Are you serious? You may think reading is fun, but I would rather be playing a video game…
How many times have you heard your child say these words? A hundred times, a thousand times? You see…for many children, reading is a chore. It’s not that they don’t want to read. Most of the time, it’s because they lack the skills necessary to be able to read fluently. And, when a child can’t read fluently, it completely alters the entire reading experience. Hence, the phrase, “Reading… fun?” becomes their reality. They may sound like broken robots as they try to decipher what a word is.
And then, by the time they get to the end of a sentence or paragraph, they can’t tell you what they’ve read because they have been so focused on trying to get the words right. This leads only to frustration, despair, and stress on the part of the child, as well as the parents or caregivers. Many times, kids simply become bored and give up. This is extremely sad, but a huge reality in this present day and time.
At this point…I think I know what many of you are thinking!
You’re talking about my child! I hear this so many times during any given week! I have been an educator for 36 years now. I see this scenario played out on a daily basis. I have seen kindergartners who struggle with learning to read, as well as kids in high school, who still haven’t been able to master the art of reading fluently and successfully.
The sad part is that these high school students are getting ready to either go off to college or find a job. Without successful learning skills, they’re most likely going to have a tough time out in the “real world.” I know it has to be frustrating for these kids, as well as their parents. However, it doesn’t have to be this way.
READING CAN BE FUN!!! Yes, I’ll say it again! READING CAN BE FUN!!!
Kids can actually learn to fall in love with books, magazines, literature, etc.! They just need the skills necessary to become more successful, and the confidence to overcome their fear of failure. They need to realize that they can do so much more than they thought was possible. They can actually live up to their God given talents, and create the successful lives they’ve always dreamed about!
Within the pages and posts of my site, I am going to be sharing ways to get your child up and reading fluently, and in fun ways! That’s the key! Making reading fun is the way to pull kids in and to get them to want to read! I mean, who doesn’t want to have fun, right? I know I do, especially if I’m having to do something that I really would rather not do!
My Hopes and Dreams for Your Children
My hope is that you, as parents and caregivers, will give me a chance to prove that every child can become a successful reader; thus giving them a firm foundation for the rest of their educational lives. We never stop learning, no matter how old we are!
My prayer is that you will find encouragement as you begin to see your children being swept away through the pages of books, magazines, and other types of literature!
My dream is to see more and more kiddos wanting to read and enjoying every minute of it! And… my goal is to see these kids become successful adults. This gives me so much encouragement whenever I see a struggling reader begin to flourish! That’s why I love my job!
I’m hoping that you will take the time to read some of my posts! Prayerfully, it will give you some ideas for how to get your child up and ready for reading success!
If you ever have any comments or questions, I would love to help you out! Please leave a note below, and I will get back to you as soon as possible! In the meantime…Happy reading to you and your child!
Blessings:)
Suzi
This takes me back to when my son was in first grade. He didn’t seem to grasp the concept of reading and every night when I would put him to bed he would ask me if I was absolutely sure that I wanted him to learn how to read! I began researching ways to work with him, and eventually through the use of phonics and lots of patience, he was able to learn to read and understand what he was reading. Thank you so much for dedicating your website to helping children read, and read more effectively! I look forward to reading your other articles!
Sincerely,
Darlene B.
Thank you so much, Darlene, for the nice comment:) It sounds like you did the right thing by researching ways to work with your son. Thankfully, you came across phonics! I am so glad that he learned how to read, and to comprehend what he was reading! I really do appreciate you taking the time to leave a nice comment, and to share your experience with teaching your son to read!
Blessings:)
Suzi
Thank you !Reading is the best thing that the Lord bless us to have we should encourage our children daily to read more.
Thank you so much, Sharon, for your comment! I agree with you, wholeheartedly:) I think that reading is one of the blessings that God has given us in order to become successful, and give our kids the encouragement that they need in order to succeed in life. You couldn’t have said it better! Thanks again for your comment:)
Blessings:)
Suzi
Suzi, Love this site .. Kids need to get back to more reading and let their minds get creative. When my 5 kids were small, I made up stories every night, to fit their personality to build their confidence and value of life, others and self. I home schooled my youngest daughter and by the time she was 18 months old she recognized her alphabet and numbers and was reading 3/4 letter words and she loved it. One thing I did was sing the letters and numbers and as I would read a story with those words in it, I would pause and she would say the word. So by the time she was in pre-K she loved reading. The younger you start reading to them and making a fun game out of it, the better reader and the more they will love reading and writing. Thanks for helping kids read. 🙂 Judy
Thanks so much, Judy, for your inspiration! You sound like you were an unbelievable parent:) In fact, you would have made a great teacher! I agree with you that the younger you start reading to children, the more they will learn to love reading; which will in turn lead to them becoming better readers! That’s my goal for all of the kiddos I work with. I want them to enjoy reading, and not to see it as a chore. This will help them to become more successful as they walk down the pathway of life! This is my prayer for them, and for the countless others in the world who struggle with the basic fundamentals of reading. Thank you, again, for your sweet comment:)
Blessings:)
Suzi
Suzi! This comes at just the right time! Elizabeth is in 3rd grade and falling behind in her reading. It’s reading and comprehension! Help!
Hi Diana! It’s great to hear from you:) I taught 3rd grade for 9 of my 20 years, and it’s honestly one of the hardest grades due to the fact that the kids are expected to know and comprehend so much more than they had to in 2nd grade. In Texas, I think it’s due mainly to the STAAR tests that the children are expected to take and pass with flying colors! You might check out the Reading Buddy Software program, which deals mainly with comprehension. My niece was struggling with reading fluency until my brother tried this program last year, and now she’s flourishing in school! For once, she actually wants to read! The Spectrum Reading workbooks are also great for getting the kiddos up and reading more fluently, while understanding what they are reading:) Please let me know how else I can help!
Blessings:)
Suzi