Author Topic: How can we get our kids interested in reading?  (Read 6943 times)

reeshau

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Re: How can we get our kids interested in reading?
« Reply #50 on: May 20, 2018, 08:04:14 AM »
My suggestion is to find books that appeal to their interests.  This may not be reading as you imagine, that is fictional novels, but one thing may lead to another.

My youngest brother has moderate dyslexia--enough that reading is always a chore, and he had alternate ways to do necessary reading in school.  My mom, my wife, and I are voracious readers.  My other two brothers are bright and engaged, but don't read much.  On a family trip back in the 90's, we happened to stop by a Barnes and Noble for us big readers.  I was on a mission, so completed my purchase quickly.  But Mom, who lived in a small town, was browsing with no end in sight.  Youngest brother was waiting by the entrance, with no interest in this destination.  While talking, he told me about his interest in working on cars, and plans to begin racing locally as soon as he saved up some money.

This gave me an idea.  "Come with me," I said, and took him over to the Transportation section.  There we found the basic car repair books, but he quickly took interest in a book on custom paint (i.e. flames), then a book on modifying engines, etc.  Youngest brother, having spent perhaps his first 15 minutes ever lost in a book, looked up at me in delight and said "They have a section just for me!"

That has obviously stuck with me all these years.  While Amazon makes finding a particular book extremely simple, like all search engines it can still be difficult to browse--to find something, when you aren't sure what you are looking for.  With information so readily available online, bookstores are rarer, and libraries are never cool.  So, your kids might need a kick start to discover this information source.
« Last Edit: May 24, 2018, 04:06:58 PM by reeshau »

jeromedawg

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Re: How can we get our kids interested in reading?
« Reply #51 on: May 24, 2018, 02:45:46 PM »
What I've noticed with my oldest brother (both his kids are readers) is that he and his wife a *huge* readers - books all over the place and constantly reading and talking about reading. I'd say the biggest influencer in terms of getting them actually interested is by way of example and not forcing them. Of course, not all kids are the same either. Some just have a tendency to be interested in reading stuff. I think if you notice that, nurture it (don't deny going to the bookstore or buying books they are interested in.. of course frugally lol) right?