asset #25
for the love of reading By Daylinda Radley, MA, CCC-SLP, Speech-Language Pathologist, Shodair Children’s Hospital
ant to develop literacy now in your youngster? Read with him or her. The developmental asset of Reading for Pleasure starts in early childhood. The Kids and Family Reading Report, published in 2008, discusses the factors shaping children’s relationship with reading. When it comes to kids and reading, their results indicated the following: Most kids like to read books for fun; one in four kids ages 5-17 read books for fun every day; and reading frequency declines after age eight. Although many parents understand the significance of reading and its correlation to children’s future academic success, they may not know how they can influence their child’s literacy. Keeping the momentum going for reading appears to be a challenge, especially now, when high-tech
distractions pull children away from the love of print. Increasingly, speech language pathologists and other professionals are advocating for adult-child shared storybook reading. This trend has been influenced in part by research and changing perspectives on early childhood development and the speech-pathologist’s role in enhancing literacy skills. Numerous studies have shown that shared book reading is an effective tool for promoting early literacy skills for both typically developing children and children with disabilities (Justice & Kaderavek, 2003). Even very young children, who are not ready for print and written instruction, are very capable of acquiring those emergent literacy skills that will help them read and write successfully later on. With young children this is done by reading with
them. Not only is book reading important in their early life, it’s also important in their later life. That’s why reading for pleasure is highlighted as one of the 40 developmental assets that promote academic success. So how do we sustain reading for fun beyond age eight? Scholastic and Yankelovich (2008) offer the following suggestions: Allow kids opportunities to choose their own books and use technology to heighten their book experience by expanding their interest (i.e. author sites, message boards, and search and sample books online); parents should be good reading models for their children; continuing to read books with their children even when they are older is also helpful; more importantly, in spite of their busy adult lives, they should also take time to nourish their own love of reading. ■
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YC MAGAZINE
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DECEMBER 2010
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