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. Its 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 Maliks parents find him sneaking books into bed, but Ella wont 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 Dont 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, background knowledge, and a positive attitude. Part Two considers the practical matter of supporting these three elements at a variety of age ranges (from birth and preschool through adolescence), since childrens needs change as they grow. The book also addresses how to help atypical readers, including those with dyslexia as well as kids who decode effortlessly but dont have the background knowledge to understand what theyre reading. Lastly, Willingham discusses reading in the digital age, and how we can get more kidsb to choose reading as a leisure activity over video games, TV, and music. This provocative book debunks myths and helps parents and teachers alike understand how to help kids learn to love reading.