These days, I don’t think anyone disputes that reading and writing are critical skills for children to develop in order to succeed in school. But while many parents read daily to their small children, once kids learn to read on their own, reading and writing often become independent pursuits.
Recently I’ve become aware of a few interesting and very creative methods that parents – and in these cases, fathers in particular – have used to keep reading and writing with their kids as the kids grow older.
The first example I’d like to share is that of Kendall, the father of a local elementary school girl. When Kendall’s daughter was in 4th and 5th grades, Kendall made up a story and wrote an installment each day on his daughter’s lunch napkin. “Soon, all of her friends in her lunch group were gathering around to find out what was going to happen next in the story.” What a unique way to keep reading and writing fun for both child and adult and, it turns out, to get other kids excited about reading and writing, too! Kendall’s daughter kept all of those napkins, and you can see them on their blog.
The next example became national news when this story hit the New York Times on March 18, 2010. In “A Father-Daughter Bond, Page by Page,” Jim Brozina describes how he and his youngest daughter, Kristin, decided to read aloud together for 1,000 nights. They called this goal The Streak. Not only did Jim and Kristin meet that goal, they wildly exceeded it, reading together every single day for 3,218 days, until Kristin left for college! Even as a teenager, when out with her friends the entire group would stop at the Brozina home before midnight so that Kristin and her Dad could have their 15 minutes of reading time. They never missed a single day.
Finally, Amy Dickinson, author of “Ask Amy” in the Chicago Tribune, wrote an article on December 9, 2010, entitled New Holiday Tradition Revolves around Reading.” In this article, Amy is hoping that a million children will wake up on Christmas morning to find a wrapped book at the foot of their bed. Amy is not advocating that parents buy a new book. You can wrap a book you already have at home, or even a library book (if you explain that the book is not theirs to keep!). The point is to simply have a book be the first thing a child sees on Christmas morning or any holiday.
These are three great, creative ways that parents and caregivers can promote reading and writing in kids and teens of all ages. Do you have a creative way that you celebrate reading and writing with your children? If so, please share it in the comment section below!
Do you need some ideas for books to read with your children or teens? Ask a librarian at your neighborhood library!
~Shannon, Children’s Librarian
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