Reading can be both fun and educational. I think most of us could agree with this statement. Wonder if I change it up a bit and state that reading can be both fun and educational at the same time within the same setting? Well, this second statement has a slightly different connotation than the first. And if I was participating in a poll that asked both questions, I would easily answer “yes” to both. Why? Because in my experience, I have encountered reading moments that were for strictly educational purposes (no fun allowed); or, purely reading for the entertainment value, where I wasn’t receiving any furthering of my knowledge base nor was I looking to do so. But even more enjoyable have been those reading opportunities, where in one setting, I was reading something fun while learning a thing or two in the process. Go figure! Now, here’s where I transition the discussion from me to Little Man. For the purpose of this topic, he’s going to be the catalyst for releasing some value-added nuggets of info, regarding ways to encourage the little reader you’re rearing at home.
I’ll start on the educational side and note that, since Little Man has only lived 8 long years of life, he’s pretty much learning something every time he opens a book and reads. He participates in a reading program through his school that encourages students to meet required as well as stretch reading goals each week. He has a reading range (based on grade and individualized reading levels) of books of his choosing that he reads each week and then tests over in order to validate that the book was read as well as to fine tune reading comprehension skills. The wide selection of books Little Man brings home to read are reflective of his reading range, which means they are either at or a little above the 3rd grade reading level. NOTE: it’s important that our children are challenged when they read but not to the point that their reading is disrupted every few words because the words are too hard to read, pronounce, and understand. By reading books that are appropriate for his reading level, Little Man is being effectively educated in the fundamentals of reading such as visual and oral fluency, vocabulary, spelling, reading comprehension, sentence structure which assists with writing skills, character/setting/plot recognition, sequencing of events, and different literary terminology and genre.
I don’t want to neglect to mention that, while Little Man is receiving education in reading fundamentals, he’s also choosing books that are teaching him a moral to a story, interesting facts, how something works or what it does, or how to do something. This leads me right into the fun side of reading where the number one rule is to… make sure your child is reading books on topics that he or she enjoys. Little Man is a 3rd grade visual learner who likes construction machinery, Legos, interactive activities, and all things marine life (especially whales and sharks). So, guess what types of books he would be interested in? Well, the overwhelming majority of them are books that are within those topics or similar topics as well as books that are visually enticing, imaginative, exploratory, do-it-yourself, and action packed. Below are a few books series that meet Little Man’s educational and fun requirements and that, quite honestly, he can’t seem to get enough of. I’ve included his three-item book review (in his own words) of what he likes most about each series. See below:
Construction Site Series: 1) about construction machines – interesting topic, 2) has colorful pictures, 3) learn what the machines do
(Cautionary note: as a parent, I don’t personally recommend all of the Geronimo Stilton books because of some of the storylines I don’t want Little Man reading. There are book bundles to choose from, but I would encourage you to look at the individual plotlines to determine whether or not you’d like for your child to read a certain title).
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I think I’ll bring this to a close with some helpful suggestions to further stimulate that book worm-like tendency to come out of your elementary-aged little one:
- don’t look at reading as just a school requirement your child must fulfill but try to incorporate it as a part of his or her daily regimen, such as a right-before-bed-time routine.
- alternate reading strategies between having your child read silently, orally to him or herself, orally to you, and out loud with both of you taking turns with the reading. This variety will prevent reading monotony from settling in. NOTE: having your child read orally helps you to determine his or her strengths or weaknesses in fluency, pronunciation, enunciation, inflection, and emphasis – all areas that great story tellers are skilled at.
- make sure you have a balanced mixture of picture book and chapter book traits in each book. The goal for your child is to get him or her to the point of viewing reading as enjoyable, so avoid the extremes. At the elementary-school age, don’t provide your child with books that contain only text and have few visual offerings; and don’t provide books that are predominantly visually appealing with lots of pictures, captions, diagrams, and charts but hardly any text for your child to read.
Remember that it is possible for your child to have fun and be educated while reading. Just make sure to provide books on topics your child is interested in but that challenge him or her to learn something in the process.
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