Reading at home key to literacy
How to get the word out to kids
Reading at home is the best way to turn around Canada’s poor literacy levels, says reading expert Jan Dupuis.
With four out of every 10 adult Canadians struggling with a sub-standard literacy level, according to a 2005 survey, the most effective way to make sure literacy becomes more widespread is to encourage it in the home, in the family and with children, said Dupuis, literacy outreach co-ordinator with the Victoria Literacy Task Force.
“Their reading levels aren’t good enough, their writing skills aren’t good enough, their computer skills, they might not even have any, and their math skills are very low,” Dupuis said in the lead-up to Family Literacy Day (familyliteracyday.ca), which was on Friday.
The statistics from the 2005 survey are daunting — 900,000 men and women, aged 16 to 65, have a literacy level below that defined as the bare minimum for the modern workplace, Level 3 out of 5 — but the problem can be overcome, Dupuis said.
Just 15 minutes a day spent with a child in an activity to stimulate or encourage reading or literacy can prepare a child for a successful adulthood. “It also enriches the family, spending time doing things together, reading, playing games, looking through recipes, doing some things on the computer,” said Dupuis.
Tips to encourage reading as a family:
• Ensure your child knows that how well people read or write has nothing to do with their intelligence. Every person is intelligent in their own way and each person is unique and needs to learn in the way that best suits them. With practice, your child will become a good reader.
• The television can be used as a tool. After your child watches a television show or an episode, talk to them about it. Ask them questions like, “What was your favourite part?” or “What was the episode trying to teach the audience?” This reinforces media literacy skills, a medium that is encompassing our lives today.
• Don’t lose sight of the fact that children model behaviour they see. Ensure that your child sees you reading, whether it’s the newspaper, the mail or a recipe. This shows your child how important it is to read.
• While reading a story to your child, pause to ask them what they predict will happen next or have them summarize what has happened in the story thus far. Good readers think about what they are reading and this will reinforce critical thinking skills.
• Today’s children, particularly teens, are influenced by music. Have your child read the lyrics of their favourite song. When your child hears the song, they will visualize the lyrics they read. Visualization is a reading skill and this helps develop the skill.
• All reading is good reading. If your child is a reluctant, allow them to read comics, a graphic novel, a magazine or an instruction manual for their favourite sport. They will be introduced to new words and sentence structure, and they will engage their brains with new ideas and information.
• Families that spend a lot of time in the car can play an audio book and have children follow along with the written book in their hands. You will be surprised how many pages your child can get through in a five-minute car ride. Many libraries have a large collection of audio books.
• Play board games that involve making words or reading instructions on cards. This highlights to your child that literacy skills connect with everyday activities and reading is fun.
• Watch a movie based on a book. This can inspire your child to read the book because they enjoyed the movie so much. To really enhance critical literacy skills, have your child identify the key differences between the movie and the book.
• The reading process needs to be enjoyable so select books that represent your child’s reading ability and not the reading level your child “should” be at. If your child feels like every time they read, they are going to fail or be criticized, they will resist reading.
• Reading aloud helps children develop pace and voice. Have your child read to the family dog, teddy bear or their younger sibling. These are nonthreatening audiences that will help develop your child’s confidence.