Help New Readers Enjoy Good Books
The key to growing avid readers is to provide new readers with ready access to abundant, relevant, potentially enjoyable books, and then offering encouragement, conversation about the book, and guidance about next steps.
Self-Selected Reading is Its Own Reward
Literacy instruction changes have been cued by National Assessment for Educational Progress test results, however, that doesn’t seem to have improved subsequent test scores or enhanced children's engagements with books. Perhaps we can apply what we know about the habits of avid and capable readers to grow avid readers.
Children Are Tough Customers
Young children like what they like and while being curious about new things, unless they sense some immediate value, they will pretty much ignore our suggestions with hardly a casual wave of the hand. They have no qualms about sharing their disapproval with us. Tough sale!
Can Struggling Readers Be Avid Readers?
If we—teachers and parents—ease off on our eagerness to have children keep up with their peers on the road to reading and allow them to progress at their own speeds, they will be well on their way to becoming avid, lifelong readers.
The Birth and Life of an Avid Reader
Avid readers have adopted a delightful path forward in their lives that leads to lifelong growth in their understanding about and the love of books.
The Baby Won’t Stop Crying. What to Do?
Unsuccessful attempts to console a crying baby are roughly equivalent to failed attempts to interest a child in reading.
Spoiled-Rotten Readers
Let’s offer ourselves the freedom to quit reading any book that doesn’t meet our expectations and choose something that better meets our selfish needs. And let’s extend this permission to children as they build their own relationship with books and reading.
Kids Taught to Choose Books Choose Reading for Life
Encouraging and then allowing kids to choose what they read puts them at the center of their literacy learning lives, which is right where we hope they will forever choose to be.
How to Help Children Become Avid Readers
Calm and sincere support can leave a new reader feeling the possibility that reading anything can be a rewarding or delightful adventure…