How to Keep Kids Interested in Reading

Reading and learning to enjoy reading are some of the most important skills a child can take away from elementary school.  Holding on to an enjoyment of reading is vital to a child's success in high school and beyond to college and career.  Reading is a key to relaxation, learning and pleasure for many adults, and I don't think anyone doubts its value.  So how can parents and teachers keep kids interested, especially during late elementary school?

Lead by Example: Eat Your Veggies!

There has been a commercial on lately for one of those fruit/veggie drinks to trick your kids (or spouse) into eating their veggies.  This commercial shows a family sitting at the table, and they pass around a delicious-looking plate of steamed broccoli, which no one (not even the parents) touches, before gulping down glasses of the advertised beverage.

And I don't like it one bit.

First of all, that broccoli looked really good!  But I won't get bogged down in details.  The real issue is bigger than this ad, so I'll look at the big picture.

Debate on Discipline

Reading up on parenting ideas, I came across this debate on the Genius Child Program blog.  The question presented is whether or not a parent should have to reason with a child to get them to obey.  As I began to read the responses, I was largely disappointed.  The majority of parents gave a simple, black-or-white answer that their child should always simply obey.  That no matter what the circumstance, if their child doesn't listen, they get punished.  That the parent, as an authority, must maintain their authority by demanding blind obedience.

How disappointing!  Let me ask every parent and teacher to look back at your own childhood.  Do you remember your frustration with parents, teachers or coaches who never listened to you?  These people did not show you any respect, and they probably didn't get much of yours.  They were tyrants.

On the other hand, we have all also experienced a parent, teacher or boss who had no authority.  They allowed their homes, classrooms or workplaces to deteriorate into anarchy.  They were walked-on and taken advantage of.

What's a parent to do with these two extremes?  Find the golden mean.

Choose Your Battles

This advice is common, I'll admit, and it takes practice to implement.  And by practice, I mean mistakes.  I think most adults in a position of authority can think of at least one time recently that they did not choose their battles wisely.  This is part of the balancing act of parenting or supervising children.

But I saw a truly awful example of a poor choice just recently.  At the end of the day on Friday, a teacher was leading a line of students toward a bus; a lone boy approached from the opposite direction, running.  The teacher called out, "Walk.  Walk.  Walk!"  but the boy, who may or may not have heard, kept running and only slowed down by the door of the bus.  At this point, the teacher, in a voice most would use to scold a dog, ordered the boy to turn around, walk back to where he was, and then walk to his bus.