Raising Kids Who Read: What Parents and Teachers Can Do

Everyone agrees that reading is fundamental to education. Reading is the mechanism by which children gather new information about the world, learn to stretch their imaginations, come to appreciate the power and beauty of language, and learn to think critically. It's no wonder that parents and teache [...]
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Everyone agrees that reading is fundamental to education. Reading is the mechanism by which children gather new information about the world, learn to stretch their imaginations, come to appreciate the power and beauty of language, and learn to think critically. It's no wonder that parents and teachers want children to read and encourage leisure reading as a hobby. Despite the power and beauty of reading, despite the positive messages from adults, most kids lose interest in reading as they grow older. The average first grader enjoys reading, but by puberty this child does not enjoy reading and rarely chooses to read in his free time. Nevertheless, a small subset of kids do continue to read, and they remain dedicated readers into adulthood. Why? Why do Malik's parents find him sneaking books into bed, but Ella won't read books when her parents offer to pay her? Raising Kids Who Read helps parents and teachers make it more likely that children will be like Malik, rather than Ella. As in his previous bestseller, Why Don't Students Like School?, Willingham offers a perspective that is rooted in scientific research, but with a practical and engaging, ready-for-application sensibility. The first part of the book reviews the three elements that must be in place for children to become enthusiastic readers: decoding, comprehension, and motivation (especially in an age of video games, texting, and omnipresent television). Part Two considers the practical matter of supporting these three elements at a variety of age ranges (from birth and preschool through adolescence), since children's needs change as they grow. The book also addresses how to help kids with dyslexia and how the digital age has changed the reading landscape. This provocative book debunks myths and helps parents and teachers alike understand how to help kids learn to love reading.