Getting kids to read. How? \ stacker news ~BooksAndArticles

1427 sats \ 10 comments \ @0fje0 30 Jan BooksAndArticles

Recently discovered this guy's YouTube channel: BeauoftheFifthColumn

Ever heard of him?

He seems to be well informed about how news cycles work, but in this short video he answers a subscriber's question about the story that got him into reading as a child:

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452 sats \ 0 replies \ @brandonsbytes 30 Jan

read to them. let them see you reading. talk about books you are reading and have read. it’s not about reading, it’s about big ideas and living stories.

385 sats \ 0 replies \ @cryotosensei 30 Jan

Cool! Will watch this later.

From my personal experience, first I think you got to discard the idealised image of bedtime story reading, snuggling up to each other under the covers, laughing conspiratorially over shared moments. My wife and I used to read to my son like this, but when my baby girl came along, this habit was effectively demolished. Fun fact: my daughter vomitted on her bed five times yesterday. But I digress.

I think the best thing to do is to let your kids take the lead. Take them to the library and see what interests them. My son has a (somewhat illogical) passion about hippos, so we borrow books on hippos, be it fiction or non-fiction. Ofc we don’t always read them at home afterward, but I consider the art of choosing books a success haha.

I try to read to my boy 5 mins after I pick him up from the student care centre. Not much, I know, but he is usually in the mood to focus and flip a few pages with me haha.

Good luck! 🤞

334 sats \ 0 replies \ @Signal312 31 Jan

Be really, really hard-core about limiting screen time, drastically. Any screen time.

Most kids, most of the time (most adults too) will choose easy screen time entertainment after more difficult (but more rewarding) reading.

101 sats \ 0 replies \ @erict875 31 Jan

I will watch the video later, but will share my own experience with my little one.

Model the behaviour you want your kids to adopt (very often easier said than done), read.
read to them,
Let them choose what they'd like to read
Comics are usually a good intro into reading
Very, very limited screen time (tv or phone)
Encourage boredom.
Going to bookstores is a fun activity.

21 sats \ 4 replies \ @OT 30 Jan

Bribe them?

53 sats \ 1 reply \ @erict875 31 Jan

Absolutely NOT! 🙏 There's a book called "punished by rewards", author Alfie Kohn, which convincingly xplains why this is a bad idea and on the long run contra-productive.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @justanumber 4 Feb

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101 sats \ 1 reply \ @0fje0 OP 30 Jan

Hasn't worked well for my kids. :)

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @OT 31 Jan

This is my wife's default. There must be a better way

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @cryotosensei 1 Feb

back again! I was most struck by how BeauoftheFifthColumn mentioned about how audio books work because they help paint vivid pictures in the reader's mind. Interesting idea. Unfortunately, i dont think it will work for me because i'm a visually inclined learner.