How It Began
It was awkward at first: we knew that parents-to-be could read to their unborn child throughout pregnancy, but it felt strange for 30-somethings to be reading Dr. Seuss on the couch at night. Even the dogs looked at us funny. And when our son was born, it was still a little unnatural to pick up a board book and read to him while we rocked him to sleep. After all, how could he possibly understand the story? And how would 10 minutes of reading to a newborn really improve his vocabulary or instill a lifelong love of reading and exploration? But, we stuck with it (it helped that at our baby shower, guests gifted us books for the baby’s library instead of cards).
As our firstborn grew, reading with him became part of our daily routine. And when he was old enough to grab the books himself (always kept on shelves or in baskets that he could reach), he studied them in silence, brought them to us to read (over and over and over), and even danced on them in the kitchen. And since by then reading had become such a big part of our lives, it was a no-brainer for us to continue it full force throughout my pregnancy with his little sister. It was no longer uncomfortable to read to my growing belly because I had a toddler listening, too. Even the dogs came around, relaxing to the sound of familiar stories.
I wonder now if the extra reading our daughter heard in-utero (while I read to her brother dozens of books a day) accounts for her early reading prowess. I would like to take some credit for it but I suppose I was just trying to keep my toddler occupied while I held her close. There are a few things, though, that I feel better pointing to as actions my husband and I took to encourage the voracious readers that our 4- and 6-year-olds have become. Their reading life began before they were born, and we purposefully nurture it now.
We Read Together
We still read aloud each night, and often during the day, even though our children can read to themselves. That closeness is part of what makes our reading time so special, and the conversations sparked by the stories give us new worlds to explore. Books are read in a big, comfy bed while we are all cuddled up; by the fireplace on a cold day; to the dog as she lounges in her favorite spot; on lazy Sundays on the couch; at school during special parent-reader days. I grab my own book and read silently next to my 6-year-old as he devours our newest library haul. My husband reads over coffee and the kids bring a book to be close to him.
We Grow Our Home Library
We knew that we wanted our children to have access to their own books, ones they could chew on, sleep with, throw, keep in the car, and learn to love. And as they grew older (and gentler), we supplemented our home library with our town’s library. We are regulars there, often requesting specific titles through interlibrary loan. And when we bring our treasures home, I know I can count on each child slipping off into a cozy corner to read quietly. We also gift books to friends, and put them on holiday wish lists. Anticipating our monthly book club box, magazine subscriptions, and book orders through school are other ways that reading brings us joy.
We Engage
At each opportunity, we sign up for summer reading programs and school reading challenges. Incentives for time spent reading or even engaging in non-reading activities (like playing outside, baking for a neighbor, or visiting a museum) make it fun to participate. Following various reading websites and the Instagram feeds of folks who recommend age-appropriate books is a free and easy way to keep the kids’ to-read list growing. When authors we love come to visit the library, we show up to get our much-loved books signed. Last summer after we read a book about Ferris wheels, we took a trip into the city to ride one! And did you know that Santa schedules visits at local bookstores? When he does, we make that our special time with Saint Nicholas. New this year: I volunteered to help in my son’s school library. He loves knowing that I’m there, and I love perusing the shelves and sharing ideas with the librarians.
What We Avoid
From time to time I am asked which reading program we use with the kids, or what kinds of flash cards, worksheets, or phonics apps we prefer. While our son’s kindergarten class did encourage the use of a great iPad reading program, we do not do any formal reading instruction at home. We have also so far chosen to avoid keeping reading logs. When one came home early in the school year, I knew in my gut that some of the joy our son felt in reading on his own would be lost if it was tied to the clock. His teacher was supportive of a more loosely-based system for keeping track, and that worked well for our family. We want reading to be something our kids choose to do rather than it feeling like an obligation.
I suppose it all boils down to a purposeful approach to fostering a love of books in our children. By making reading a part of our everyday lives and supporting our children’s interests through books, we have laid the foundation for strong reading lives that will continue to grow.
Jaime Lewandowski has worked in higher education for 16 years. When her children were born, she resigned from her position as a college administrator to become a full-time stay-at-home-mom. She also works as an adjunct instructor and faculty trainer for a university on the East Coast. In her role there, she focuses primarily on supporting adult learners as they pursue their degrees and facilitating faculty training sessions for those new to online instruction. Few things bring her more joy than putting new books in her little ones’ hands and listening to them read.
Thank you for sharing this! I enjoyed the reading and the encouragement you offer both in and out of class!
I’m so glad, Sloan! Thanks for taking the time to read it.
Ethical ELA,thank you ever so for you post.Much thanks again.
Were any of your practices inspired or informed by Daniel Willingham’s Raising Kids Who Read?
Hi Jakob – I haven’t read Willingham’s book but a quick glance tells me that it might be similar to another that absolutely has inspired some of our practices: “The Read Aloud Handbook”, by Jim Trelease. Initially, I checked Trelease’s book out from the library and worked my way through it. In the end, I decided it was one that I needed to own so that I can refer back to the “Treasury” at the back that lists read-aloud suggestions for various reading levels. Are there practices from “Raising Kids Who Read” that you have found to be useful?
Before answering your question, I think some background on me would be useful. I’m a pre-service teacher completing Bard College’s MAT program, and I’m not a parent/guardian of any children, so I haven’t had much opportunity to put Willingham’s suggestions into practice.
That said, much of your post here seemed to echo some of his practical advice, such as focusing on children’s affective experience of reading. I don’t know that this was your thought process, and when I hear you say, “Books are read in a big, comfy bed while we are all cuddled up,” it seems like your kids are experiencing reading in a context of belonging/comfort/safety/confidence. And your in-utero read-alouds seem quite consistent with the chapter “Seeing Themselves as Readers before They Can Read.”
There’s a passage that connects these two things nicely, with the (troubling) example of Coca-Cola advertising:
“The emotion in these attitudes comes not from experience of the products but from emotional reactions to other objects that become associated with the product. Think about what Coke emphasizes in its advertising: that it tastes good, sure. Even more, the ads seek to create associations between Coke and things that consumers already like: young love, cute polar bears, Santa Claus, and (of course) attractive people.”
Thanks for putting the book you’ve mentioned onto my radar. Relatedly, I can comfortably recommend Willingham’s book.
Hi Jakob – For someone who hasn’t “had much opportunity to put Willingham’s suggestions into practice”, you sure hit the nail on the head with your thoughts about the “affective experience of reading”! We have, indeed, been very mindful of this, and so far it seems to have worked in our favor. Your example of the Coca-Cola ad is also spot on (though I agree it is “troubling”). In my teaching I often ask students to view commercials as critical thinkers to see what messages the companies are really trying to convey. Once you’ve seen advertising through that lens, it’s hard not to notice all of the associations they so cleverly create in order to sell their products (heathly or not). Thanks for your thoughtful comments, Jakob! Jaime
Beautiful! You have described the way we raised our kids, too. The benefits of growing humans this way are too many to list, but I like to think of it as the difference between nourishing your kids on homemade soup and whole wheat bread and giving them a vitamin pill that supposedly has all the nutrients they need. There’s no love built into vitamin pills or worksheets. We’re told they are good for us, but it doesn’t feel that way. Everything about the experience you have described is helping your kids grow into people who both think and feel and they will bless the world.
As a high school teacher, I can tell right away which kids have had this rich experience growing up. I do all I can to build reading lives, but what I really wish I could do is go back in time and give kids what you have just described.
Thank you for these kind words, Katie! I loved your reminder that “there’s no love built into vitamin pills or worksheets”. And there are no short-cuts, I suppose, to that “rich experience” you mentioned. With little ones who are still so young, it can be hard to catch a glimpse of the finish line on down the road but your words helped validate our approach to raising readers. Hopefully our kids will indeed “bless the world” one day! They’ve certainly blessed our lives already. Jaime