๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ก-๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ. And I donโt know about you, but I think thatโs a critical problem.
As an educator, I know that literacy starts in the home. And in observance of International Literacy Day, Iโm sharing a few tips to help you start the foundation of breeding a reader!
1. Let your kids see you reading!
The phrase โlead by exampleโ is not to be taken likely. Kids are more likely to have a desire to read if they see the ones closest to them reading. If they never see reading happening in the house, itโll never be in their mind to do so themselves. Even better, it doesnโt have to be the biggest chapter book you can find. Magazines off of the living room table, or cookbooks in the kitchen cabinet still count as reading. Building family literacy has a direct correlation to how much, or how little your child reads. Just read! Pretty simple right? For more tips on creating family literacy, click here.
2. Read to them.
Iโll be the first to say, Iโm not one of those nightly bedtime story moms. For one, I donโt want to. I like going to bed, just as much as my kids hate it. And thatโs okay (this is a no momshame zone). Two, sometimes there is just not the time. When there is time, read them stories about things they are interested in. If you think, woa, my kid is in 4th grade, they do not want to hear a book from their momma, fret not. Everyone from birth to eighty five enjoys hearing a good book from time to time. Plus, there are a lot of apps in which your kids can be read a story. Here are a few of my favs:
3. Let your child choose what they read (within reason)
My son, no matter how hard I tried to get him to switch it up, would always choose books from the Dog Man and Big Nate series. Itโs not that I didnโt like those books, because theyโre actually very entertaining. But I also wanted his book choices to enrich his vocabulary. Believe it or not, reading plays a big part in a childโs vocabulary development, and vocabulary development is a HUGE part of their academic success. But when the book fair came to his school, I made sure he had the money to purchase the newest book in the series if he wanted. And so what if he read the same book over and over, heโs reading.
4. Think outside of the box.
Reading is not just a task students do in school, and it is certainly not something that is only done at a desk. At least it shouldnโt be. Creating a space thatโs only for reading can make all of the difference. A cool, personalized reading space is not that hard to create either. All you would need is something to sit on and throw in some comfy items and WHALA! You can even get mobile. Going on a trip across town or down the street to HEB? Make sure to have a book readily available in the car. Even if your child isnโt actually โreadingโ yet, reading picture books is a great place to start. All books tell a story, and what better story than one created in the mind of your child. Check out these ideas of fun and easy ways to put a book nook together.
Also, If you love a good giveaway, you can head over to my Instagram @everyday.is.everything where me and a couple of my childrenโs book author friends are doing our part to promote literacy by giving away a couple of books! We are excited to be able to get these books into the hands of a special kiddo. They are our future. And itโs up to us as educators, as parents, as adults leading the way, to play our part in making sure they do not become one of those 45 million! The odds are against us, but together, with intent and dedication, we can do it!