for your thoughts and ideas from a best-selling author and educator. Her book has been a good read – informative and packed with resources – and I have been meaning to write about it.
This isn’t exactly a review of the book. Just some thoughts on what I took away from Raising Bookworms.
1. “Why did my child stop reading?” It’s not them, it’s you.Hamilton’s book revolves around the central theme of making reading a pleasurable activity for children, so that they continue to do it long after it is ‘required’ of them. It’s not TV or the internet or video games, according to the author, that have been the main cause of the decline in reading habits among children. It is our failure to find ways to create pleasant associations with reading that is at the root of the problem, which has only been deepened by the emergence of all these other distractions that are a part of our modern lifestyle. What she stresses throughout her book is for parents and educators to constantly find ways to make reading pleasurable, to somehow eliminate the negative connotations that link reading with ‘work’ or ‘a chore’ or something that ‘must be done’. She offers dozens of age appropriate ways to accomplish this, some of which you may already be doing, and others which are very much worth exploring.
2. Don’t stop reading to your child when she begins reading independently. Now, this, I must admit, I hadn’t thought about. How many of us really continue reading to our kids even after they’ve passed that kindergarten/elementary school stage and become independent readers? Hamilton points us to the fact that it is not until much later that children’s reading and listening comprehension levels converge and they begin to understand what they read and what they hear to about the same degree. Until that point, they still benefit hugely by being read to, as this way, they can be exposed to material beyond their current reading levels. Besides, the other benefits of reading together continue, even if the child no longer ‘needs’ to be read to. Something to think about for all you parents whose children may be reading independently by now. Raising Bookworms recommends that you continue to spend a few minutes every day reading together.
3. Reading resources for the whole familyThe book is full of online and offline resources that parents and educators trying to raise readers, regardless of their level or age, will find very useful. I’d say if I picked just 3 or 4 from those listed and followed her advice through, it would make a difference in our lives.
4. Bilingual Babies – What about reading to your kids from books written in your mother tongue? The only disappointment for me was – I had hoped to find in the book the issue of language being addressed. With approximately every one in four kids in America being born to an immigrant family, isn’t it pertinent that this element feature in all our discussions on education. As important as it is to read to kids everyday( the general assumption being we’re referring to books written in English), it is crucial that we continue to speak to and read to our children in our mother tongue as well. Leaving aside the cognitive and academic benefits that studies continue to show bilingual children enjoy, there is fundamentally no reason for us to deprive our kids of the wonderful opportunities and experiences that learning different languages from an early age opens up. Especially when the language in question is one’s mother tongue. I have been thinking about this recently, since I realize that almost all the written material I expose my daughter to is in English. And although she enjoys reading and we continue to do many of the activities that Raising Bookworms suggests that associate reading with pleasure, I can’t help feeling I have failed to do enough when it comes to introducing her to her mother tongue. The language she has been hearing from the very beginning and the language in which, I am sure, she thinks. Why haven’t I exposed her to more of our writing?
While availability of children’s books in our native language is one reason, the other is, how rarely this bi-lingual aspect is brought up in (my?) discussions about reading to kids, early literacy and education.
And since I still have the power and the responsibility to show my daughter the way, I have taken it upon myself to do more in this area. And the tips in Raising Bookworms, although, written primarily with English speaking families in mind, may very well work with with any language.
What steps do you take to raise bookworms in your family?
Story time at book store - Fancy Nancy's Splendiferous Christmas
As you can probably tell, I am a big fan of story time sessions at the library and reading events for kids at book stores. I have always loved spending time around books, although I am no voracious reader by any stretch of imagination. Mostly, I just end up staring at all the wonderful books that I don’t make time to read. In my defense- I have been too busy reading hundreds of picture books, baby board books and bedtime stories( hey, they count too!!) to my daughter the past 3 years, when I’m not attending to her other needs or trying to make the most of her terrible two’s and three’s and other stages in between that well-meaning people assure me are temporary phases. But, I digress. As I was saying…
I especially like having the option of taking M to story time during the winter months, when playing outside or going for a walk are ruled out on most days. And what makes these trips more enjoyable is when we go out as a family on weekends and come back with something other than mall shopping bags full of stuff we don’t really need.
Story time – Something for Everyone
So, we’re just back from a Saturday morning story time session at Borders to celebrate the arrival of Fancy Nancy’s Splendiferous Christmas – the latest book in the series. And, I just have to say, I think this is my favorite way to start the weekend. No, not by reading a Fancy Nancy book every Saturday, (not that there would be anything wrong with that!), but – a family trip to the local book store.
Here’s why.
Surrounded by books and other kids, M almost forgets to whine, nag and throw a tantrum for those 45-60 minutes. Taking full advantage of the situation, my husband and I enjoy a cuppa whatever we feel like, while browsing through some of our favorite reading sections. When story time’s about to start, we all settle down close to each other – M eager as always to be read to. They usually have crafts and a snack for kids at the end of the session and today, they wrapped it up with a raffle draw and some cool giveaways for kids.
Kids enjoy crafts before and after story time
So, at the end of the hour – what do we have? One happy, super-charged 3 year old with a bag of goodies to keep her occupied on the ride back home. A Fancy Nancy story to talk about later ( and probably bring home some time). And a pair of rested, grown-ups with caffeine in their system, who didn’t have to deal with a tantrum for one whole hour. (If you have a 3 year old, you know how huge that is.)
Nothing to complain about. Now, that’s what I call a family happy hour.
If you have ever interacted with a toddler or preschooler, you have probably wondered on more than one occasion – How on earth do I get him to pay attention when I read to him? What can I do to keep my kid interested for more than a couple of minutes?
I have been there many times, with my now 3 year old, who, by the way, is not one to stay put as we read, even now. Not on most occasions anyway.
But, I’ve followed some of the techniques that librarians and the story tellers in book stores use and have found them to work most of the time. As you may have noticed, they don’t simply stop at reading. They get the kids to participate and interact by incorporating other elements.
It’s important to combine reading aloud with a range of other activities such as singing action songs, recollecting stories, making up stories, pretend play and other interactive techniques. When reading to baby, remember to mix it up a little with a variety of books and activities to keep boredom at bay. Even with babies who appear not to be interested in books or reading, you can perk their interest when you switch to a different, but related activity or finger play that engages them in the process.
The librarian in this video alternates reading aloud with popular songs, nursery rhymes and stories such as this one that complement the reading process.
Note how she chooses a story that engages the children with elements they find enjoyable or interesting and are familiar with – colors, numbers, rhyming words and disappearing dogs!
Do you have a favorite activity you try when reading to baby?
You can never really be sure which books your child will like.
Take my daughter, for example. Among the dozen or so books we pick out from the library every few days, she ends up picking out the strangest of them as her favorite.
Case in point : her current favorite. A book about a rhinoceros who loves to ask riddles and a goose that loves caring for others.
I had no idea she would like this book so much when we chose it at the library last week. ( I should have known – M picked it out herself!)
So, as always, we began putting all the books on her shelf, when we got home. And guess which book she picked out to read first?
I didn’t know what the book was about. We tried to guess from the cover. And then we started reading.
As it turns out, it is one of the most delightful stories we have read.
Tilly the goose goes around bandaging the wounded and reading to the sick and making fluffy feather pillows and blankets to sell at the market. On one particular day, Gregor the rhinoceros lies stretched across the path, not allowing any of the traders to go to the market to sell their wares. There’s fox with his freshly baked cakes and sheep with her beautiful bouquets and all the other animals who simply want to go and sell their goods. But, Gregor has other plans. He has decided that he will let the traders pass only if one of them answers his ridiculous riddle correctly.
Story about friendship
In desperation, the meek creatures offer their answers which provide the nasty looking Gregor with some hearty, belly laughs.
Days pass by and as the animals try to figure out a way to answer Rhino’s riddle and get to the market, there is one particular member of the community that has other worries on her mind. All Tilly the goose can think about is whether Rhino is cold and how she might make him comfortable, if he might need a new blanket or a hat. With every trip Tilly makes to meet Gregor, the two get closer. It’s perhaps Gregor’s first experience with being treated with kindness and cared for so lovingly by a friend. To Tilly, it doesn’t matter that her products aren’t getting sold or that there’s no room to store them in her home. All that she cares about is that Gregor, her new pal, is warm and safe. And to Gregor, the whole experience is well…an eye opener. He has never had someone be his friend. Even better, someone who gets his Hippopotamus jokes!
As this beautiful tale of friendship develops, something quite magical happens. And the riddle is solved, by none other than Tilly, who wasn’t even trying to answer it.
But, more important, Gregor has changed. He has begun to care. He knows how it feels not to be nasty. And what it means to be a friend. And together, Tilly the goose and Gregor the rhinoceros make the most helpful pair the neighborhood has ever seen.
I don’t know why M likes this book. We’ve read so many books about animals and friendship and being helpful and kind. But, what in particular, caught her attention and imagination in this book? I have no idea. Maybe it’s the riddle, around which the story develops. ( Which, by the way is her favorite thing to do these days – I warn friends and family who plan to stop by to be prepared to answer the question at our doorstep!) Maybe it’s the illustration or the names of the characters or just all of it combined. The point is – there are days when I pick out a book assuming that it would make a great read for her and she’d rather watch the clouds than read the book. And then there are books like this that capture a place in her heart in an instant, even before we’ve finished reading it the first time.
And that’s one of the things that makes reading with your kids so thrilling. Like every other aspect of parenting, there’s always a surprise in store. Something for you to discover together. Always an opportunity to learn about and from your baby. The one you think you’re going to teach a thing or two.
Have you ever been surprised when your baby took a fancy to the unlikeliest of books? I would love to hear about that!
Also,
Related activities to try with your child:
- Identify all the animals in the book. Come up with names for them.
- Identify ‘boys’ and ‘girls’-
- Identify what each animal is selling
- Pretend play – you and your baby can be rhino and goose, while other family members take on the other roles. (This is M’s favorite)
- Come up with other silly riddles
- Come up with helpful things to do for others
