Excite kids about reading: wtnh.com
In conjunction with Brain Burps About Books’ 100th episode this week with the three National Ambassadors for Young People’s Literature, I appeared (or will appear if you’re reading this really early!) on WTNH’s Good Morning, Connecticut to talk about literacy and getting kids to read. (video to come)
As the Library of Congress site says, “The National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature raises national awareness of the importance of young people’s literature as it relates to lifelong literacy, education and the development and betterment of the lives of young people.”
One way to gets kids connected to books is by getting them excited about reading, and there are lots of ways to do that.
Get little kids reading!
- Say you’re at the market and you need orange juice. Ask, “I need to buy something that starts with an ‘O’!”
- Ask, “Find three pictures of things and tell me a story about them.”
Get bigger kids reading!
- Okay, you’re at the market again. Ask, “Can you tell me what’s next on the shopping list?” Of course if your handwriting is like mine, this could be a problem!
- Ask, “Find three products and tell me a story where the main character eats them.”
Get tween kids reading!
- Authors visit schools and get kids excited about reading and writing – if your school can’t afford one, there are lots of ways to raise the money, plus when kids have a hand in it, they are much more invested.
- Don’t forget there are pa-lenty of authors who do free or low cost Skype visits (I do them, too)
Let them read everything
- Cereal boxes
- Comic books
- Street signs
- Magazines
- eBooks
- Instructions
- Whatever!
If you want Walter Dean Myers, the present Ambassador, visit your school, click here and fill out this form.
More about the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature here.
