With all kinds of gadgets around, children hardly want to sit around and read a story book. Reading story books helps a child to build up his character and before the advent of the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling reading story books were quickly going out of fashion.Even after the HP series there is a lull. Parents are so concerned that their children are not reading books but are chatting online or playing games all the time.
I remember I got beaten several times for reading story books late at night. When I say this to the kids of my sister and cousins they say I am too old to understand how boring story books are. Am I that old??? I will be 22 in a couple of months. I just do not understand. Is there no way to make these kids read story books like Adventures of Tom Swayer and Huckleberry Finn???
[question posted by sagnik42]
responses and comments:
I agree children need to learn how to read more story books. Tell them to get off their fancy devices and enjoy some time reading which can be a good time for them. [virusxtreme24]
Yes, children need to read more. But we need to update our books. You can't expect us to read books that were written in our grandparents age. Let me explain that. Select children will enjoy that but with dialect they spoke then and the dialect we speak now it makes it very hard for us to understand the way that they are speaking and makes it very hard to understand. I think maybe if they made modern versions of the classics, I think children will be more apt at reading. [ashley1171]
MomSellingAvon It was nice to read your comment. happyChildren do have a fascination for stories. Your daughter is a good example.It is once they start growing up and start having access to other things which leads them away from books. Best of luck with your brother and daughter. [sagnik42]
My daughter is still very young, but reading is one of her favorite things to do. I put her hard back books down in a container that she is able to open, right next to her favorite chair. Every day we read at least three books. She loves to just sit in her chair and look through the pictures. I think that it is great for children to read. I always liked reading myself, so hopefully I can pass on the love for reading to my daughter. I think that parents should encourage their children to read more. I think that they were learn a lot more from a book then they will ever learn from a video game. I think reading provokes the imagination which is what children need, not another brain washing video game. :) Happy mylotting. [tlb0822]
The way you described it reminded me of the boy in Baby's Day Out. I am sure she will love reading books more and more as she grows up. [sagnik42]
I've set a good example for my kids. Children learn what they live. I'm an avid reader and they often catch me laughing or crying as I get caught up in a good book. I'm always going through book racks at the thrift stores and boxes of books at garage sales. If I stumble across a book I liked as a child; I pick it up for my kids. And that's a long list. They had a full bookcase before they were old enough to read. My 12 year old son can read at an adult level; especially if it's a subject that interests him. It's been a little harder to get my daughter into reading but I just have to find books that SHE likes - not that I like for her. [imsilver]
That is what all parents should do.You are setting a good example.Well with times changing preferences surely change.I am sure you will find some books that your daughter will like. [sagnik42]
I think it's definitely part of the parents' responsibility. My dad took it upon himself to teach me to read and write when I was 3. I was supposed to start Kindergarten when I was 4 and he thought I'd be behind the class if I didn't know how to read and write when I got there. As it was I didn't start Kindergarten until I was 5, almost 6 (my birthday is November 2 which is why I was going to start at 4...I'd have been 5 less than halfway through the year) and by then I had two years of practice and most of my classmates hadn't even started. *shrug* But I really jumped from those picture books that didn't have any words, just pictures, to chapter books...Babysitters Club, Boxcar Children, Choose Your Own Adventures....And I totally and completely owe my love of books and of reading to my dad. He made it important for me to learn when I was really young and I never looked back. That's not to say it's not possible for tweens and teens to learn to love to read. Figure out what they like (the kinds of movies they watch, the kinds of video games they play) and recommend books in that same realm. Personally, I hated Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn but I read every one of the Fear Street series. There are thousands upon millions of books out there, it just might take a little work to find something that works with their interests. [crimsonladybug]
Another fantastic comment, thank you so much. I thought you might not have heard of her.Just an intuition but it turned out to be right.w00t Well Enid Blyton is, I think, the best author of children books. I was such a huge fan of her writings. It was her books that drew me towards English Literature. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enid_Blyton You can check on that link for more information. She is most famous for the series of FAMOUS FIVE and THE SECRET SEVEN.I hope you have heard about these books.happy [sagnik42]
Yes,you are right,i agree with you.Children should read more instead of doing everything online.Reading story books means a lot,I know it may takes time to read a book,but i can tell you that if you read a good book,it helps you a lot.You may then be good at writing and fiction.What's more,reading does help build up people's character.Take an example,it can make you become patient and learn to be a careful man. [jackie_chen]
hiii.. I also thnk that children should read some light weight story books, nt all very intelligent bt compare to their age they should read stories,it will increase their interest for out side world and it will make the student to think beyond their limits which they have only made, so I think thats the simple way to make children active more n more... [joshirajen]
I like to read story books when I was young.But now I don't like reading the books as before. Because most of information can get from internet.Even I can't spent a little time to read 10 pages. Maybe Internet give me a big change in reading habit. [sissi2002]
Your response brought up another aspect.Not only children but the elders as well should find some time to read.Maybe not story books, necessarily, but some magazine some other kinds of information related books.Reading is a good habit and pastime. [sagnik42]
Yes I am agree with sagnik...reading story book is the good havit for the any one including children..and they should read story book which are written only for the children..that makes them to think positively,to build cherecter,to grow up his/her mind....the havit is causing only for improvement..there is no negetive approch..so they should be encouraged to read story books... [jyotirmoyy]
Hello sagnik, children should be encouraged to read books period. And they still do. My son reads a lot, especially in bed at night for a couple of hours, and he's been used to books being around right from birth and a habit he established himself very early on. When I was in the UK there were many discount book shops and I bought tons of books for my son as knew it would be difficult to get English language books out here in Greece. Right from the start he's had the children's classics which can't be bettered in my opinion. Some of the newer books for children did indeed look boring and aren't going to hold a child's imagination but old classics still conjure a good tale and massively improve a child's vocabulary. My son often comes out with some very old fashioned phrases which he could only have picked up from his reading. As well as story books though he also enjoys history books and books about facts. Of his own volition when he was studying the Greek gods at school, in Greek, he also read more in his own time from English language books about the same subject. He's perfectly normal, obsessed with his game boy, cartoons, playing out with friends and being sporty but he's got the reading bug for life so I'm rightly proud of that. [thea09]
Hi sagnik42, Gosh!! you are not old, I admire you for thinking that kids should read more books instead of messing around with the new their computers, I used to love reading alot and still do, I think schools should encourage kid to read more, it jsut too much computers and I think its down to lazyness of the schools today. Tamara [tamarafireheart]
Hi sagnik. You are right, children should be encouraged to read story books. But, the children learn from what they see. From my point of view, parents should build up a good model for the children. If the parents love reading and always read when the kids are there. I believe the kids will like to read as well because kids love to imitate their parents! Besides, parents should read the kids story when they are small to encourage them to read. Establish the reading as a habit from young age will make the children love reading when they grow up. We read our baby stories too. We want our kid love reading as it is very important. Have a nice day and happy mylotting. [lulumartin]
Children should absolutly be encouraged to read, its up to the parents to set the example and show there children that reading is enjoyable and relaxing and can be fun because you cant force children to read, my children are allowed to use the computer but only for an hour a day and they love to read and be read to. I have always loved to read and the kids seeing me reading for enjoyment seems to have encouraged them to love reading and we always have story time before bed, it not only encourages them to read and enjoy it but its also a nice time for them to unwind and a great bonding time, im not sure when reading to your kids before bed ceased to be the norm i had assumed it was just something most parents did but have realized that most of my friends who are parents dont seem to think its important and one even bought her daughter books on cd! Dont understand that one it certainly doesnt encourage her daughter to learn to read or to enjoy the quiet relaxing time that you get from reading a book when its blaring in your ears! Unfortunatly there is so much technology that getting back to basics needs to be encouraged at home and limiting time spent with that technology is the key in my home! [caraj444]
Good point. There are many good books. Instead of giving toys as gifts, give them a good book to read. Harry Potter books can be good to make children interested in reading books. However giving them non-fictional, character or building books would be better. Before that you need to ask yourself, 'have I read Ramayan, Mahabharata or Vikram and Betaal?' [VANILLAREY]
I certainly have read all the three.lol...Unfortunately not the original editions as I never had that much money to spend.sad.I had to do with the children editions.angry [sagnik42]
I believe that the number of people out there that have let their kids slide as far as having them read has gone down drastically. I too feel that children should be encouraged to read as it not only builds character it also lets them use their minds, helps them learn to speak & pronounce, etc. I know that we have now gone into the computer age and everything is being done via the computer, I was even shocked when my daughter began kindergarten and was already being introduced to the computer. I think things need to go back to the way they were years ago. Start off with the actual reading and work their way up to the computer. [dbabcook]
Yes, it do kind frightening to see that not many children like to read nowadays. As a teacher for elementary school I always encouraged my pupils to read a lot of book and I really like them working and learning by their won through books, there are so many wisdom in reading that online games cannot be found. You are not old to say that. It just that the culture are changing and book are not becoming like what it used to. [ucue2008]
That is really true.Childrens now a days don't read a lot because of all of the technology.My son reads alot and it is crazy.We are at the library about every week so that we can go and get books for him.It is actually not a bad thing. [mequan]
I think the same thing. How hard is it really to get a child to read a book instead of watching tv. My parents read to me often when I was young and I got hooked fast and I can't put a book down now if I've got it in my hands until I'm done with it. I know there are books out there that are interesting and just wonderful things if they just read them. Heck, I still read them because I love the story lines they use. [k1tten]
I guess with the change in time, story books are way behind now. It is not in the fad anymore, if you know what I mean.Children now learns the story in movies, dvds, tv, internet..no more books for them. I have 5 kids and they are not all so fond of books. I may see one or 2 of them reading a book but not that often. I often tell my kids that the stories in the movies are not complete and they should read the actual book for them to understand it more. I love books myself and I grew up with books. Our house is full of books and I see that no one reads them only I do. When I go to the mall I would rather buy a book than shop for clothes. I guess time moves forward and we are getting pushed back from our generation. [p3halliwel2005]
I think you should let them start with books on information and knowledge.Maybe they will like those.happy. Do not give up hope. Encourage them and I am sure they will start reading books. [sagnik42]
Definitely. Reading is very good habit.It should be encouraged in children. Now in era of Gizmo's they are busy with gadgets.Book is like nothing to them. [subha12]
There is a book called "The Read-Aloud Handbook" by Jim Trelease. I found this book invaluable. If anyone grew up not being read to by their parents, they may have questions on how to read to their children. This book covers it all. Even though my parents did read to me, the above mentioned book covered some areas that I was unaware of. Here are some of the chapters: 1-Why Read Aloud?, 2-When to Begin Read-Aloud, 3-The Stages of Read-Aloud, 4-The Do's and Don'ts of Read-Aloud, 5-The Home/School Connection, 6-Home and Public Libraries, 7-Television, 8-Sustained Silent Reading: Read-Aloud's Natural Partner, 9-How to Use the Treasury, 10-Treasury of Read-Alouds: Wordless Books, Picture Books, Short Novels, Novels, Poetry, Anthologies, 11-Notes, 12-Bibliography, 12-Author-Illlustrator Index to Treasury. This was the chapter layout of (I think) the third edition of this book. In checking out some book dealer websites, I noticed that this book has been recently updated to a sixth edition. My book is over 20 years old and still holds a special place in my heart for giving me a road map of how to do this. This book has so many good suggestions for books to read and why and how to read to a child. It is a good stepping off point if you don't know what to pick from for reading material. It explains different levels of reading and some of the pitfalls of reading to a child too far below or above their reading level. It gives ideas for each reading level. It has built our family into a family of readers. We have not given up the TV or video games at all but I find it interesting how most of us would rather curl up with a good book and choose books over TV or video games most of the time. [sysdexlicwriter]
I am a primary school teacher and a parent of three children. I did my a special and in depth study of children's responses to story books when I was at university. I was so lucky in that teaching placement that I was placed in a village school. I had 4 to 7 years olds all in the same class. The spelling of the 7 year old improved with all the reading that they did. The imagination of all the children improved. They loved to make up their own stories. By now I expect those children will still be fascinated bu story books. They will be much older, of course, but hopefully I gave them a life long love for literature. Once I had to write an assignment on how Shakespeare was suitable for 4 year olds. Children's literature is lovely and books like Tom Swayer could be enjoyed by grown ups as well as children. [maximax8]
Reading actually builds concentration. It forces children to imagine out what they read. In the process ,they learn new words and appreciate styles of writing.With DVDs and cinema shows such as Transformers and Harry Potter movies, children rather watch the movies than read those books. So, we have a big problem here as many things are attracting away the attention of children from reading.Tom Sawyer and Huck no longer appeal to modern kids because the background has changed drastically. White-washing fences is something quite alien to children these days. To ensure, children at least read some books, the schools must have reading periods scheduled within the school curricula.Also schools should put children to do project work that they have to go to the library and read to collect information and data. [jonjee0203]
I totally agree with you that children should be encouraged to read story books. It adds to their vocabulary and helps them express themselves better. Reading make children be creative and gives them ideas of what to write in their compositions. Books are very useful for children who are learning a language. They learn how to spell and write words. Growing up I was discourage to read comics because they were not written in 'good English'. The only way to encourage children to read books is by creating curiosity in them. Take them to the library or just buy them books that interest them. [in4net6rix]
I try to read to my kids ever night, although I have to admit sometimes I don't. I love to read to my kids, and my kids have many books they know by heart. I agree parenst need to rad more. [erikmama]
i know my parents were obsessed with me reading and i was reading by the age of 4 and continued reading till i was a teen then got into other things and now i rarely read books lol.. but at least i grew up knowing it was important and mastering it instead of having reading issues and like avoiding reading for the rest of my life [moonlitmagikchild]
hi....sagnik... how are u...i am fine..... an this is a very serious issue...now a days...there is bad trend going on and the trend is a very much harmful to the society and its spoiling it.now a days when a boy comes from the school...the immideaatly sit in front of TV and start his day.......and the parents also encourage it....but this is not good a child should have a minimum time of reading......and do this in.good manner...so my take is a child should be encouraged to reading. [johndevis1234]
i agree. and i believe that when children are exposed to books, they would naturally read. even if their parents do not. just as long as parents keep giving books to their children, that's the least they can do if they don't have time to read to them. [versio9]
Yes, I do agree that books help to build strong, good character, however, we must learn to understand our kids and the age we're living in. It is our duty as adults to get with the time and produce good 'soft-copy' reading materials, equaling the quality of books and magazine etc. Not to make obsolete hard-copy versions but to understand the Information Age - technology driven; ebooks etc - and manipulate it to our benefit. Maybe, tell part the story through ebooks and just when the story gets exciting, offer the continuation through hardcopy versions - I don't know, just a suggestion. But whatever and however the use and combination, it is vital we understand the the turning of the time and how these coming generations learn. [Lezzdenada]
I definately agree. why would kids today read charlottes web when 2 movies are out? and this to me is sad as i remember when i could read charlottes web all by myself and that made the story more important to me. reading is magic and very imaginative and we need our kids reading moreso than surfing the web [CORDALE]
I totally agree. I used to read a lot and like you would get caught reading under the blanket at night. My older son loves to read...he was exposed to books quite early and always loved to read. He was reading moving scrolls on news channels when he was 4! My younger one who is now 3 was also introduced to books early...but this little fellow didn't like books and would close them shut everytime we tried to read to him or even tried to get him to look at pictures in books. But slowly we worked on it...started off with books that had things he was interested in...vehicles and then introduced him to the Pooh bear cartoons on television and introduced them as books. He now likes books and 'pretends' to read...makes up his own stories based on the pictures...and is slowly learning the 'phonetic' way. Hopefully, he will start reading classics when he reaches the right age. My older son who is 9 is reading a lot of the classics (we have a collection at home). [SViswan]