When you have kids are you going to make them read?

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Mely918
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Re: When you have kids are you going to make them read?

Post by Mely918 »

I will try my best to instill in my children the love of reading that I have always had. However, I am going to try not to push it so much to the point that they loathe the sight of books. I'll try to look for a middle-ground when it comes to that, and make sure that they know they are still loved and accepted regardless if they share my love of books or not.
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ccranston
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Post by ccranston »

I'm really torn on this subject. As a teacher, I know the importance of reading to children at an early age and encouraging them to read at least 20 minutes a day. Reading grows their vocabulary, reading proficiency, and statistics show that children who are read to do better in school. However, I also know what happens when reading becomes a "chore" or a "punishment." I have plenty of middle school students who absolutely hate reading because they have not had good experiences with books. I always tell them, "You just haven't found the right book yet." Many students doubt me and think reading is a form of punishment. My goal every year is to individually find the book that will change their minds.

I do read to my own children and as they get older, I'll encourage them to read for fun. I refuse to force them to read and turn them off to books.
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Mallory Porshnev
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Post by Mallory Porshnev »

I don't want kids, but if I did, I would make sure to read to them and with them to encourage a love of books.
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Post by bclayton13 »

I don't know if I could force my kids to read, I would be too worried about making them hate it. But I know I would be soo disappointed if they didn't read. I guess when I have kids I'll just try to introduce it early and hope that they like it. Most of all I want my kids to be who they are.
But my mom and my uncle had this tradition where they would never say no to buying one book for me when we went into a bookstore, it definitely fueled my love for reading. They felt that if I was asking for it, they had to do everything in their power to encourage it, even if we were strapped for cash. I think I'll do the same thing.
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_mylilyotv
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Post by _mylilyotv »

I'm not going to 'make' them read but I'm definitely going to encourage it. I'll definitely read to them while they're young and as they grow up they can either love to read or hate it and it wouldn't bother me, everyone is different. I love reading and always have and my sister is not a reader, you can encourage but in the end it's their decision and if they don't enjoy it then that's it.
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Tamorie Hargro
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Post by Tamorie Hargro »

I think I will make my kids read for a good while, but not always. I personally think good reading/comprehension, and perhaps writing habits begin at the toddler age. If children start young then they'll be less likely to despise reading going through school, and even if they do end up despising reading, at least their early skills will keep them quickly adapting to the information they have to keep up with.

Later, though, when my kids are obviously getting the hang of reading skills, I'll let them choose when they want to read.
J.K. Rowling - Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban wrote:Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light. 🔥
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Nanig83006
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Post by Nanig83006 »

I read to my son as much as possible. There are times he doesn’t want to and I don’t force him. But, he loves picking out books and asking us to read them with him at random. As he gets older, I may “enforce” a designated reading hour daily, but that’s a bridge to cross later on.
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Post by chiwenduchijioke »

Yes I will. Although I wouldn't force it on them but make them know from a very young age that reading is important- and fun too!
I believe reading to them is the best way to gain their interest.
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Facennagoss
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Post by Facennagoss »

I’m not going to ‘make’ them read as that will just foster a dislike of reading but I will encourage them to read by finding books that match their interests, by role modelling and by reading to them.
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Post by ObsessedBookNerd »

I think there are many ways to encourage kids to read without forcing them to. It’s about finding the right books that will make them unable to put it down. When they are younger I will probably read to my child & then as they get older do a family book club where we can explore & enjoy it together.
Asisha Joseph
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Post by Asisha Joseph »

I will definitely try to inculcate a reading habit in them, but obviously I won't put pressure if they don't like it. Hopefully they'll enjoy reading as much as I do!
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Lottie_Elsie
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Post by Lottie_Elsie »

I'm glad a fair number of people here agree about this: forcing kids to read tends to make it become more of a 'chore' and some kids might even start to view it as a form of punishment, and we all know how the reaction to that often goes.
But, keeping books around and reading to them will always my job. Plus, kids tend to imitate their parents right? So when my kids always catch me engrossed in a book, i'm guessing they'll want to know what exactly it is Mommy is up to. Personally I have a number of ideas on how to encourage reading, like telling them that for every book (could be more than one) completed in a week, they'd get a stipulated amount of money in turn; these incentives help you know?😂 Open discussions about books also help.
All in all, all I can really do is encourage them and hope they fall in love with books like I have!
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Lottie_Elsie
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Post by Lottie_Elsie »

I'm glad a fair number of people here agree about this: forcing kids to read tends to make it become more of a 'chore'; some may even start to see it as a form of punishment and we all know how the reaction to that often goes.
But, reading to my kids and encouraging them to pick interest in books will always be my job. Personally I have a number of ways to encourage them to read, like telling them that for every book (could be one or more) completed in a week, they'd get a stipulated amount of money in turn; these incentives help you know? 😂 Open discussions about books also help. Plus kids mostly imitate those around them right? So if my kids always catch me engrossed in a book, I figure they'll want to know what Mommy is up to.
All I can really do is encourage them to read and hope they fall in love with books just like I have!
a9436
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Post by a9436 »

I plan to read aloud to my children from a very young age, in order to inspire a love of reading. I will also take note of their interests so that I can recommend/buy/borrow books which they will hopefully like - eg. if they like My Little Pony at playgroup, I will see if I can find a My Little Pony book. Reading is a necessary skill, but it should not feel like a chore.
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Juliar252
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Post by Juliar252 »

I will definitely introduce them to reading at a young age and encourage reading because I think it improves your writing and communication skills.
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