My daughter loves books. Her joy of reading began in grade school and she still loves reading and collecting books. Books never get old and there are so many to choose from. If your student is into digital versions of books, there are many programs available as well.
I’ve done the research for you and each link has multiple suggestions for you and your student. I hope these books are helpful and will be great additions to your library.
Continue reading Books for Students and Their Parents
The National Literacy Trust did the research and found that becoming a lifetime reader is based on developing a deep love of reading.
“Research has repeatedly shown that motivation to read decreases with age, especially if pupils’ attitudes towards reading become less positive,” it said. “If children do not enjoy reading when they are young, then they are unlikely to do so when they get older.”
But if a student doesn’t see people reading at home, it may be harder to instill the idea of reading for pleasure. One of the best activities to encourage over the summer is reading. Reading improves vocabulary—a key component on standardized tests.
What can parents do to encourage summer reading?
Discuss what books you are reading and why they interest you. Talk about blogs or articles that you have read and use these discussions to spark interest. This can be done over dinner as you encourage everyone at the table to get involved in the discussion.
Reading offers escape from the challenges of life and allows students to become engrossed as a form of self-indulgent relaxation. Seeing reading as a pleasurable activity and a means of escape moves it from the “have to” category of tasks to the “want to” column. Summer offers them the time to immerse themselves in all types of books and reading that interest them.
It makes sense that a student will be more willing to read if it’s something that interests them. Allow your student to have control of venturing from one book to another, one area of interest to another, and one medium to another. Introduce them to a wide variety of texts and genres—comics, ebooks, short stories, online articles, blogs, and magazines shouldn’t be ignored.
Parents who read foster reading interest in their children. It’s not enough to say, “Go read a book”. Even if the child submits to the request, if they don’t enjoy reading, they aren’t going to absorb what they read and want to read more. Readers are more successful in school and in life. It’s one of the ways students grow mentally and intellectually.
Read Wendy’s post: 6 Unexpected Bonuses from Summer Reading
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Wednesday’s child may be full of woe but Wednesday’s Parent can substitute action for anxiety. Each Wednesday Wendy and I will provide parent tips to get and keep your student on the college track. It’s never too late or too early to start!
The bonus is on the fourth Wednesday of each month when Wendy and I will host Twitter chat #CampusChat at 9pm ET/6pm PT. We will feature an expert on a topic of interest for parents of the college-bound.
Wednesday’s Parent will give twice the info and double the blog posts on critical parenting issues by clicking on the link at the end of the article from parentingforcollege to pocsmom.com and vice versa.
Even with the Internet, smart phones, video games, movies and television, reading is one of the most popular and pleasurable pastimes for children and adults. Still, not all young people enjoy or value the experiences that can be had via the printed page. For parents, finding ways to get your teen to engage with written material can be a challenge, and getting those same students to develop a reading desire of their own can feel nearly impossible.
Motivating anyone to want to read is as much an art as it is a science, and even if you have training as a reading specialist it can still be difficult. If you’d like to instill a love of reading in your teen, here are seven tried-and-true ways to create the reading spark and motivate students to read.
For some students, reading is a challenge that may have been, or still might be, a source of shame. For a less-advanced reader, spend time building their confidence. Let them know that reading isn’t about measuring up, but that even if it were, you’re convinced they’d pass muster. A belief in one’s own self-efficacy is necessary before a child can put effort toward something. As long as your student doesn’t believe they can read well, they won’t be motivated. Working with your student to master the skills of reading will also enable them to enjoy it.
Choose books and reading materials whose topics build bridges and connections with your student’s personal life. Your student has realities at home and at school that are probably wonderfully addressed in stories or essays somewhere. Find them, and encourage them to read about them.
There are so many ways to read! From graphic novels and comic books to weekly magazines like Weekly Reader when they were younger, illustrated stories and biographies, you can build a variety of readable genres for your student to explore. When they see that reading is more than just black on white, their curiosity will come alive.
When students have a choice of what to read, they can find ways to make deeper and more meaningful connections with the materials they choose. To that end, make sure you can supply every literary genre either by downloading books on an tablet, or by visiting a public library.
Find the places of passion, and feed that passion with reading materials. Invite them to discuss and write about how their experiences of reading do and don’t relate to their own experiences in the world.
While it can be a challenge to carry on a discussion about a book with your student, it can be a tremendous experience for both of you. Ask questions about the reading that build empathy and invite reflection, and ask them questions about their reading based on the tenants of the SA
Perhaps the most salient motivator of all is your own love of reading. Tell stories of narratives and memoirs that impacted you and why. If you adequately display your own deep affection for reading, it can leave an indelible mark on the students you seek to inspire.
Reading is a skill whose necessary and practical application can sometimes get in the way of its ability to provide pleasure. If you’re a parent who values your students’ reading experiences, it’s worth the effort to motivate them to develop a desire for it. Whether “Island of the Blue Dolphins” or “Diary of Anne Frank,” the written word, at times, invites readers into a stunning world, and all people should have the opportunity to visit.
Wednesday’s child may be full of woe but Wednesday’s parent can substitute action for anxiety. Each Wednesday Wendy and I will provide parent tips to get and keep your student on the college track. It’s never too late or too early to start!
Wednesday’s Parent will give twice the info and double the blog posts on critical parenting issues by clicking on the link at the end of the article from www.pocsmom.com to www.parentingforcollege.com and vice versa.
This post is about how parents can convey the importance of academics to prepare their child for college:
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Back in the “good ole’ days” reading, writing and arithmetic were the core subjects. Kids were taught to read with “Dick and Jane”, write printing and cursive on Big Ten tablets, and master 2+2=4. But as time progressed and primary education became a stepping stone for higher education, the curriculum, while still centered around these core subjects, has evolved. With the focus on higher education, it’s even more crucial that your kids understand the importance of academics.
How has it evolved and how can you help your kids be successful learners in these three disciplines?
In today’s digital age, reading is done a little differently. Kids used to go to libraries and check out books; now they go online and download them for e-readers. Technology competes for their attention and hours spent reading have been replaced with hours online in social media and playing games. Finding the time read is difficult, but you need to encourage your kids to read from the time they are small children until they finish college.
Why is reading so important? It expands their vocabulary and opens their minds to new ideas. Reading is a critical part of any standardized test and a key aspect of the college entrance exams. Reading teaches them to pay attention and ingest information as they read. It’s going to benefit them in high school, in college and in life if they develop a love for reading.
Years ago writing was a separate subject. Kids were schooled in the nuances of printing and moved on to cursive. Today, most schools don’t concentrate on the mechanics of it but on the content. Additionally, written correspondence is becoming less frequent as emails and text messages are replacing actual notes and letters.
An easy way to encourage writing in your kids is start them with journaling at an early age. Writing down their thoughts helps them to learn effective communication and teaches them how to use the written word to express their thoughts and ideas. This will be incredibly helpful in high school as they work on essays and as they begin to construct their essays for college applications and scholarships.
It’s amazing to me how many teens do not know how to make change or use basic math tables without a calculator. They learn the basics of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division in grade school; but as time progresses, calculators begin being used and they forget how to calculate things without them.
How can you help your kids use those skills in their daily lives? Take them to the store with you and have them calculate and compare prices. Download math games and puzzlers to their phones, tablets and e-readers. As they move on into high school, help them to see the importance of math skills and formulas. Having these courses in your high school curriculum will help them as they apply to colleges and eventually move on to more advanced math in college and in their careers.
Schools now offer more than the three course disciplines: reading, writing, and arithmetic. But the foundation these subjects give students makes it easier for them to study history, science, art, music and communication. Breaking it down to these three will help parents guide their kids as they progress through school and focus on academics.