{"id":14,"date":"2008-08-27T12:40:20","date_gmt":"2008-08-27T16:40:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christinewoodcock.com\/blog\/?p=14"},"modified":"2008-08-27T12:40:20","modified_gmt":"2008-08-27T16:40:20","slug":"what-are-some-simple-things-we-can-do-at-home-to-make-reading-more-fun-for-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christinewoodcock.com\/blog\/2008\/08\/what-are-some-simple-things-we-can-do-at-home-to-make-reading-more-fun-for-children\/","title":{"rendered":"What are some simple things we can do at home to make reading more fun for children?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>** This article originally appeared on <a href=\"http:\/\/QueryCat.com\" target=\"_blank\">QueryCat.com<\/a> **<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s face it\u2014whether we like it or not, it is all too common for children to be more enthralled with a television show or a video game than to be enchanted with a book.\u00a0 Admittedly, even though I hold a Ph.D. in Reading, and I am a University professor, I can often be found spending hours in front of the TV, rather than with books.\u00a0 Still, my heart breaks a little every time I hear a child proclaim that he\/she hates to read, or that reading isn\u2019t fun.\u00a0 In this article, I will share simple, affordable tips for making reading a fun activity to do at home.\u00a0 In our efforts, we want to create authentic experiences surrounding reading so that children will actually want to read, and so that through reading, children will make strong, personal connections.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Here are some straightforward tips to help us get started:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>One of the reasons many of us prefer television over reading is because the two activities utilize and stimulate different areas of the brain.\u00a0 Not surprisingly, watching television tends to be a more passive activity.<\/li>\n<li>If your child claims that he\/she hates to read, it is often not true.\u00a0 Frequently, a child who is struggling with reading realizes what a fun and important activity it is, but the child\u2019s embarrassment over his\/her difficulties with reading cause him\/her to declare reading as a boring or distasteful activity.\u00a0 If your child describes reading as a tedious or intolerable activity, the answer could be as simple as finding books he\/she can actually read with comfort and enjoyment.<\/li>\n<li>Last but not least, reading is fun!\u00a0 Show your child that it is!\u00a0 Do you read at home?\u00a0 If not, you may have just uncovered why your child does not think reading is fun.\u00a0 You are the most powerful force in your child\u2019s life.\u00a0 You need to model meaningful reading everyday, just as you would model healthy eating and exercising.\u00a0 Just as you would make nutritious foods and exercise an important aspect of your day, make reading a genuine part of your everyday life.\u00a0 After all\u2014life is what we make of it.\u00a0 Just as a personal fitness trainer would advise you to select exercises you actually enjoy and that you can do painlessly, I am merely suggesting the same with reading.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In my other recently featured article on <a href=\"http:\/\/querycat.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">QueryCat <\/a>entitled, \u201cHow do we foster a love of reading in our children?\u201d I wrote:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Carve out special time in the day and\/or week, whether it\u2019s at bedtime, or Sunday afternoons, when you can create &#8216;warm fuzzy&#8217; memories together that are associated with reading.\u00a0 By &#8216;warm fuzzy&#8217; I mean a multi-sensory experience, which doesn\u2019t have to be fancy.\u00a0 The fact is that the reading will be more memorable and enjoyable if you bring your child\u2019s senses alive along with the experience, whether it\u2019s enjoying a mug of hot chocolate along with the book, or reading beneath a make-shift tent made from chairs and a blanket.\u00a0 Be creative!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>By inventing fun activities surrounding reading that you can do regularly, you will establish a firm foundation of reading in your child\u2019s life, which can yield joy you may have previously thought was unimaginable.\u00a0 In another article I recently wrote for <a href=\"http:\/\/querycat.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">QueryCat<\/a> entitled, \u201cHow can we help struggling readers?\u201d I said, \u201cI challenge you to think of creative ways to make reading more fun in your households, so that it just becomes another healthy aspect of your lifestyles.\u00a0 Reading is just another activity we hope children will do independently, and successfully.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I am a woman who practices what she preaches!\u00a0 So, in my own efforts to come up with creative ways to bring reading alive at home, I pondered inexpensive and simple ways to bring favorite books alive in passionate, memorable ways for elementary-aged children.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A couple of years ago, Southern New Hampshire University thought of an ingenious way to merge the efforts of their students who were majoring in Education, with students who were majoring in Culinary Arts.\u00a0 Future teachers and future chefs seemed like an unlikely pair, yet the results were unmistakably, deliciously creative\u2026 all the while making reading fun.\u00a0 College-aged students collaborated with elementary-aged students to make book-themed cookies.\u00a0 They all savored cookies while delighting in reading the books upon which the cookies were based.<\/p>\n<p>Whether it is making artwork, cookies, or make-shift forts\u2026 couple great books with great, simple projects.\u00a0 Make reading a lively, multi-sensory experience each week in your home.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Here are some suggestions, which are based upon the recommendations I provided to the University students for their Cookies &amp; Books Party:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>1.<\/strong>\u00a0 I immediately thought of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Lillys-Purple-Plastic-Purse-Henkes\/dp\/0688128971\/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1219702057&amp;sr=1-1\" target=\"_blank\">Lilly\u2019s Purple Plastic Purse<\/a> by Kevin Henkes.\u00a0 It would be great fun to make cookies shaped like the main character\u2014a mouse, or of her purse, of course!<\/p>\n<p><strong>2.<\/strong>\u00a0 Kevin Henkes is one of my favorite author\/illustrators, so I also thought of his book <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Kittens-First-Full-Kevin-Henkes\/dp\/0060588284\/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1219702121&amp;sr=1-1\" target=\"_blank\">Kitten\u2019s First Full Moon<\/a>, which won the Caldecott Medal in 2005.\u00a0 It is a favorite among elementary-aged students.\u00a0 Children could make moon or kitten- shaped cookies!<br \/>\n<strong>3.\u00a0<\/strong> You might want to throw in a classic book or two, such as <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Where-Wild-Things-Maurice-Sendak\/dp\/0060254920\/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1219702184&amp;sr=1-1\" target=\"_blank\">Where the Wild Things Are<\/a>.\u00a0 You can\u2019t go wrong with this Maurice Sendak classic tale of Max, visiting the wild creatures.\u00a0 Imagine the monster-shaped cookies!<br \/>\n<strong>4.<\/strong>\u00a0 Along the line of classic children\u2019s picture books, you might consider a title or two by other all-time favorite author\/illustrators, such as Eric Carle or Tomie dePaola.\u00a0 Carle\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Very-Busy-Spider-miniature\/dp\/0399215921\/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1219702245&amp;sr=1-1\" target=\"_blank\">Very Busy Spider<\/a> or <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Very-Hungry-Caterpillar-board-book\/dp\/0399247459\/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1219702316&amp;sr=1-3\" target=\"_blank\">Very Hungry Caterpillar<\/a> would inspire gorgeous web-shaped or butterfly-shaped cookies.\u00a0 Tomie dePaola also has many classics, such as <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Art-Lesson-Paperstar-Book\/dp\/0698115724\/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1219702368&amp;sr=1-1\" target=\"_blank\">The Art Lesson<\/a>, which may inspire palette or paint brush themed cookies.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5.<\/strong>\u00a0 Getting back to more modern literature for children, I would recommend a relatively new title, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Traction-Man-Here-Mini-Grey\/dp\/1862306400\/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1219702427&amp;sr=1-1\" target=\"_blank\">Traction Man is Here<\/a> by Mini Grey.\u00a0 It is a British book that won awards all over the world.\u00a0 I have it has required reading in my current university-level children\u2019s literature class, and my adult students adore the book.\u00a0 There are so many ideas for cookies from that book, too.\u00a0 Traction Man is a modern day super hero, so children could make cookies shaped like his cape, etc.<\/p>\n<p><strong>6.<\/strong>\u00a0 Last, on a more serious, academic note, I might recommend a more educational title such as <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Show-Way-Newbery-Honor-Book\/dp\/0399237496\/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1219702480&amp;sr=1-1\" target=\"_blank\">Show Way<\/a> by Jacqueline Woodson.\u00a0 This book has exquisite illustrations of quilts, and how quilts have historically played a role in the lives of African Americans, especially with roots to the Underground Railroad.\u00a0 Children could make gorgeous, colorful cookies shaped and designed like quilts.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, these are merely ideas to help spark your own creations.\u00a0 I am confident that you and your children can come up with even better ideas!\u00a0 Please don\u2019t feel restricted to cookies, either.\u00a0 Painting, clay, sidewalk chalk, or even non-baked items in the kitchen would all be intriguing ways to make reading a sincere blast on a regular basis in your home.\u00a0 I would even recommend a trip to the library for books, quickly followed by a brief excursion to a dollar store for inexpensive items and inspirations to go along with your reading adventures.<\/p>\n<p>After exploring reading in these invigorating ways, on a regular basis in your home, I would be shocked to hear that your child still says reading is boring or that he\/she hates it.\u00a0 Who knows\u2014you and your children may just even be pulled away from the television long enough to enjoy a chapter book or two together!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>** This article originally appeared on QueryCat.com ** Let\u2019s face it\u2014whether we like it or not, it is all too common for children to be more enthralled with a television show or a video game than to be enchanted with a book.\u00a0 Admittedly, even though I hold a Ph.D. in Reading, and I am a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[5,4,6,19],"class_list":["post-14","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reading","tag-childrens-books","tag-childrens-literature","tag-literacy","tag-reading"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christinewoodcock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christinewoodcock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christinewoodcock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christinewoodcock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christinewoodcock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/christinewoodcock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christinewoodcock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christinewoodcock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christinewoodcock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}