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It’s a sad, but true fact.
It’s getting harder and harder to get children reading more books instead of doing other things, such as gaming.
That’s why it’s so important to use reading as a mainstay for indoor activities for kids.
In this new age of electronics and the allure of all the gaming possibilities, it seems many children are becoming virtually addicted to playing computer games. Even on beautiful Spring and Summer days, my son would spend all his free time playing computerized games, it was left up to him.
And now that the cold, winter months will soon be upon us, it often becomes even more challenging to entice our children to do productive things with their time – especially for a family who lives in Minnesota, as we do. In our neck of the woods, there are way too many days that I can not send my son outside to do something, because it is physically just too cold.
So, if our children have to be indoors on certain days, what’s a better alternative than electronic games?
Reading a good book is the answer I came up with.
I hope you did too.
However, as I mentioned, books have a lot of competition these days. Television, computer games, video games, gadgets that fit in their pocket, DVD players in the car, and even electronic gadgets on bikes are all fighting for our children’s attention.
I distinctly remember the day many years ago when my husband came home with a “Playstation” that he had bought from someone at work. My oldest son was about six and my youngest was around two. How my children wanted to spend their leisure time changed drastically, beginning with that day and that new toy.
I am not exaggerating. All three of my children have a love of books and to this day, they still read a fair amount. However, I will wager any dollar amount that my children, like millions of other kids around the world would read more, be healthier, be more sociable and do better in school (which ties directly into reading), if it wasn’t for the excessive amount of gaming possibilities that exist today.
When electronic gadgets were developed that were small enough to hide from Mom and Dad, it got even tougher to monitor what my children were doing in their free time!
But I have never given up hope and neither should you.
Either turning our kids into book lovers or helping to keep them book lovers may take some persistence and creativity, but it can be done.
Something important to keep in mind is that the earlier you get your children interested in reading, the better. I started reading to my children as newborns and it paid off. They are all exceptional readers today, which has benefited them in a zillion different ways.
If your children are at the age when they are looking to you for good books, as an early learning childhood educator for over thirty years,
I can guarantee that “Ella the Doggy” books will help them learn to love books.
Click to find out more HERE!
Just a note: when children are being read to, it’s fine to bump up the language a notch or two, because children can often hear
the language used and understand it much faster than if they are trying to read it and comprehend it themselves.
Parents who read to their kids help establish a great vocabulary, better communication skills,
and often form many special bonds centered around reading favorite books together.
We know the many benefits of reading, such as sparking imaginations and creativity, expanding their horizons and doing better in school, so…
What exactly can we do to get our children reading more? Here are a few suggestions…
1. Let kids choose their own books. The more interest they have in a topic, the more they will want to read. (Obviously, you will want to monitor your child’s book selections to a certain extent, though).
2. Have a family reading hour. Start small and progress.
3. Encourage older children to read to younger siblings. Both the reader and the listener will benefit.
4. Set a good example. Make sure your children witness your enjoyment of reading. (If you don’t see yourself as a reader, work on becoming a better reader right along with your kids!)
5. Encourage your children to read a series of books. It can help establish better reading habits and moving onto the next title is a simple choice.
Finding books for kids that they will love and you will enjoy having them read can be easily done online.
(This is an especially great way to browse for books in the dead of winter when you don’t want to everyone dressed up in warm winter gear to go the library or book store).
Click Here to check out all five of “Ella the Doggy” books!
This Winter, when you are wondering what to do to keep your kids to keep them happy and busy, you will be glad you did!
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