Kids + Reading = Success

By and large, children today are not reading very much and when they finally do, they aren't doing it very well. According to a recent report called "To read or not to Read", children are not doing so well when it comes to reading skills. The report also states that fewer than one third of all 13 years old read on a daily basis. Additionally, those ages 15 to 24 are only spending about 7 minutes of their leisure time reading, yet they spend nearly 2 hours per day watching television.

Several elements were believed to contribute to the decline in reading, including the prevalent use of electronics. Today's children have so many attention-grabbing outlets, such as computers, video games and televisions, that they are not interested in books anymore.

The NEA ( National Endowment for the Arts) reports that a decline in reading skills and related abilities will lead to difficulties later in life, especially in civic, social and economic areas. Although parents may not realize it, a child who struggles with reading will find that it impacts nearly every other subjects they attempt. Reading is the basis for most subjects, and it must be mastered in order for children to reach their full potential.

So what can be done , to turn the tables and get children reading more? Some people turn to incentives programs.

The most effective way to get children to read more and improve their readingskills is to simply turn off the electronic forms of entertainment. If just having the reading material around doesn't get them motivated, try other options until you see what works.

Here a few suggestions:

• Have your kids earn television viewing time based on how much time they spend reading
• Take them to the library or bookstore and let them choose what they would like to read.
  
• Have a family reading time, each day, even if its only for 20 minutes-a time when the family sits together in a one room and reads separately or aloud from a classic.
• Encourage older kids to read to younger kids. This improves their reading skills and gets the younger children interested in reading.
  
• Keep reading material in the housethat you think will be of interest to your children.
• Play word or reading related games, like scrabble or Boggie.
• Get a special bookmark for each child to keep all to themselves.
• Encourage them to try their hand at writing their own book or short story.
• Get them to read things in every area of like, such as directions to make a recipe, signs on the street and food labels.

One of the most effective ways to get children to read is by having parents set an example by being readers themselves. Children that see their parents read are much more apt to make it a priority in their own lives. So pull out your library card, dust it off and take a family field trip to get some fresh and fascinating reading material. In addition to helping your children with reading skills, you will be helping them to be more successful in everything they do throughout their lives.

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