It is sensational to know that encouraging your children to read can help them do better at school and at life.
Over the course of the last year, I have been working with the administrators at my children’s school trying to figure out ways to help students do better in school. My husband and I thought one of the major problems with school kids is the fact that over the summer many students to do school work and as a result, they forget a great deal of what they learn and have to be re-taught at the beginning of the next school year. The result of all of this was a summer reading club. Near the end of the school year, children were given the opportunity to sign up for a summer book club. The book club was open to every student in the school from Kindergarten to fifth grade. All children were given the same book to read, a set of post-it notes and a meeting schedule.The goal of the summer reading club was to get kids to read during the summer, remembering what they read and talking about what they read. That goal was met with my children and there were a few unexpected things that happened. One of the most interesting was that my ten-year old son began reading aloud to his six-year old twin sisters. He began reading and they began looking forward to their brother reading books to them in the morning. It is funny to watch because he takes his role as reader very seriously. He makes them listen, sit up straight and listen. He may have a future in teaching.
Another benefit of the summer book club is that the kids started a book club of their own. My friend Pammy Pam, from An Unconventional Librarian took me to Quirk Publishing, a great publishing company in Philadelphia. The great people at Quirk gave us some really cool books. My teenie bopper and my son started a book club with a book about weird children. My son helped the twins with a remake of the classic “Who’s on First.” My children have always liked to read, which is good since I buy the books instead of toys. But the summer book club made reading gave my children a reason and a desire to read together and to talk about books together. It has been a wonderful experience.
I am suggesting with this blog article that you take a look at your children’s school and work with the administrators to find ways to make school a better place for all students. A side benefit will be that you make school and perhaps your home a better place for your children.
In conclusion, it is sensational when an activity meant to help your children in one area, ends up helping in another wonderful and beautiful way. So, the question for you this sensational day is, what activity are you going to do with your children to help them do better at school and at life?