My days are spent getting the Media Center in my school ready for those excited young faces who will arrive next Tuesday morning.
I've been reading all the fun "Back-to-School" posts that show all kinds of crafts, teacher gifts, posters, etc.
That got me to thinking......there seems to be a lot of interest in "Back-To-School"
Well....since I have been "going back to school" for a whole lot of years, I thought I would do a series on "Back to School" too.
Now I love crafts, fun recipes and cute school clothes as much as any of you...but that is NOT what this series is about.
This series will focus on ways to help your child (and you) connect school and home....sort of your own little Parent Information Night....except you can come in your jammies and you don't have to sit in those little chairs!
Two of the most popular posts I wrote this summer were about children's books.....
Read-A-Loud Recommendations and A Great List of Picture Books
We all want our students to be readers!
Some kids naturally LOVE to read....if you are a parent of one of THOSE kids....you don't have too much to worry about.
Kids who love to read will read all the time and get better and better at reading!
Some kids DO NOT LOVE to read....if you are a parent of one of THOSE kids....you worry ALL the time!
And I bet all that worrying doesn't help much....
What you need are some concrete suggestions!
5 Quick Tips To Try
1. ....STOP worrying, fussing and begging....making reading a battleground just defeats the purpose!
2. .... DISCOVER your child's passion and look for books, magazines or Internet sites that are about the things your child loves.
Soccer, Earthquakes, Wars, Legos, Skateboarding.....There are great books about all of these things.
This Reading List Works with Kids Who Love Reading and Those Who Don't
Guys Read a great site with book lists on all kinds of subjects that GUYS (and some girls) will love.
3. .....REMEMBER that reading is reading! Your child does NOT have to read stories or novels! If YOU are reading this....you are READING and it isn't a novel!
If your child likes the computer....try these sites:
Celebrities read favorite books to your student....then go to the library and check the book out.StoryLine On-Line
James Earl Jones, Betty White and others...you will love them too.
KOL Jr. Stories
Lots of stories....listen and read along to lots of favorites including some of the Arthur books
National Geographic Online Edition
Read Articles, play games and enjoy photos from on this high quality site.
The articles are short non-fiction snippets that kids will enjoy!
4. ....Let your child SAMPLE a book using Amazon
This is something that kids LOVE to do....log into Amazon Children's Books
Look through the colorful illustrated book suggestions or search a topic that your child likes and use the LOOK INSIDE! feature....your child will be able to read a few pages of a book to decide if it something worth reading...then off to the library to check it out....if it isn't a favorite....sneaky you....you still got some reading time in.5. .....WRITE something for your child to read!
Many of you READING this are WRITERS! Many of you WRITE on your blogs every day! Write a personal story about your child or something you remember from when you were little....Read it out loud to your child....add some pictures.
You can even publish it using any number publishing tools like Snapfish, iPhoto, Walgreens! I PROMISE you that your child will read it over and over again!Now...I have to get some things ready for my last workshop day before kids come to school next week.
AND
I am one of those people who LOVE to read....so I need to find some time to read some of your wonderful blogs....
Coming Soon...#2 in the Back to School Series!
Linking to These Parties:
Creative Juice THursday
Smile Monsters
Finger Click Saver
Cindy's Romantic Home
A Little Knick Knack
Craft Schooling Sunday
I am Along for the Ride
Wow Me Wednesday
Hi Mary! Thanks for your cute comment on my blog! I'm having trouble commenting on other people's blogs...wonder what's going on with blogger? I think I have seen your blog before.
ReplyDeleteLong story short - my sweetwater is named after my great-grandparents homestead in Tucson - which was at the end of Sweetwater Road.
Stay in touch...
Maggie at Sweetwater Baby
Hey! Ok, if you just write me with your address, I’ll forward it to the person on etsy! :)
ReplyDeletehannahhandmade.blog(at)gmail(dot)com
Great tips! Thanks for linking up for Footloose and Fancy Free:)
ReplyDeleteI grew up hating to read. You might be interested in the adventures & mysteries I write for readers 8 - 13 today. http://booksandboys.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing these wonderful sites!
ReplyDeleteMore Than A Mom
I found this at just the right time! My 7 year old son has been not wanting to read his AR books this year. I actually just wrote a note to his teacher Friday for some tips. Thank you so much for sharing:)
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
ReplyDeleteHello! Thanks for sending me this link. These are some great ideas! Also, thanks for stopping by my blog. I would love to have you as a follower. I have a giveaway going on currently that you should enter. Here is the link: http://preschoolteacher81.blogspot.com/2011/08/my-memories-software-giveaway.html
ReplyDeleteOne more thing. I have a feature called Wishlist Wednesday and I was wondering if you would be interested in doing a one-time guest post for me? Please let me know. It can be anything classroom or child related. Thanks again!
Lori
preschoolteacher81.blogspot.com
This is a great list! I've got a couple more tips to add to it that I tried with my reluctant reader.
ReplyDelete1. Ask relatives to send your children letters to read.
2. Read parts with your children. Like, if I am reading a story I will have my child read all the parts in quotes that a certain character says (a character he likes) and I'll read the rest. This works really well with comic books and graphic novels.
3. Find books where there is special text (text in funny fonts or like in "The monster at the end of this book" and only have your child read the special words. Sometimes kids respond to the funny lettering and want to try to read that.
Gale, thanks for the addition to the conversation....Your ideas are great!
ReplyDeletehelping kids become successful at reading is so important...I hope more people join in!
Oh, you have some great tips here! Yes, I was lucky I read things to my boys they liked and they got hooked into reading. It isn't always that easy for other children. Thank you for sharing this at Home Sweet Home!
ReplyDeleteSherry
These are all such wonderful suggestions to promote reading! I am sooo lucky that my daugheter loves reading and my boys love to be read to.. hopefully they will love reading too! Thanks so much for sharing with the Pink Hippo Party.. can't wait to see what you share next time!
ReplyDeleteOh, I love to read to and my daughter likes to read also. Thanks a lot for this informative and helpful article! Thanks for sharing this with us and we hope to see more of this informative post!
ReplyDeletehave a lovely weekend!
Hugs,
Lelanie