I was JUST listening to the KLove Morning Show on the radio and they were talking about how kids aren't as connected with books like they were when I (or the speakers) were as kids. There were GREAT kids series like The Bobsey Twins, Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew & the Hardy Boys among many. I believe one of the speakers' names was Lisa and she commented how she couldn't get her son to read & she told him one day to put down the ipad and pick up a book - his answer? I've read them all.
She took him to the goodwill and tried to introduce him to the Hardy Boys series there & she said he wasn't interested. She thinks it's because the cover was old fashioned and it didn't catch his interest.
All I could think was... Are you still reading to him yourself?
Experts say that we should READ to our kids - but how many of my readers continue to read to their kids once their kids start learning how to read? How many of you still pick up a book, have a book in your purse or perhaps always in the car & during a transition period can grab it and say "let's find out what happens in the next chapter"?
Find GREAT Reads for your kids:
For the last 6 years I have reviewed Middle Grade Fiction on 2 blogs. Classic Children's Books & now GivingNSharing. Slowly I am moving my MG reviews over to GivingNSharing but at this time CCB is still live & available to parents to find books for their kids of all ages. You'll find all kinds of GREAT MG books like:
My favorite series in the last few years though is (and you can expect a review SOON on Book 4):
One thing I've noticed is parents think that when their child Is learning to read is that they need to quit reading to their children. NO NO NO! Children NEED to be read to. Take this time to encourage your kids - to BE WITH THEM in the moment. Please DONT use this time to teach biblical or behavior lessons. This is the time to build a LOVE for imagination and mystery! A LOVE for the written word! Read to your kids as long as they will let you. Read to them while they are lying around. Read to them while they are doing homework, while they are doing dishes, while they are crafting. Take this time for "no pressure" relationship building - no preaching or lecturing allowed. Get out the classics and read to them - Louisa May Alcott, Shakespeare, George MacDonald just to name a few...
A series I would recommend for Kids 8 or 9+ is The Quest for Truth series. I'll put a link to the series reviews on CCB so you can see what I mean. You've got a little Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew written by a Christian Youth Pastor. Another a book I'd highly recommend is Between Two Ends by David Ward - AWESOME read aloud book! For Kids 5th grade plus pull out The Hobbit and 8th grade plus read The Lord of the Rings. Consider Maturity Level, focus, books you loved & most of all consider your child's interest. Boys like NON-Fiction - Girls like make believe. Older kids like reality. Remember they are soon to enter the real world and books are helping them form their thought processes, desires & the way they think "real life" works., Ask at the library for more suggestions. Steer your kids away from the Dark Genre - they are cheap reads that don't do any Heart or Mind building.
Please Please Please do not stop reading to your kids!!!
Why?
"Reading aloud to children helps them develop and improve literacy skills - reading, writing, speaking & listening and since children listen on a higher level than they read, listening to other readers stimulates growth and understanding of vocabulary and language patterns." (by Jim Trelease) (quote from EducationWorld)
Suggested MG Fiction Blogs:
Blogs recommended by GivingNSharing to help you find parent & teacher approved books for your kids: (note: parents are always free to read the book first if you are concerned your kid isn't ready for a certain book - many of these blogs are a TOOL parents can use so you know what they are reading)!
I do still read to my kids. Only when they are sitting on my knee and never thought to read to them at any old time. I will do that. I have a book a few books that I enjoyed reading when I was younger, so I will start there.
ReplyDeleteAwesome Alicia - how old are your kiddos? I might be able to give you some ideas for books - 5 Little Peppers & How they Grew, Under the Lilac Bush by Louisa May Alcott, The Indian in the Cabinet andso many others....
ReplyDeleteI loved Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew and kept all of mine - I can't wait for my little Gv to get older so we can read them together!
ReplyDeleteAwesome Lisa. I had all but maybe 1 or 2 of the Trixie Belden books and kept them for the longest time. I wish I still had them. Most of them were paperbacks tho & they didn't hold up that well. As a blogger tho I'm building up my stash again for big kids.... That is if I ever quit giving them to my nephew to read tho.
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