Here’s a follow-up question: Did you know that kids who get to pick what they want to read, read more than those who are told what they have to read? This seems obvious to me; “Well, duh!” If you are forced to do something unpleasant, would you want to continue doing it when the force stops? Of course not! If your child associates reading with only hard or boring stories that they have to suffer through, rather than a fun acvtivity, they will have no reason to read more than they absolutely have to. If they associate reading with fun or pleasure or as a source of valuable information, they will find the time for it.
So you are a parent, and you want your child to do well in school. But this “letting kids read whatever they want” - also known as “Free Voluntary Reading” - sounds awfully wishy-washy to you. You think your children should challenge themselves! You think they should read “at the level the school says they’re at”! Yes, I know who you are. You come up to me at the Reference desk and want the Level H books, for instance, or the books with the 3.6 AR level. I can ease some of your concerns:
1) You are worried that your child will stay with the easy books. “Easy books, however, can provide the taste and background knowledge that will lead to … reading other books.”
2) Reading for fun is the bridge to making harder reading more understandable.
3) Assigned reading levels don’t always translate to age appropriateness or interest. Are you really going to tell your elementary-school-aged Harry Potter fan that the books are too difficult for them? Are you really going to tell your squealing teen girls that the Twilight books are inappropriate for them since they are only at a fourth grade reading level? Of course not!
We as librarians know this, and so every time I talk with you or your children I love to find books that they will find fun and interesting. What have they enjoyed in the past? If I can get your child to start talking about a book they have liked in the past, I can find other books that are also likely to appeal to them. If they are interested in a particular topic or activity, I will find books about it for them. My goal is to get a book into your child’s hands that they will want to read, and their reading level is only a small issue. If a child is interested in a book - even if it is a little too hard - their interest in the story or topic will carry them through the reading difficulties. If a child isn’t interested in a book, even an easy reading level won’t make them want to read it.
What can you do to encourage free voluntary reading?
1) Surround your children with lots of interesting reading material (books, magazines, etc). It doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg, just stop by the library on a regular basis. Browse the stacks, talk to a librarian for ideas, check out the Sno-Isle Kids web page for book lists and encourage your child to talk about books with their friends.
2) Give your child the time and a comfortable place to read. A cozy, quiet corner, and a quiet time - perhaps just before the bedtime routine - are perfect. Choose a book together and read to them, or sit quietly next to each other and each read your own thing. You don’t have to stop reading to them just because they may have learned how to read on their own. It is also important that they see you reading to yourself, too.
3) Talk with your children about what they’re reading and what they think about it, but don’t make a big production about book reports or formal “What I learned”. You can even talk to them about what you are reading.
Reading for fun and pleasure is a proven way to do well on school tests. As your knightly librarian gallops away into the sunset, she charges you to have fun and read!
Bibliography (I'm citing my source!): http://www.sdkrashen.com/articles/pac5/index.html
-Kathy
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