The Reluctant Reader

I have not always a veracious reader but being a homeschool mom really reawakened my appetite.

As a little girl I have so many memories of my father sitting in his green chair with a book or his Bible in his hand. Rarely did he plop down on the sofa and watch television. Now that's not to say that he didn't enjoy television but it was not the focus of his life. He spent years building up his own personal library and made it a goal to read each and every book he added to his library. He encouraged us to read but never forced us to read. I remember him telling me that we are to always consider how we spend our time and to chose wisely if we decide to replace something with another activity. That was tough advice to swallow as a teenager...because I knew everything!! :-)

As my journey continues I am more and more convinced that reading is key to everything we do. So how do we encourage our children and how do we plant the right seeds? Here is my 2 cents on the topic anyhow.

• I believe strongly that children will read and desire to read when the subject is inticing to them. As parents, we must remember that what we love may not always be our children's cup of tea. Experiment with your children. The more you expose them to different genres the easier the journey will be.
• Children need a stong foundation in phonics to be able to be strong readers. This is a subject that many schools have abandoned and our children are suffering because of it. It is important not just to teach the cutesy preschool phonics but to go beyond that.
• Reading aloud to your children builds reading comprehension skills and is just plain enjoyable. I have heard it said that you should read to your children from the womb to the tomb.