By Kirsetin Morello
“Studies show that if you reward people for doing an activity, they often stop doing it for fun; being paid turns it into ‘work.’” So says Gretchen Rubin in her runaway bestseller, The Happiness Project. She even mentions reading. “Parents, for example, are warned not to pay children for reading—they’re teaching kids to read for a reward,” she says, “not for pleasure.”
Which begs the question: as long as they’re reading, does it matter?
I have to side with Gretchen on this one. Yes, I think it matters.
With reading, as with much of education, it seems essential to begin with the end in mind. I don’t know anyone who births a beautiful baby boy and thinks, “I sure hope this kid has good Lexile scores.” We might think, “I hope he enjoys Shakespeare one day,” or “I hope he adores Steinbeck as much as I do,” but Lexile scores? Not so much. It’s unlikely they have any role in our hopes and dreams for our bundle of joy.
But then the years fly by and our little guy grows up and goes to kindergarten. Sometimes he’s already reading. Yay for Junior! Sometimes he’s sounding out words. Hooray! And sometimes, he’s still snuggled up next to us, listening to us read to him. Then what? Should we cheer? Or worry? Is it time for us to invest in Hooked on Phonics?
I vote for “cheer.” After all, few things are more precious than snuggling up with your son and reading a book.
If your son isn’t sounding out words, you can certainly help him. There are lots of steps you can take to encourage him. Use learn-to-read strategies like following along with your finger and sounding out words together. But most importantly, keep reading to him. Don’t take the fun out of the story and turn reading into a grind. He’ll get there, eventually. Some kids just take longer than others. But with steady instruction and encouragement, most kids end up doing just fine. It doesn’t really matter what, or even if, he’s reading by himself when he’s 5. What matters is whether he’ll love reading when he’s 25.
About the Author: Kirsetin Morello is a mom to 3 boys, a freelance writer, and the author of I Want to Teach My Child About Media. She spends the rest of her time laughing with girlfriends, attempting tree pose, and on the basketball court. Find her thoughts about parenting and life at http://www.hipmomsguide.com/
Photo by Daehyun Park
