I live in Formby and was a member of the Southport and Formby Children's Book Group until it closed. I have two boys called Simon and Andrew and like many parents I started motherhood believing that my boys would be different, New Boy, New Man. I thought that it was just a question of the way you brought them up ! ! !
I am sure you have all heard the poem 'If…' well I thought that . . . . . .
If a boy lives in a tidy house he learns to be tidy
If a shopping trip is made to be a fun outing a boy learns to enjoy shopping
If a boy lives in a gentle family he won't be interested in guns
If a boy is taught to do things for himself he learns to be independent
If a boy lives with encouragement he learns confidence
If a boy lives with books he learns to love books
If a boy is encouraged to use his imagination he learns how to make up stories
If a boy is helped to keep a diary of his favourite outings and holidays he learns to enjoy writingMy boys are now 10 and 8 and I have learnt that…
- If a boy lives in a tidy house he learns that his mum will nag him to put things away when he'd rather just leave them in a heap till he needs them again.
- Boys are born allergic to shopping
- Boys turn anything and everything into some kind of gun.
- Boys will let you do everything for them …if you are prepared to.
- Boys need a lot of reassurance
- If a boy lives with books he learns to love books but not necessarily the ones you want him to.
- Boys think that imagination is for making up fantastic games not for writing stories.
- Don't ever ask a boy to write a brief account. If you do you'll be lucky to get two lines. Be specific ask for half a page, a page, 1000 words etc you might be lucky and get 1001 not 999 !!!
- Boys and girls are just different, they're born that way. If you don't believe me try reading Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus.
- Boys enjoy stories if you read them but it takes too much effort, patience and concentration to read them themselves. Boys just can't sit still long enough, without help. So we have to stop finding excuses for them, accept that boys are different to girls and help them to enjoy reading.
Children are easily discouraged if they think they can't do something they won't even try. So the most important part of teaching a child to read is making him believe he can do it. They often don't want to do things that require any effort or practise.So what do we have to do to encourage our boys to love reading?
- We must read to them for as long as they want, there is no set age at which a child becomes to old to be read to.
- Do not push them. All children are different they learn at different rates so do not compare your boys with other children or each other, be patient let them learn at their own pace. Otherwise you are making reading a stressful situation, a chore when it should be a pleasure
- The most important thing is to find books that they want to read. Let them read books they enjoy not the ones that you think they ought to read. If he's only interested in football read about the World Cup.
- All children need to read we have to make them want to read. This is often especially hard for boys because they can't sit still. If we can capture their interest we can then expand their horizons.
- It is important for all children to read fiction because they learn the wide range of the use of language, they learn about real life situations and emotions beyond their experience, it helps to develop memory concentration and imagination and shows how factual information can be used in realistic situations.
I am a book addict. I sell Usborne Books because I fell in love with them and because I think that they are the most appealing books, especially for children who are reluctant readers but we read/use books of all types by different publishers.
The success of Usborne books derives from the idea that it is possible to produce books as entertaining as television, computers, magazines and comics, media that most children probably prefer. Humour, surprise puzzles drama and lavish colour illustrations are just a few of the devises Usbourne use to feed, nurture and excite young minds. Usborne is committed to producing books that children really want to read. However good a book may look to an adult it is only successful if it is used and Usborne books are over and over again.
Usborne have developed a whole range of puzzle books, different series for different age groups. They were originally produced for reluctant readers but are very popular with all children. They have all the following, which I believe, are important when choosing books for children who don't choose to read:
- The books are aimed at capturing a child's imagination
- There is a high picture word ratio, a page of words can look daunting
- Short chapters so the book can be read in manageable chunks
- Activities to do on every page which help to build concentration
- Exciting stories and lots of hidden clues encourage reading and observation skills.
- The language is appropriate for the age of the children it is aimed at.
To turn the pages of a book is to open a window on the world. Books are the foundation upon which other learning can be built. Learning to read is one of the most liberating things we ever do. As with many things we do as parents we must have faith that if we lay the right foundations one day an avid reader will emerge.
I have been Usborne Books at Home and at School Advisor and Distributor since 1989.
Contact me if you need any help or advice about which books to buy:
[ We supply to UK and Europ. For details of a local agent or world wide sales return the form below ]
or to order books E-mail: christine@e-kidsbooks.co.uk