For modern society to function, we need highly educated people who understand the issues and contexts of the day. Without good perspectives, things could go wrong, and people in positions of authority might make bad decisions.
Our task, therefore, is to encourage our kids to read more. We need to find ways of making reading enjoyable for them and something they do out of habit. That way, we can create educated and informed people who make good decisions.
Get Them Listening To Audiobooks
It is difficult for most children to sit still with a book and just read it right off the bat. Dense text on a page isn’t the friendliest way to inform children about the world.
That’s why many parents are leaning more towards audiobooks. Getting kids to listen to stories read aloud and podcasts is one of the best ways to keep them engaged with reading material for longer.
Yes – strictly speaking – it isn’t reading. But it produces the desired result: a child who knows more about the world than they did before.
Put More High-Quality Teachers Into Schools
For kids to read spontaneously, they need inspiration. And the best place to get that is from their teachers.
Some organizations are trying to make this a reality in the US right now. Teach for America, for instance, is taking freshly-minted graduates and allocating them to schools in deprived areas across the country. The hope is that they will be able to improve educational standards in the poorest communities and get more kids learning.
Teach for America reviews suggest that the organization is fulfilling its mission. It wants to place teachers across the country to improve public education in the US. Thanks to its efforts, more children are reading than ever before.
Celebrate Beautiful Writing
Some kids are naturally creative. Many times, they want to create beautiful pieces of writing themselves. But to do that, they’ll need to take inspiration from the best of the best. And they can only do that if they can read.
Society, therefore, should present children with amazing writers from a young age. These writers should deal specifically with themes that matter to kids, not adults. Shakespeare is brilliant, but for youngsters, Roald Dahl is probably better.
Promote Libraries
Libraries can be dreary places for children. The enforced silence coupled with row after row of books isn’t exactly enticing for them.
Libraries, therefore, need to change how they operate. Instead of being places that insist on silence, they should adapt to the needs of children. Libraries in communities need to create positive associations for children, not negative ones. That way, they will be more likely to pick up books by themselves.
Make Reading Practical
Some kids need reading to have a practical purpose before they will give it the time of day. So parents should be actively looking for what interests their kids and then supplying supporting reading material opportunistically.
For instance, let’s say that you have a child who is interested in cooking. A great way to get them reading is to buy their very own cookery book.
This post was a collaborative post and may contain affiliate links
Mocha Girl Alysia
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