Mu kids alwyas play games and like watching video games. I have bought a lot of story book children, but they don't like reading them. How to arouse their attention so they will change their interest?
[question posted by utsadetti]
responses and comments:
ACT out the Book..Pretend to be a Character from the Story and make the noises they make etc.. I do it with mine and they find it hillarious!! [puma_nz]
i know that buddy. I mean, i can't stay with them all the time. What happen if i am not there anymore to read the story? [utsadetti]
Maybe take them to the library and help them pick out a couple of books about topics or that have characters that interest them. I don't know how old your kids are but in my elementary classroom, I always have books available that would appeal to their interests. A lot of them like books about animals, dinosaurs, things like that. [klday76]
How about a book store and they can pick the book of their choice. Even though you are not with them all the time, start the book off by acting it and if they get interested they will read the rest by themselves. [sumitvella]
I NEVER liked reading childrens books. It wasn't until I was allowed to read what I WANTED that I showed any interest in reading. [danishcanadian]
So what happened to your kids? Do they play PS2 or PS3 all the time? [utsadetti]
Well, you didn't say how old your kids are, but I know a lot of kids like being read to, even after they're good readers themselves. My grandma read to me till I was about 10 or so. I was an excellent reader and read larger chapter books, but I loved having her read the little picture books. Maybe try reading to your children. Like someone already said, try acting out the story. Younger children especially like this. It makes it more real to them. Try reading to them as much as possible. Start out with just a story or two at bedtime and try to expand it. The younger you start, the better. My mom and grandparents always read to me when I was little, and now I can't imagine NOT loving to read. [reindeerpaws]
My kids are in kindergarten and playgroups, 5 year and 3 year old, buddy. [utsadetti]
I will tell them that they cant play games unless they read!!! [disvachic]
he he he you are so strict buddy. it's good. [utsadetti]
You might want to hide the computer or TV to your bedroom. In that way, they can't access to play anymore. Only show the TV or PC if they have become fast readers already and shown you good grades in school. [amira_milka]
wow, cool, your comment is always good, amira. Kiss 10x. [utsadetti]
I think no child like reading, they always want to play some game to make them happy. Don't annoyed about it, that is the child's nature character, don't force the child to do something it don't like. and Maybe the game and video also can be set into education tools, there are more and more education game in the market. [xiongqh]
That's what i want to know buddy. If they don't get used to reading, then it's difficult to start with. [utsadetti]
Lead by example, you being reading in front of them and perhaps you will get the chance to share it with them. You could institute a new rule, like 15 minutes of reading gets you 1 hour of game time or something like that. My daughter also reads comics on line. That is too funny like my jigsaw puzzles on line. Truly amazing. Good luck. Reading is so important. [Willowlady]
Yeah, it's good idea. But should i stay with them everytime? cos sometime i should be away, out of town. Can i handle that? [utsadetti]
how old are they??? they must have some sched to be follow strictly ..before playing those video games.. [vanities]
Thea are 5 year old boy and 3 year old girl. What's your advice then? [utsadetti]
if ur childern not interested in the reading then u have bring those typr of books which are shown in the video games and videos. if they those things in the books then they take interest in reading. if interest is produce in the childern to read then they can read anything you want. hence corporate with the children and bring those type of books they like more and more at sarting stage. if they like reading then give any books you want, they eagerly read this books. [fun4july]
That's a brilliant idea buddy. I should try it. Thanks for the info. [utsadetti]
Hi, please try by read the nice book story for them before they sleep everyday. Maybe one day they will interest to read the book by them self. [Rasnie]
Yeah, i'll try, lol. It's good. But the problem is i can't stay with them all the time. [utsadetti]
There are a lot of kids movies that are made on kids books.. like the harry potter, lord of the rings, x-men.. spiderman, superman.. I think you should start with comic which have Photographs and kids will get addicted to them.. x-men, calvin and hobbes, garfield ... tintin, asterix .. all thse books will be interesting for your kids. Then you can move on to harry potter and other kids books which dont have pictures. Kids develop interests by following their peers.. also you can take them to the library. Maybe you should take them to a bookstore.. buy yourself a book and ask them if they want to buy something that will interest them, they can browse through books there and might pick one. [edelweiss]
Books like Harry potter is good for them? I mean, for kid at the age of 5 or 3? Don't i read them just easy stories? [utsadetti]
You haven't told us how old your children are, but whatever age you should set an example. Let them see their parents reading every day and also read them a story at night when they are in bed and before you put the lights out. Also no video games or only allow them to play them for a certain amount of time and some days they should not play them at all. Reading is so necessary in this life and it also means that no matter where they are, they can pick up a book and read to keep themselves occupied. It might take some perseverence from you and your wife but if you do persist then you will see the results you want. Certainly they might not be happy if you stop them from playing video games but you are the parent and it is not healthy for them to play video games all the time. Their brains need to be occupied and stimulated in the right way which is something that reading does. Also they canlet their imaginations run wild, making the funny sounds, pulling faces or whatever but reading should be fun for them. [ossie16d]
It would certainly be much harder if you cannot be with them all the time, so have you tried putting away the games and computer sometimes when you are away from them. This will mean they have to find something else to do, although it is hard with the younger one of course. Good luck to you. [ossie16d]
its perfectly fine yaa.. i mean these days overall the reading ability of kids has drasticaaly decrased..but instead you can tell him to watch cartoons..car races...and stuff..see to it that he is atleast hearing to certainn programs of educational nature..it will definately help him his spellings etc shud be made stronger..may be u can buy him educational cd's if he loves watching TV..and at time u have to be very strict with them.. [rakrodnahc]
I think watching cartoons like Crayon sincan that is popular in indonesia is also not good. it decreases the eagerness of reading, buddy. [utsadetti]
I have found that tv and video games are taking over our lives. Have you tried limiting your childrens TV viewing time? Maybe when you switch off at night, you could read to them, and then ask them if they would like to read for you. I do that with my grandchildren and they love to read stories to me. They even argue as to which one of them should read the next story. Of course it would depend on the ages of your children. [Alexandria37]
That's the problems. We most of the time are outside the house. So kids are the owner of the house now. How to control them then? [utsadetti]
You cant force your kidds to do anything,if you try to force them to do something,they will hate it for the rest of their lifes.How old are your kidds?Jus talk with them ,ask them what they like,you known your kidds better than anybody.since they are interested in playing games,i bet they would like graphical comics,super hero stuffs like that.You should start with tech magazines which are very vibrant.This all depends on their age. [jobinbabu]
Your kidds are very young ,so i dont think their is any problem with it.But you should make your kidds do some outdoor activities [jobinbabu]
just told them to review the book once by overall if the like then they will read [suren2k6cse]
yeah, i'd like to. But they are still young buddy. [utsadetti]
That's not a big surprise for me. The kids of these years don't like read books. I remember when I was young that reading was one of my best activity, a thing that still I love. You can try to start with something that can be interesting for them, maybe something that has a link with videogames or tv program. It can be a fist step to attact them... [lucalucky]
yeah, that's our age when we loved reading. Now, kids are crazy on games. [utsadetti]
Utsadetti I found a really nice website for children that has childrens bookplates that you can print out and stick into your book. (Bookplates are 'name-tags' for books, where you can write who owns the book.) This site is in English and the bookplates are in English. I don't know if your kids are english, but maybe if theyre not you could make some of your own for your kids on the computer, or they could make some. The idea behind this is that it encourages a sense of ownership of the book, therefore encourages the child to read. Some of them are in colour already, but others are in black and white for the kids to colour in then stick in the book. They also have bookmarks on the site that you can print out. [fluffleshark]
Oh I'm so sorry Utsadetti - after all that I forgot to give the website name...! Its www.myhomelibrary.org Hope it helps! [fluffleshark]
well playing games is also a good way of learning things some games got good story to give moral guidance....some games concentrate on developing reflexes,skills etc.....i can give some examples too.....games like strategy develops thee management skills in oneself.....action games develops on accuracy reflexes and planning.....stealth games like splinter cell etc mainly revolve around the strategical veiws etc......just see that they don't waste time more on silly games give them exposure to mordrn and popular games......if u still don't believe i myself am a good example and i've learnt a lot from games than i've learnt from books.....and i don't suggest totally to neglect books,they too r useful...try to ake them read books in computer if they feel very attached to the computer or put some deal like one hour books one hour games...it always works [arvindsbabu]
Yeah playing games are good if it is not too much. but addiction to it is not good buddy. [utsadetti]
don't worry, i don't like reading either and the sad part is that i'm 17 years old!! and i have to read books for school and my exams and stuff, but i just get to tierd or i ussualy fall asleep!!don't get me wrong, but at leasti'm good at math and school subject's like that! in all my life i read...hmmm.. i don't know 10 books, or something like that, one big novel that i loved(but it tooked me a long time to read it) and another novel(that had 200 pages or so) that was pretty good to! but at my age i know i should had read like 30 novels or somthing like that!but i don't worry, i wanna be a math teacher or something like that when i grow up! [roxy_stp]
I am happy to read your posting. And i am happy that you did good at school. hopefully my kids will do good too lol. [utsadetti]
My sister has 36 grandchildren aged 2 years to 17years Getting software for the computer that requires reading but almost fun like activities is what many of her grand kids do and i can see their reading habits improving almost daily .Find some educational software and see how it helps It really will Good Luck [maddy37]
Does the kids mother read.:)then most probably kids will have interest in reading.I do think now kids find more easy means for entertainment than before.Reading is also a kind of entertaining.but we have to apply yourself to it.but it is more easier to watch television and games which to most kids are more int.so i think you have to do is allow them to play games at particular time or during a day in a week.Also find story books which have picture illustrations.they will most probably get reading as it will not be difficult to start reading in later part of their life. [blueray_01]
You have to find books that they will want to pick up and read. What do they like? What kind of games do they play? How old are they? Check out my website at www.ubah.com/M2001 or get back to me and I can help you find books your kids will love!! [iheartducks]
Hey, My parents buy Superman, Incredibles, and other action figure based Leapfrog Leap pads to challenge them to read and they love it. The Leap pads go in the leapfrog base and its kind of interactive. My younger brothers also have computer games that require them to read basic words to advance in the game. [DeepMystery]
Try to find books that they would be interested in. You said that your kids like to play video games. See if you can find some books about video games. What are your kids favorite video games characters? [Mimosatree]
Honestly you have to take away there video games and TV. My kids love to read so for me it is not a problem to get them to read. We sit together and we all read 1 short book. You might want to set aside about 20min every day where you can read with your kids. That way they see your intrested in reading as well and may show a bit more intrest. Sometimes it takes the parents sitting down with them to get them started. [magikrose]
You need to read to and with your kids. Make it an opportunity for them to gain your attention. If they are small enough hold them while you read to them. Let them see you read books as well, so they know it is important, not just something they SHOULD do. I was told that a real love of reading is created when it is an intimate experience. Limit the time they can use electronic games, which actually breaks down human interaction. [GardenGerty]
Maybe if you read to them, especially a story that is in a genre that you know that they would be interested in, they would get so interested that they would wish to continue reading the book themselves? It saddens me how little kids read today. When I was younger I read loads and loads of books. I was a real bookworm! *laugh* I wish you the best of luck with getting your kids into reading! ^_^ [shywolf]
no child enjoy reading..they always want to play and play and play..why,don't you avail educational games to replace what they are playing now. They will enjoy and at the same time learn.Kids are easily get bored of reading stuffs but never of watching. Strategic way of finding how they will enjoy and grant what they want to do and also find yourself simply contented. [chel_0525]
I have read to each of my children from a very young age. There is a lot of evidence that says if you do this as often as possible it will enciourage children to read and enjoy books. All three of my children love to read. My youngest is 5 and he even knows when I have missed bits out of his favourite stories! [14missy]
For starters, take them to the public library and borrow books for them... I do that to my kids now eventhough they are still young, 4 and 2 years old, but I believe in starting to instill the habit from young. Reading to them first and let them do it themselves when they can read... I think they also learn from example, if their parents or friends or people they know around them read a lot... they will to. [chingyieng]
You need to sit and read with them. Read the books to them, make it fun and interesting. Be firm with them and say that they have had long enough on the video game. If you also read yourself and show an interest then they will follow your lead. [organiclady35]
Since they are only 3 and 5 I wouldn't panic. THat's fairly standard for those ages. I would suggest reading to them, maybe before they go to bed. However keep in mind they have short attention spans at that age so don't over do. If you want read to them something like Harry Potter, The Hobbit, Mrs. Frisby and The Rats of NIMH (The Secret of NIHM), just read them though a chapter a night or a half a chapter depending on the book. They aren't too young for that. I was read The Hobbit at age 5 and loved it. When they are ready for reading find books about things that interest them. That is the best way. If you make it too big of an issue you will just turn them away from enjoying it. [emeraldisle]
My kids are 3 and 4 1/2. We do not own any Game Systems like play station, nintendo, etc.. we only have a few "plug and play" games, which are rarely ever used. My kids do enjoy playing on the computer once a day for maybe a half hour or so (playing on websites like Disney, Nick JR, etc), but other than that, that is is. They do not have TVs in their rooms, they do not have game boys, nothing like that. Both of them LOVE books. If you find out what movies your kids really enjoy, get them picture books (or books with some words) which have something to do with the movies they like. I just checked out a Barbie book for my daughter, and a Disney Cars book for my son. Even though my son can't read yet, he still loves looking at the book. Let them guide you in what books to choose for them. :) [sylviekitty]
Yor read to them and make it interesting and animated. Read the half book and ask them to finish the story by themselves. Try it. [doingit4fun]
I always provide my kids with those environments such as bring them to library or at home where me and my wife will purposely get somethings to read and they always want to follow what we are doing or others doing when at library. Normally kids like to follow others like when everybody were playing they will want to play too:) Thats work fine on my case and you may try it too. [dellion]
I think you need to do some research on what interests them ,their preferences ,what attracts their attention and what does not . Make sure u are aware of this and expose them to books pertaining to their interest. However, i think its ok if they are interested in out door activity; they would gradually pick up reading once they progress in school.But if they are into excessive video games or TV viewing, it can be a problem,as this would sap their ability to concentrate.So In addition to this , as amira suggested, curtailing the access to TV and computers would leave them no choice.It is certainly a good idea. [TheApparition]
Maybe you can try to read it to them and if they see how exited you make it, maybe they'll do it too. [Lydia1901]
If I were you I will make a deal with them - They would get 15 minutes of video games or TV for 30 minutes reading. And I would make sure they abide by it. Or I would take the video games / TV away. If they want to do video games or watch TV they would have to read. You let them choose what they read. My kids make points doing chores, projects and doing extra study to earn points to watch a DVD or play computer games. They are getting very wise about what to watch and lot of the times they say that this movie is not worth wasting our points on and save their points for something better later. So the rule is No reading No Video games. [doingit4fun]
take the games away for a while until they start reading,promise them they will play a game if they can tell u what the book says.. i also had the same problem [franken_ind]
You have said that ur children like playing video games, so buy them story telling CD's , make them involve in CD. You can tell the starting of an interesting story and stop it without finishing it. Ask them to read the rest of the story by themselves from the book. The main thing is the part which u r telling should make them eager to read the book. [kpbhuvana]
i think you can change their interest so easyli. let them make their own world. do you believe experience is the best teacher??? let their experience will teach them to change their interest [banditwsj]
They may have an attention problem, or a reading problem like dyslexia. Even if it is comic books, permit them to read subjects they are interested in. Limit the video games. Also limit their sugar in take. It causes mania. [pollyandry]
i think they are much more interested in practicals of games i dont think so that playing games is a bad interest i think u should ceer them to play more better as they can be the next coming players of ur countrie and to make them read books u can bring some sports magzine they like and u can also buy some storie books of the players of the game ,there are many p[layers who had writen books on their life u can tell ur child that this is a sports magzine and by that they will read the book also and thier interest would also be changed [gaagan101]
try to give them the books in their area of interest for example, you can try Star Wars or Spider man etc... [xyla_v]
In my opinion, children should be exposed to books as early as possible. Perhaps you can set aside a short period of time everyday reading to your kids a book that they are interested in. My 7 year old daughter still prefers me to read to her even though she can read already. Sometimes. children can be put off reading because there are just too many difficult words for them to understand. [wdiong]
Reading to them, or getting them to read to you might work. Also, try and find things they're interested in. Maybe books and stories connected to their games? If they Like Kingdom hearts, there's a Kingdom hearts Manga out. Comics might work because they have the pictures, instead of just a page of words. [Fexbox]
put magazines in the bathroom,any kind and they will read and before you know it they will know a little about what's going on in the world. [kabella50]
Do you read yourself? I think it is important to set an example for your children. I would also suggest that to take them to the local libraries and spend a few hour with them there every week. Check out some books with them and read to them every night. Good luck! [soul0629]
You know it's interesting that you brought up this discussion. My now 18 year old son absolutely loved reading. He could read really well when he was 4 and always had books wherever he went. But maybe that was because at that point he was an only child so he had more quiet time on his hands. But he would read the whole goosebump series and then move on to the next one. Now my daughter who is 9 was an early reader too but she is not a huge fan of it. She has tons of books. She even asks to buy books when the school sends home the order forms but she really doesn't read them. I keep hoping but no luck so far. But I think maybe it is because she has more distractions. Her big brother is always pestering her. She is a huge video game fan so I know much of her time is spent doing that so that could be a problem too. Oh well as long as she continues to do well in school then I'm happy. Oh yeah one other thing is when my son was small we read a book to him every night without fail. I don't think we carried it on as long with her as we did with him so maybe that contributes to it as well. [coolcatzz]
It takes time. I know I hated reading when I was in school. Largely because the books never appealed to me and libraries seemed to give me a headache lol. I became hooked on books after I got out of school. One I had more time and two I found a book that intrigued me. Be patient and try a book that has a movie adaptation they have seen. Sometimes that helps spark an intrest. [beadedserpent]