Happy International Literacy Day! {well, it was yesterday and I have a lot of children and got a little busy, so I am posting today lol}
I was an avid reader as a kid, Babysitters Club, Nancy Drew, the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe were just a few of my favorites. My three siblings and I didn’t watch much TV as kids and we grew up in the 90’s/early 2000’s so we didn’t have the distractions that kids have today (and frankly I deal with the same distractions as well now too). Smart phones, ipads, video games, instagram, tik tok — and a plethora of other digital distractions often keep my kids from even considering picking up a book. I have one kiddo that is on the spectrum, and one with ADHD, and one that just started first grade and is still learning to read. Let’s do the math on that: 3 kids at 3 different reading levels that each have their own individual challenges. So here’s the short list of what I have to contend with, in the battle of instilling a love of reading.
- Non preferred activity
- Task avoidance
- Lack of confidence
So the sneaky mom trick that I pull is Interest Driven Reading. That means exactly what it sounds like. You find books with subject matter that already interests your child. For my 16-year-old daughter I choose books that were made into movies that she loves. For my 9-year-old Fortnite-loving son I choose books about video games. For my 7-year-old, I choose early readers for her to read and anything girlie or animal themed to read to her. You have to make it fun and you have to make it exciting for them. I Jumped headfirst into all the things that interest my kids. From teenage heart throbs, to video games, to magical worlds, I’m right there with them. and I admit it probably helps that I write children’s books as well and I live and rates for storytelling…
However, I do have a confession; I did not read Harry Potter (or see any of the movies) until 2018. For one reason or another, I just hadn’t hopped on that train (to Hogwarts) until two years ago. Now, I am happy to report that I have read every single book and watched every single movie. A little over a year ago I began reading the books to my kids every night before bed and we are now at the end of Goblet of Fire (book 4). It is a bit slow going because after two pages my kids are snoring. Harry Potter is their happy place, Reading Harry Potter to them is like singing a lullaby. The great thing about (the fact that I have fully indoctrinated my children in all Things Harry Potter) is it has sparked a huge big interest in reading. They want to read about Harry Potter, talk about the story lines, and they often ask really in depth pointed questions about plot points. Just yesterday Leina quoted her favorite Draco quote:
Draco: “Why are you wearing glasses?”
Harry disguised as Goyle: “Uh… Reading.”
Draco: “Reading? I didn’t know you could read.”
In short we are always talking about Harry Potter. My friend Julie came over a couple weeks ago and we made dinner from the the Harry Potter Cook Book and then talked fan theories….yeah we’ve got it pretty bad.
Homemade Butterbeer 🍺
I digress —
The First two books on the list are for teens and have both been adapted into movies.
- Five Feet Apart By: Rachael Lippincott
with Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iconis
Leina loved this movie and she is currently reading this book (hence the book mark), it’s one of the beautifully tragic love stories that makes you cry and laugh all at the same time…or at least that’s what I observed from my teenage daughter. And how about that cover art? Gorgeous right?!
2. Twilight By: Stephenie Meyer
Man oh man or should I say vampire oh vampire. I was obsessed with the Twilight series when I was in my early 20’s. I torn through these books like a tornado in Kansas, I’m looking at you Toto. I had to really motivate, without overwhelming Leina, to read this book. Having passive ADHD makes it difficult for her to focus on what’s on the page and sometimes she feels lost. She’d just watched the movie again for the 10th or so time and I jumped at the chance. I left the book on her bed wrapped with a shiny bow and told her I would give her some shopping $$ if she could finish this book in a month. Now why would I go to all this trouble to get my kid to read an over 500 page book you ask? Confidence building. I wanted her to prove to herself that she could, in fact, read a big book like this, so that the next time she picked up a book (like 5 Feet that has half as many pages) she would feel confident that she could complete it with no problem. Once you have that confidence, reading isn’t a chore, it’s a pleasure. And I am proud to report that she did it! Having a base knowledge of the story was like having a gentle hand guide you through chapter by chapter. Leina told me that she like how much more detail was in the book and that it gave her a more indepth look into the characters. My heart almost couldn’t take this very bookwormy thing to say.
The Next two books are a couple of my 9-year-old Son’s favorites
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone By: JK Rowling
Illiustrated By: Jim Kay
The Illustrated version of the Harry Potter series are absolutely breathtaking. As I said previously, I read Harry potter to the kids every night and this version is absolutely perfect for that! They are a true work of art in both prose and picture. William and Lily lean over my lap soaking up each page as if it is a spell book come to life.
2. Trapped in a Video Game By: Dustin Brady
I love this series so much. William completed the first book in the series a couple months ago, he felt very proud to complete his very first chapter book. It is an exciting, funny and east read. Dustin Brady does a great job and keeping his middle grade readers interested. When William was done reading the first book I asked him if he wanted to start reading the second book or move onto a different series and he chose the 2nd book in the Trapped in a video game series!
The Next Books are some of Lily’s favorites:
1. The Fancy Nancy Series
Written by: Jane O’Connor & Illustrated by: Robin Pries’s Glasser
The Fancy Nancy series is a favorite of both my girls. The bright and beautiful illustrations pair perfectly with the whimsical and fun personality that is Fancy Nancy. He will go on heartwarming journeys while learning new fancy words. The Fancy Nancy empire has grown exponentially since Leina got her first book at three years old… They now have early reader books chapter books and there’s a cute show on Disney.
Buy Saturday night sleepover here
2. First Little Readers by: Deborah Schecter
Last year when I was substitute teaching in a kindergarten classroom I saw this collection of books, and I just knew I had to get it for Lily. These are easy early reader books that have repetitive language used throughout, to aid in word recognition, sight word memorization and to increase reading fluency. Lily’s kindergarten teacher told me last year that these books are great bridge to reading fluently. This series comes in a set of 25. As you’re a little reader grows in confidence and fluency there is a level B & C in the series as well to keep that growth going!
Let me know what you think of this list and if you guys have read any of these books. Tell me what you guys do to get your kids to read. I love to hear tips and tricks for instilling a love of reading in children!
Xo,
Lauren
Lauren Kearney 