Reading to Kids

How do I get my child to enjoy reading and how can I spark interest in new learning? These are some of the questions parents and educators ask themselves, when they are faced with the task of instructing children. They are important questions and they help us to recognize a critical element in the foundation of all learning; the importance of motivation.

Keeping the learning process enjoyable, and inspiring new interests, are some of the biggest tasks any parent or educator will undertake. It is too easy to fall into the trap of loosing site of fun in the learning process and lead our children down a path of drill, memory, and stifled thinking. A recent study from People for Education using data from the provincial Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) shows the percentage of children in grade 3 who report they “like to read” dropped from 75% in 1998/99 to 50% in 2010/11. The number of students in grade 6 who “like to read” fell from 65% to 50% in the same time period. These statistics are alarming! They say that as parents and educators, we need to take a look at not just what we teach but how we teach. Looking for ways to inspire learning is an important strategy parents and educators can use to motivate children.

How do we do this? One way is to consider how information is to be introduced to the child. Are the activities and materials used for instruction fun and engaging and do they promote interest and inquiry? Learning the child's interests and taking time to find quality materials, are some positive first steps to inspire learning. Fortunately, there are a wide variety of resources to choose from that are proven to motivate. Taking the time to search for quality resources, is an important first step, in the art of delivering exciting learning opportunities to children. Go ahead and start making reading and learning fun for your child!