When you have kids are you going to make them read?

saturday+deviant · Post by **saturday+deviant** » 06 Sep 2013, 18:20

Zannie wrote:My brother was always a good reader. I really struggled. But I was the reader in the family. I think the key is not to make children read but to have a wide range of materials for them to read and let them see you read. I think imagination has a big part to do with it as well. So creating new uses for objects and imaginary world's can help foster reading as with everything reading should incorporate all areas of development and be fun not a chore.

I see this a lot when I babysit my cousins (2 and 4 years old). If I want to read to them and they aren't interested its a real struggle. But usually they will choose their own books that they want read to them and they can sit for an hour or two looking at the different pictures and making up their own stories to match them.

PerkyBlonde · Post by **PerkyBlonde** » 06 Sep 2013, 20:15

Yes.

Part of it will be me reading to them. DH doesn't read, didn't grow up reading, and his parents don't read.

Part of it will be observation - we have Closed Captioning on our TVs. That is a tremendous influence in learning to read, and read fast.

Loveabull · Post by **Loveabull** » 06 Sep 2013, 21:04

Oy, how do get children to hate something? "Make" them do it...You don't want to push kids to read...you want to set by example from toddlerhood. They need to see you reading, there needs to be a variety of reading material in the house, going to the library and bookstore should be a regular fun activity...that's how kids grow up loving books.

Heather · Post by **Heather** » 14 Sep 2013, 16:01

I have kids who love to read. I didn't force them, but I've always taken them to the library, read to them, and read around them. To them, it's just a part of life.

Misaela · Post by **Misaela** » 14 Sep 2013, 16:09

I think that with my example they will like to, but I wouldn't force them.

whybark · Post by **whybark** » 12 Oct 2013, 21:17

I will definitely encourage them to read

Ibanezakame · Post by **Ibanezakame** » 12 Oct 2013, 21:35

You CANNOT make them, now, if they read well, and just don't enjoy it. It's okay as long as they read schoolwork. If they don't read well or skip homework, they need to read But if they are good at it and don't enjoy it as a hobby, don't EVER force

tracy19 · Post by **tracy19** » 13 Oct 2013, 06:20

most definely

emmadbaker1 · Post by **emmadbaker1** » 13 Oct 2013, 07:56

Obviously I don't want to smother them with reading. I don't want them to wind up hating it. I plan to read to them, even when they can't understand what i'm doing. I'll also read around them and hopefully they'll love it too when they grow up.

-- 13 Oct 2013, 09:01 --

hnardi8 wrote:I have kids who love to read. I didn't force them, but I've always taken them to the library, read to them, and read around them. To them, it's just a part of life.

This is actually the reason I'm so hooked on reading. As a child my mother always took me to the community library and sign us up for little reading competitions and whatnot. Me being one of the competitive siblings, I always tried to read the most so I could win. Now my favorite thing to do is read.

I definitely plan to do this with my future children.

jsinard42 · Post by **jsinard42** » 13 Oct 2013, 18:37

I would encourage them to read, and if necessary I would make them spend a certain amount of time reading each day. Normally I would say it's wrong to force anyone to do somthing they don't want to do, but then again that's a large part of life. Reading helps in school, from first grade to graduate school and I can't see putting my child at a disadvantage because they said no and I said okay.