ShareThisHASSLE-FREE HOMEWORK
By Dr. YVONNE FOURNIER
Scripps Howard News Service
Dear Dr. Fournier:
My child hates reading. She has not picked up one book so far this summer. I love to read and cannot understand why my daughter does not enjoy it. I have taken her to the library and she checks out books but never reads them. How can I get her to read for pleasure?
THE ASSESSMENT
"Reading for pleasure is a contradiction in terms." When I first heard that statement, I was totally confounded because I spent my childhood engrossed in the fantasy that books created.
But soon I remembered the story of a first-grader who burst into tears one afternoon when his mother picked him up from school. When he could finally talk about the problem, he explained that he had been assigned to take out three books from the library, read them, pick his favorite and then write a letter to his favorite character. "Mom!" he cried, "Who writes letters to books?"
Reading for pleasure is not easily developed in children who have been exposed to the "read and do" syndrome that often prevails at school. Students might be asked to "read and..." draw a picture, "read and..." write a book report, "read and..." summarize, or "read and..." answer questions. Even reading contests are a form of the "read and do" syndrome as children are instructed to read and complete rather than read for enjoyment.
WHAT TO DO
Many parents expect their children to begin reading for pleasure by having them choose which book to read. On a trip to the library, how many times have you heard a parent say, "Hurry up and pick a book so we can check it out"?
Instead, prepare your child to choose her "reading for..." by setting out a list of interests that can be added to throughout the summer. Here are a few ideas:
I want to read for knowing more about...dogs and other pets.
I want to read for knowing how to make...a tree house.
I want to read for traveling in my mind...to Italy.
I want to read for learning how to...draw cartoons.
I want to read for ...solving fun mysteries.
I want to read for...relaxing at bedtime.
Set up a calendar and explain to your daughter that each day she has a choice: she can either become "obsolete" because she has not changed anything inside or she can become "new and improved" by adding something new. Once a week, or at any other convenient interval, have your child find what she needs to be "new and improved" and how "reading for..." will help her accomplish her goals. Then you are ready for trips to libraries, bookstores or other places where you can pick up brochures or information.
As you help your child identify that which is pleasurable, then reading can take its place as a support to finding pleasure rather than a goal in and of itself.
(Write Dr. Yvonne Fournier, Fournier Learning Strategies Inc., 5900 Poplar, Memphis, Tenn. 38119. E-mail YF7thsense@aol.com.)
