Catching fallen thoughts...

Catching fallen thoughts...

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Get them interested while their young

I grew up with a book in my hands rather than a Nintendo DS or a PSP and I owe this to my parents. Before I could even read I loved books. Taking a trip into town to go to the library was a weekly adventure that my mom set up for me and my older sister and brother. I don't think we ever missed a week and often we were there twice a week so I could go to "Story Time" and fall in love with some award winning children's book. While I was roaming the aisles searching for books I hadn't checked out before I wasn't wasn't thinking about some new electronic game that I could be playing, I was trying hard to pick books that had beautiful pictures and stories I had never heard before. Sure, there weren't nearly as many cool electronic gadgets fighting for my attention, but even when there were I turned to books.

I spent the last two years working as a full time nanny and part of my job description was to get the children interested in books. Rest time became my favorite part of the day, not because Anja was going to nap or play alone quietly, but because I had a full 45 minutes to spend one-on-one with her to just read--no other distractions.

Children's minds are so amazing and there are authors and illustrators who take this into consideration when they write. I search for these books and I have found that books with the Theodore Seuss Geisel award stamped on them do a fantastic job of captivating little kids with both illustrations and words. In a nutshell, this is the awards purpose. This award is given to authors and illustrators of beginning readers only.

It can be hard to get children to sit down and want to read, but if you have the right book, how can a child honestly say no. I recommend searching out these award winning books. They are written in simple language so kids can use them to learn how to sound words out or for sight recognition and the pictures are always beautiful.

If we want children to love to read as much as we do, we need to put in the effort. Set up a time just for reading and stick with it. As a nanny, it worked really well for me. Here's a link to the American Library Associations information on the Geisel award. Check it out.

"http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardgrants/bookmedia/geiselaward/index.cfm"

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