How do I make my child love reading?As a grade six English teacher at Maragon Ruimsig, I am frequently asked this question at Parents’ Evenings. The child concerned inevitably struggles with the comprehension section of my assessments and while the diagnosis is simple, the “medication” is very difficult to administer…think squirming cat here and the thankless task of attempting to force a pill down the hapless feline’s throat! An almost impossible task.
After about 28 years of teaching English, I am certainly qualified to state that, without a doubt, my top achievers were bookworms. Their vocabulary was excellent; they were able to master the skills of skimming and scanning for information in no time at all. The non-reader would comparatively read line by line looking for answers in the most laborious fashion, often needlessly re-reading sections in an attempt to find that ever-elusive answer. Naturally, the non-reader would start to panic and run out of time and in many cases skip to the easier Language section, often losing some 15-20% of their marks because of their inability to skim and scan.
Before beginning with the suggestions, I will outline below, there may be a valid reason why your child dislikes reading. He or she may be struggling with a number of optical difficulties best diagnosed by an optometrist. The, as yet undiagnosed, difficulty could cause words to swim in front of your child’s eyes, letters could well be dancing in the most bewildering fashion making reading a fate worse than death itself. If you, as the parent wore glasses at an early age then genetically your child, too, will be more inclined to wear spectacles at an early age as well. In short: a visit to the optometrist is essential before proceeding.
Being an avid reader from an early age, I often find myself returning to my childhood looking for the stimuli that set me on the path towards loving books. My father was always curled up on the couch with a Louis L’amour in hand. The bookshelf was filled with westerns, non-fiction and various other genres. I was always a naturally curious child and absorbed all the “Children of the World” books, which were full of fascinating facts from countries all over the world. Very soon I graduated to Westerns and then onto adult novels at the age of 12. In hindsight, some of these books were not suitable for children of my age but my parents were none the wiser.
From this account, you can draw your own conclusions. If you want, your children to read you should be modelling that behaviour. Provide a healthy cross section of genres to appeal to your child’s unique reading palate. Generally, I find boys prefer non-fiction to fiction; girls on the other hand gravitate to fiction and tend to, as a rule, read more than boys tend to. As an added incentive, and to gauge your child’s interests, take your child to a bookstore and ask them to choose what it is that interests them.
Another possible way forward, counter-intuitively, is to choose an excellent audio book and listen to it in the car, on the way to your holiday destination, or even to school, every morning. This method will pique your child’s interest as they become involved in the plot and the drama of the reading. The next step may well be your child asking to read the books produced by that particular author.
Use technology to your advantage allow your child to purchase digital readers and order books online. Naturally, you will have to put provisos in place as to how much they may spend.
Which brings me to another matter…my own children…confession time: they do not read! Horror of horrors and here I am dispensing advice to all those parents out there! My children have been surrounded by books and both my wife and I read a great deal. My eldest was never interested in reading except for a very short “Lord of the Rings” spell. Today at 23 years of age, he mostly immerses himself in surfing the net and following up on his investments and shares, all of which require skimming and scanning skills. My middle child, now in Matric, was a bookworm of note and is now a top student, he no longer reads. My youngest has read perhaps two or three books in his entire 14 years and yet manages to achieve top marks for his comprehensions.
My point is that there are no fixed rules, the old adage applies, “You can take a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.” Do not despair if you try out all the tips I have mentioned without success. Our children are reading all the time, be it advertisements or cereal boxes, they read a copious amount of material without picking up a book. More important than the mechanical technique of reading is comprehension or understanding what it is you are reading. The thinking skills behind the reading are vital. You might want to try commenting on a headline that may appear on a street-pole. Try the WWWWHW technique i.e. who, what, where, when, how and why. In other words, “Who do you think the headline is speaking about?” This technique teaches your child to read with comprehension. Scroll through the articles on news 24 and utilize the same technique.
In conclusion: you may not produce a bookworm, but you are giving your child the skills by which they can dissect a piece of writing and is that not what reading is really all about?
By Ian McCallum, teacher of Maragon Ruimsig Preparatory
BABY’S AND BEYOND™ is an ABC Certified family lifestyle publication with its primary focus on family planning, financial planning, education, pregnancy and parenting, childhood development, nutrition and health, fitness, dental care, fashion, leisure and entertainment, and many other thought provoking articles pertaining to the entire family.
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Environmental EducationEducation in any realm is important for changing oneself as well as the community in which we live. Education is the only way that people can build the knowledge to affect any change. I am not merely referring to the learning of facts and theorems but more critically, learning how to effectively question, explore and think about issues, change one’s mind (and the minds of others), innovate and create.
Environmental awareness and environmental education allow for children to take back the power in their homes and communities. Many of us (as well as our parents) were not given the gift of this knowledge, resulting in a lot of damage being done daily to our environment. Many of our general views and habits are as outdated as doctors promoting smoking during pregnancy; with many people still feeling that it is perfectly fine to leave chewing gum on the ground or drop litter where they are standing.
As the biggest role models in our children’s lives, we as adults, need to change our habits to help enforce the education being given at school. It is harder to change the older you are, but nothing worthwhile comes easy. Have the conversations, explain what and why you are doing things and ask in what way your child would like to adjust your habits as a family. This allows children to be involved with their family decisions around being caring and responsible citizens.
It is naïve to think that we are not affected by poor choices. You may live in a clean suburb, that recycles and has litter picked up regularly etc but the reality is that the more waste we create the more poison leaches into our water systems, our food and our bodies. Whether we buy that food from a high end supermarket with a great reputation or whether we buy it from a farmer in Limpopo – the fact remains, if we poison our planet we are only poisoning ourselves. The more we waste the less we all have. The more we rely on artificial replacements to healthy and natural solutions the more we expose ourselves to cancers and other illnesses. The way we live, from our consumption levels, to our waste, to the economic divide is not sustainable and is not in any way beneficial in the long run.
We as individuals need to start setting the example, we need to be more conscious about what we feed our children and ourselves. Finding out where our products, food and clothes come from. We need to listen to the new knowledge our children bring home. Being willing to question yourself and make one small change at a time will ultimately be the biggest change in our community. Putting pressure on our peers and the businesses we support, to make smarter more sustainable choices will make a vast impact to our lives directly.
Above all be a great role model for those around you, listen to the knowledge your children have to offer and be conscious in your actions.
Start small, make one change at a time and be the example that we lack around us.
Some minor changes you could make that could make a world of difference:
- Turn the tap off while brushing your teeth
- Always throw any litter in the bin (including cigarette butts and chewing gum)
- Recycle what you can when you can
- Minimise waste by only buying what you need
- Instead of buying bottled water, save on plastic and use a refillable water bottle
- Take your own bags to the shops
- Buy items that use recyclable/biodegradable packaging (and recycle it)
- Use your own coffee travel mug instead of using a takeaway cup
- Say no to plastic straws and cutlery that are not needed
- Buy cleaning products that are not harmful to our water systems
By Sara Labuschagne, Teacher at Crawford Preparatory Fourways
BABY’S AND BEYOND™ is an ABC Certified family lifestyle publication with its primary focus on family planning, financial planning, education, pregnancy and parenting, childhood development, nutrition and health, fitness, dental care, fashion, leisure and entertainment, and many other thought provoking articles pertaining to the entire family.
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Back-to-school blues? Here’s what you can do…Holidays are like cats! They creep into your lap for a cuddle and just when you start feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, they jet off to some unknown place, leaving you feeling disappointed and perhaps a little cold! Is this not true of these school holidays? They crept in, had a cuddle and left – just like that!
Cindy Glass, Owner and Co-Founder of Step Up Education Centres says, “Families around South Africa are frantically trying to prepare for the new school year. Uniforms, stationery, lunch boxes! Grade 1’s are going to big school and Grade 8’s are starting high school – both ‘small fish in big ponds’. Money is being spent, transport is being planned and emotions are running all over the place! Excitement, fear, elation, anxiety, anticipation, expectation and STRESS are all a part of the process. Everyone copes differently, with some families even feeling the ‘back-to-school-blues’.”
Cindy adds that a smooth start to the year is as easy as making small changes to how you approach the next couple of weeks.
She offers 6 helpful tips for parents:
- Set the tone: Your children are going to take their cue from the words you speak and the actions that you take. Make it your priority to create an atmosphere of excitement and positive anticipation in your family as you prepare for the new school year!
- Get organised: So often, the sheer enormity of the task ahead creates a sense of anxiety and stress! Create a comprehensive to-do list. Prioritise the most important requirements. Tick off the ‘done’ bits. In this way, you have a visual representation of your progress, helping you feel a sense of ‘getting there’!
- Get your children involved: Covering books and labelling stationery together is a wonderful opportunity to teach independence and responsibility. In addition, you will have created a space for open discussion about the upcoming year.
- Talk to your children: What are they excited about, what activities do they want to participate in, what are their expectations and fears? Listen to understand and without judgement. Let your children know that you have their back. You are, after all, in this together!
- Eliminate as many of the unknowns as possible: If your child is starting a new school, for whatever reason, make sure that they know exactly what to do and where to go.
- Positive connection is key: Remember that it takes a village to bring up a child. It is essential that parents, teachers and children feel respected and supported. Make an effort to attend school meetings and try to get to know your child’s teachers with will allow for a happy and successful school year!
“Finally, create a safe space within your family home for after-school discussions and positive problem-solving – no matter the challenge. The age-old tradition of sitting around a dining table is the perfect opportunity for connection, discussion and support. You will be amazed at how much you will learn about your children and how best to support them if you just take the time to listen carefully and without judgement. The importance of family and the role it plays in a positive education experience cannot be overstated!” Cindy concludes.
BABY’S AND BEYOND™ is an ABC Certified family lifestyle publication with its primary focus on family planning, financial planning, education, pregnancy and parenting, childhood development, nutrition and health, fitness, dental care, fashion, leisure and entertainment, and many other thought provoking articles pertaining to the entire family.
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