Why Should MY CHILDREN read at home? The Importance of Reading OUtside of the Classroom
Reading is a big part of our life in the classroom. We read in reading class, we read textbooks for every class, and we even do independent reading.
Even with all this reading in school, though, their homework each night consists of 20 minutes of independent reading. You may wonder why we emphasize reading at home when so much is done in the classroom. You may also find it difficult to motivate your children to do so. The goal of this presentation is to explain why at home reading is so vital for your children, and to provide some ideas for motivation that you can use at home.
Important benefits of nightly reading homework according to Pamela DeLoatch of edudemic.com*:
Reading can help increase children's math skills by exposing them to new ideas!
Fiction reading helps teach children empathy skills and can increase their capacity for compassion by exposing them to new perspectives.
Reading improves self-esteem.
Reading can improve a child's communication skills by increasing her/his vocabulary.
Scientists have discovered that regular reading practice really does change your brain by increasing white matter and cognitive abilities!
Now that we know why reading at home is important, lets take a look at ways to motivate your child to read at home (besides free personal pizzas!)
Our friends at Reading Is Fundamental** has the following suggestions for motivating independent reading:
Provide Choices! Take a trip to the library with your child and let them explore and choose multiple books to check out. Encourage variety in choices, and let children read comic books, magazines, and newspapers in addition to storybooks.
Read aloud to your child, and have your child read aloud to you.
Have reading discussions at home, whether its during quiet time or around the dinner table, where your child can share with you what they are reading about.
Model reading at home, and show them that adults enjoy reading, too.
Reading is critical to education, and like every fundamental skill it requires lots of practice to master. I cannot wait to work with you to help your children on their paths to becoming Super Readers!
* Want to read the article? It can be found at: http://www.edudemic.com/skipping-your-reading-homework/
** Want to read more? Find the article at: http://www.rif.org/books-activities/tips-resources/5-top-tips-to-encouraging-reading/