All About Grooming & Encouraging Good Reading Habits

[jeanieg]

Thank you everyone for all your valuable input. My main concern about setting a fixed time for reading is that I do not want them to do it reluctantly and therefore in the end it becomes a ‘forced’/pressured effort.


I know of kids who just LOVE reading and I wonder if it is an innate quality? Some kids just have it and some don’t? Back when I was young, I do not read that much either. I will not say that I ‘LOVE’ books too. Maybe because of that, I also do not pass on any love of reading to my kids! My neighbour loves to read when she was younger and still do and so her kids are the same.

I was packing the kids’ books and even though I took most of it away, they do not even complain! The books just lie there on the shelf without being touched for ages! I guess deep down I am kinda disappointed that they do not like to read. Maybe it’s my own expectation that I need to adjust

[fable]

I used to read to my son every night (and often in the day as well). I love to read as well, and he often sees me with a book in hand. When he was just starting to read, he started with books that I had already read to him, and we would take turns reading to each other. Interactive books might be fun as well - books where you can open flaps and select options. We have a mixed-up fairy tale book that he still enjoys, even tho’ he can now easily manage Percy Jackson type books. In this book, several fairy tales are told in 6 (?) parts, and you can mix them around to make your own crazy fairy tale. We’ll take turns trying to find the weirdest combinations.


I stopped reading to him for a while (got lazy) but he kept asking and I realized that the time would soon come when he would not want me to anymore so I should cherish the moment. Our practice right now is that I’ll read a long book to him in sections. To keep it fresh and suspenseful, we’ll choose a book he has not read before and he’s not allowed to read this book on his own. Some days, I’ll just read 2 pages, on others we’ll go 40 - 50 pages. Like a tv serial, I’ll make sure to stop at a suspenseful moment to keep the momentum going. We just finished ‘A Tale Dark and Grimm’, which is a darker reworking of s bunch of Grimm Fairy Tales.

The key is to make it fun and to take pleasure in it yourself. I do voices, change names (he loves it when he becomes the protaganist), choose stories he’ll be interested in, get super dramatic. Perhaps this is a chance for you to fall in love with books yourself!

[jeanieg]

Thanks fable for your encouragement!


The only books I read nowadays are mainly on the topic of KIDS! Guess I should try to read to them again and not be lazy…hehe

[ScienceGeekMama]

If anyone is interested, I have the Usborne Phonics Book Set (12 books) for SGD59 and the Usborne Very First Reading slipcased set (15 books)http://www.usborne.com/catalogue/catalogue.aspx?id=4618 for SGD89. Brand new. The Very First Reading gradually increases in difficulty level with each book, so it allows for more confident reading for the child. Can send you sample pages by email if you wish. Email me at [email protected] if interested lar.

[rains]

I think while it can be innate, the love for reading can definitely be nurtured.


You can try getting your kids to read together with you. My kid didn’t use to like reading on her own. I got her to read one sentence while I read the next, until we finished the stories. I think that doesn’t make her feel that she’s doing all the ‘work’ and the ‘load’ is lighter. Eventually, she wanted to read on her own.

Do you take them to the library every Saturday or Sunday? It’s nice to sit around and read for a couple of hours with the other kids. Even if they end up playing, they are still immersed in a reading environment. After reading books they fancy at the library, they can choose their own books to loan them home. It’s a trip my kid looked forward to when she was young, and even now too, just that she goes to the library herself these days.

Another factor that made my kid read was because her younger cousin could recognise words that she couldn’t. There was some element of competition involved I guess. She always had this slightly stunned look on her when her younger cousin read out words or sentences that she couldn’t. And I caught her trying to imitate her cousin reading 三字经 (when she couldn’t read a word in there!) after he went home.

I still remember how freaked out I was when she kept forgetting the words she just read one line above when she was in K1, but when the love for reading took off, she was reading Charlotte’s web at the end of K2 and Harry Potter at P2. In fact, we got so upset with her reading we banned her from reading at various points. So hang in there, as long as you keep at it and explore ways to make them love reading, it will soon pay off.

[Chenonceau]

rains:

I think while it can be innate, the love for reading can definitely be nurtured.


You can try getting your kids to read together with you. My kid didn't use to like reading on her own. I got her to read one sentence while I read the next, until we finished the stories. I think that doesn't make her feel that she's doing all the 'work' and the 'load' is lighter. Eventually, she wanted to read on her own.

Do you take them to the library every Saturday or Sunday? It's nice to sit around and read for a couple of hours with the other kids. Even if they end up playing, they are still immersed in a reading environment. After reading books they fancy at the library, they can choose their own books to loan them home. It's a trip my kid looked forward to when she was young, and even now too, just that she goes to the library herself these days.

Another factor that made my kid read was because her younger cousin could recognise words that she couldn't. There was some element of competition involved I guess. She always had this slightly stunned look on her when her younger cousin read out words or sentences that she couldn't. And I caught her trying to imitate her cousin reading 三字经 (when she couldn't read a word in there!) after he went home.

I still remember how freaked out I was when she kept forgetting the words she just read one line above when she was in K1, but when the love for reading took off, she was reading Charlotte's web at the end of K2 and Harry Potter at P2. In fact, we got so upset with her reading we banned her from reading at various points. So hang in there, as long as you keep at it and explore ways to make them love reading, it will soon pay off.

:lovesite: This is a really kind and encouraging post.

[jeanieg]

Thank you, Rains, for your encouragement! Greatly appreciated!


You know, besides reading English books, Chinese books is another difficult hurdle I need to cross. Now I am trying to tackle 2 birds at the same time. My older P1 girl is able to read, just not keen on reading. When I saw her English Journal writing from school, I was shocked with all the broken English! That’s when I panic even more. I believe when you read, your English will improve. So now, die die will have to discipline myself to remind kids to read.

[Chenonceau]

jeanig... does this help? http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/content/reading-and-my-son

[Imami]

jeanieg:

Thank you, Rains, for your encouragement! Greatly appreciated!


You know, besides reading English books, Chinese books is another difficult hurdle I need to cross. Now I am trying to tackle 2 birds at the same time. My older P1 girl is able to read, just not keen on reading. When I saw her English Journal writing from school, I was shocked with all the broken English! That's when I panic even more. I believe when you read, your English will improve. So now, die die will have to discipline myself to remind kids to read.

Someone said to me – you think what you see/read, you say what you think, you write what you say. So, yup – I think reading will help to build the mastery of language.

[ammonite]

jeanieg:

Thank you, Rains, for your encouragement! Greatly appreciated!


You know, besides reading English books, Chinese books is another difficult hurdle I need to cross. Now I am trying to tackle 2 birds at the same time. My older P1 girl is able to read, just not keen on reading. When I saw her English Journal writing from school, I was shocked with all the broken English! That's when I panic even more. I believe when you read, your English will improve. So now, die die will have to discipline myself to remind kids to read.

Liking Chinese books is the same as for English books. Choose books that will appeal to them and keep them accessible. My sons are not proficient in Chinese yet, but they will still take out their chinese picture books to look at, or ask me to read to them. When i go to the library, i borrow both english and chinese books for them and despite not being proficient, they have never been averse to chinese story books. My elder son had a late start and only became proficient in English reading last year. This year he has started trying to read Chinese books on his own, checking the hanyu pinyin or consulting me when need be. It is just a natural process. Interestingly, he enjoys doing Chinese compositions even though his Chinese is generally not good but improving steadily. He started off in the low sixties in primary one, so it was really weak. If you can maintain that affection for Chinese books in your kids, i believe it will work out eventually.