As homeschoolers we have the perfect opportunity to open our children’s minds to not only the love of learning, but also reading. I am very unapologetic about my love for books, great literature, and reading. Many people are embracing reading and pediatricians, early childhood workers, and teachers are advocating reading to children from birth. With all of today’s technological advances it seems that the art of reading may soon disappear. Video games, television shows, TiVo, and the Internet have not only captivated minds but they also deliver information in an astounding and impressive way. However, this should not replace the art of reading. The best way to teach our children to become readers is by modeling the behavior ourselves.
I believe that as a homeschooling parent, the most important subject (yes, I know about the three R’s) is teaching children to read. It can be a difficult process and one that to me remains a mystery. How a young mind begins to associate the letter with the phonetic sound and meaning, and then associates it to words is astonishing. My greatest joy as a homeschooling parent is watching my children learn how to read. The next, is to see them use their own library cards from the library.
Even with all of the incredible technological advances available to us, I still believe in going to the library. Exposing children to all of the different aspects of literature and the wealth of resources found in the library is a wonderful way to nurture their love of reading as well as learning.
No matter how old your child is you should never feel uncomfortable reading to them. A great family activity can be shared by reading great literary classics to your children. Just turn off all of the television sets, unplug the telephone, gather around the living room and read a fantastic story to your children.