Kids reading: PreK-5 In-Home Reading Program for Schools

Опубликовано: May 8, 2023 в 6:00 am

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24 Best Kids Reading Apps in 2023 | Prodigy

Teaching a kid to read is one of the best ways to create a lifelong learner. Whether your child is already a voracious reader or just beginning to learn their letter sounds, there are some amazing reading apps for kids to help them learn and grow.

Plenty of educational apps are designed to help your child learn. For reading apps, this may include phonics games, personalized lessons or a self-paced reading curriculum. These apps are fun and engaging for younger readers, often including stories and animations to bring alive the magic of a good book.

Some reading apps give access to hundreds or even thousands of titles. And many are free — all you need is a library card!

No matter where your child is in their reading journey, our list of the best reading apps for kids can help improve their reading experience.

Benefits of using reading apps from an early age

Even if you love the feel and smell of a real book, you likely do much of your daily reading online. Reading apps are everywhere, and sometimes it’s just easier to access your newest book on your screens. 

Reading apps are perfect for children who can already read, but even early and emergent readers can enjoy the huge variety of audiobooks available, or get used to seeing letters and words on the screen. 

Exposure to reading apps from a young age introduces your child to reading techniques that can set them up for a lifetime of reading success. 

Here are just a few of the benefits your child will experience when using a reading app:

  • Apps make reading feel more fun, instilling a lifelong love of reading from an early age.
  • Kids can access big libraries of diverse books that might not be easily available otherwise.
  • Game-based learning (found in many reading apps) is highly effective for achieving reading mastery. 
  • Reading apps introduce children to other reading mediums, like audiobooks and interactive experiences. 
  • Younger children can practice early reading skills in an interactive and engaging way, preparing them for kindergarten and beyond.

24 Reading apps that can improve kids’ reading skills

1. Prodigy English

Grade range: ​1 to 6.

Cost: Free educational content, with optional paid Membership.

Prodigy English is ready to boost your child’s language learning with a brand new game. As your child learns, they’ll gain energy to use in a world of their own creation. They can gather resources, craft items and build their own village — all while learning!

This game-based educational app can help keep your child motivated and excited to read. 

Plus, teachers and parents can sign up for a free account to help track and motivate student learning.

Sign up now

2. Tales2go

Grade range: K to 12.

Cost: ​Free for 30 days, then individual subscriptions start at $29.99 USD for three months. 

Availability: ​The app is available in the Apple App Store, or launch the player on any device with a web browser.  

This app recognizes the importance of spoken words, both in growing your child’s vocabulary and their interest in stories. And with Tales2go’s library of over 10,000 audiobooks, your child is sure to find many stories to love.

Through audiobooks, readers of all levels can enjoy storytelling. This app is an excellent way to help improve reading comprehension and build an early love of reading.

3. FarFaria

Grade range: ​Pre-k to 4.

Cost: App is free to download, with unlimited reading subscriptions starting at $4.99 USD per month.

Availability: ​Available in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. 

This app’s interactive map-style dashboard keeps your child moving along their reading path, while giving them access to over 1,000 age-appropriate titles. And new titles are added every week! 

Bonus — this app’s reading system is aligned with Common Core standards, so your child will always find the right book for their reading level. And once a book is saved to their favorites, they can read it anywhere — no internet required. 

4. Raz-Kids

Grade range: ​K to 5.

Cost: ​App is free to use for students at participating schools.

Availability: ​Available in the Google Play Store, Apple App Store and Amazon Appstore.

Raz-Kids is a great app in the Learning A-Z family. It offers hundreds of titles, grouped into 29 different levels — with new ebooks and quizzes added every month. 

Raz-Kids tackles reading from all sides. Your child can read and take quizzes to show comprehension, record themselves reading aloud or listen to a recording with highlighted text. 

5. Starfall

Grade range: ​Pre-k to 3.

Cost: ​App is free and includes some free activities, or unlock all content for $35 USD per year.

Availability: ​Available in the Google Play Store, Apple App Store or access directly from your web browser.  

Starfall has been helping kids learn to read since 2002. The app’s activities are based on years of research and align with Common Core standards. 

But the best part — Starfall keeps learning fun with play-based, interactive games and animated songs. Your child will be excited to learn and read!

6. Headsprout

Grade range: ​Pre-k to 5. 

Cost: App is free to use for students at participating schools.

Availability: ​Available in the Google Play Store, Apple App Store and Amazon Appstore. 

Headsprout uses video lessons to keep your child learning and engaged. Another member of the Learning A-Z family, Headsprout’s educational episodes keep your child moving along their path to reading mastery.

Younger children start with phonemic awareness. After learning the basics and expanding their vocabulary, they can move on to more advanced reading comprehension. It’s step-by-step practice that will keep your child progressing.

7. Vooks

Grade range: ​Pre-k, early and emerging readers.

Cost: ​Free for 7 days, then $4.99 USD per month or $49.99 USD per year. 

Availability: ​Available in the Google Play Store, Apple App Store and Amazon Appstore. 

If your child is just not into reading, focus on the joy of stories! With Vooks, your child can watch beautifully animated storybooks that will help bring books to life. 

Vooks offers hundreds of titles, and adds new books every week. This is ad-free screen time you can feel good about!

8. IXL

Grade range: ​Pre-k to 12,

Cost: ​Choose a single subject Language Arts subscription for $9.95 USD per month, or all four core subjects for $19.95 USD per month.

Availability: ​Available in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. 

If you’re homeschooling or your child needs extra practice at home, IXL is an excellent choice. Your preschooler can learn letter recognition and sounds, while your high schooler works on reading comprehension and using evidence to support logical arguments.

IXL covers all grades and the four core subject areas: Language Arts, Math, Social Studies and Science. The curriculum is comprehensive, meets state standards, and can be personalized for your child’s skill and level.

9. Skybrary

Grade range: ​Early and pre-readers to intermediate readers, ages 2 to 9.

Cost: ​Try free for a month, then subscribe for $4.99 USD per month or $39.99 USD per year.

Availability: Available in the Google Play Store, Apple App Store and Amazon App Store. 

Skybrary is a collection of interactive children’s stories and exciting live-action videos. Your child can choose from hundreds of books, or watch everyone’s favorite reading guide, LeVar Burton, in a video adventure.

The dashboard is easy for young children to navigate. And they’ll love the colorful animations and read-to-me feature. It also includes a parent dashboard where you can keep up with your child’s progress. 

10. Read with Phonics

Grade range: Pre-k and early readers.

Cost: ​Free to download, but requires in-app purchases to unlock all content.

Availability: ​Available in the Google Play Store, Apple App Store and Amazon Appstore. 

Phonics learning is more fun when it’s a game! 

Read with Phonics took the phonics basics and developed an engaging and rewarding game experience for young learners. Your child can play and earn points while learning the basics of reading. This is a great game to keep your little one motivated while learning their letters and sounds.

11. Reading Raven

Grade range: ​Best for ages 3 to 7

Cost: ​$1.99 USD in the Google Play Store, $2. 99 USD in the Apple App Store.

Availability: ​Available in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. 

Reading Raven is a fun, phonics-based reading app to get your little one excited about reading. 

Starting with letter recognition and sounds, your child can work their way through this self-paced curriculum. If they’re further ahead, they can jump right into it, then continue learning at their own pace until they master early reading skills. 

12. Dr. Seuss Treasury

Grade range: ​Pre-k to elementary

Cost: ​App is free to download and includes a 7-day free trial. Individual books can be purchased, starting at $0.99 USD with bundle discounts available.

Availability: ​Available in the Google Play Store, Apple App Store and Amazon Appstore. 

Did you know the beloved Dr. Seuss classics are available in a collection of apps? 

These book-based apps available from Oceanhouse Media bring even more fun into these silly stories. With animation and hidden surprises, your child will be able to enjoy some of their favorites in a brand new way.

13. Epic

Grade range: ​Pre-k to 6

Cost: ​The Basic subscription is free, with a limited library and access to one book a day, every day. The Unlimited subscription is $9.99 USD per month or $79.99 USD per year.

Availability: ​Available in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

If you’re looking to keep your kid’s library full, then Epic’s 40,000+ collection of books, audiobooks and videos have you covered. This is a huge collection of both old classics, new favorites, and even original stories (their Cat Ninja series has been a huge hit).

Epic offers many bonuses, like read-aloud books, badges for extra motivation and progress tracking for parents. This app is a great addition to your kid’s daily reading routine.

14. hoopla

Grade range: ​All ages.

Cost: ​Free through a participating library — all you need is a library card.

Availability: ​Available in the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Amazon Appstore and on Roku!

Did you know your public library can get you access to a free digital library? 

hoopla is an amazing resource for books, audiobooks, comics, TV shows, and even movies. Check out a title to read right away, or download it to your device to enjoy even when you’re unplugged.

Plus, it offers a special Kid’s Mode to ensure your child’s choices are age-appropriate. If your kiddo is really into comics or graphic novels, they’ll love the selection on this app. If you can’t get to the library, hoopla is definitely worth checking out. 

15. Amazon Kids+

Grade range: Pre-k to 6

Cost: Starting at $2.99/month for one child for Amazon Prime members. There are also family plans available.  

Availability: ​Available in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. 

Previously called Amazon Free Time Unlimited, Amazon Kids+ is a great app for your child — giving them access to thousands of books, learning games and educational videos for a small monthly fee. 

Free trials are often included with a Kid’s Edition Kindle Fire purchase, and it’s guaranteed to keep your kids busy and learning. The parent dashboard keeps you updated so you always know what your kids are playing or reading. And you can easily set time limits or restrict content by age level. It’s an excellent screen-time solution for families.

16. Spark Reading

Grade range: ​Designed to improve reading skills for kids ages 6 to 16.

Cost: ​Free to try with limited stories, or subscribe for full access at $3.99 USD per month or $23.99 USD per year.

Availability: ​Available in the Apple App Store and in the Google Play Store as Reading Comprehension Prep.  

If your child is already reading, but having trouble on their tests, Spark Reading provides great practice. Bonus — once downloaded, no Wi-Fi is needed!

Spark Reading is a great app for taking the frustration out of reading comprehension struggles. It provides a selection of both fiction and nonfiction books. After reading, your child is prompted to answer questions about the text. And if they missed it, no worries — the app will highlight the passage with the answer. 

17. OverDrive

Grade range: ​All ages.

Cost: Free with a library card from a participating library.

Availability: ​Available in the Google Play Store, Apple App Store and Amazon Appstore. Or download the app to your desktop or Mac. 

OverDrive is another free app that partners with local libraries. Through it, you can check out books, audiobooks, TV shows and movies. The app is user-friendly and gives you access to thousands of titles.

If your kid has a library card, invite them to set up their own account! OverDrive has a dedicated kid’s section with plenty of age-appropriate titles to choose from. This app is a great way to help them explore their interests without cluttering your shelves.

18. Libby

Grade range: ​All ages.

Cost: ​Free with a library card from a participating library.

Availability: ​Available in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. 

Libby was created by OverDrive to partner directly with your local library. Find your favorite books and audiobooks on Libby, then read them on the go. You can even send titles to your Kindle!

The available titles on Libby are curated by your local librarian, and the app is built to adjust based on your preferences. Your child can search for their favorite titles, too. Just change the audience filter and discover a wide world of children’s stories.

19. Reading Eggs

Grade range: ​Offers different levels for kids from ages 2 to 13.

Cost: ​Free for 30 days, then $9.99 USD per month. 

Availability: ​Available in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. 

Reading Eggs uses fun games and activities to teach your child phonics and sight words. They can learn the basics, or jump into higher levels to improve their growing reading skills.

These are guided lessons designed to match your child’s ability. Your child will learn by following along with the engaging songs and animations, or they can choose a book from the app’s extensive library. And you can track their progress and reward special certificates to keep them going.

20. Sora

Grade range: ​K-12 students at all reading levels.

Cost: ​Free for students in a participating school (your child’s school can sign up here).

Availability: ​Available in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. 

Sora is OverDrive’s app designed specifically for schools and students. Students can easily check out titles. And once checked out, your child’s books, notes and preferences sync across all of their devices. 

Sora includes great features for struggling readers, like read-aloud options and a dyslexic font. It’s also an easy-to-use audiobook player. 

21. Reading Racer

Grade range: ​Early readers, ages 5 to 8. 

Cost: ​Free

Availability: ​Available in the Apple App Store. 

If your child lacks confidence while reading aloud, check out this free app! Reading Racer uses speech recognition to listen to your child read. The app will even help out with difficult words. And as your child’s reading improves, they earn points and unlock new content.

There are over 200 stories to unlock in this free app. And it’s customizable! Challenge your child to a reading race, or put it in a low-stress practice mode. Choose the level that’s right for your child and let them improve their reading while they play.

22. Wanderful

Grade range: ​Pre-k to 2.

Cost: ​Free sampler app to try, then purchase individual books separately, starting at $4.99 USD per book. 

Availability: Available in the Apple App Store. 

Wanderful is a collection of interactive stories your preschooler will love to explore. Previously called Living Books, Wanderful reads aloud some of your favorite classics, like the Berenstain Bears or Arthur. 

On each page, your child can click to explore engaging animations or click on a word to hear it spoken aloud. These books are a fun way to get your young child excited to read!

23. HOMER

Grade range: ​Best for ages 2 to 8 

Cost: ​Free for 30 days, then subscribe for $9. 99 USD per month or $59.99 USD per year. 

Availability: Available in the Google Play Store, Apple App Store and Amazon Appstore. 

If you’re looking to boost your child’s early reading, check out HOMER. These fun and interactive lessons are personalized for your child based on their interests and skill level. 

The app has a huge variety of topics your preschooler is sure to love, from dinosaurs and princesses to trains and space. These engaging lessons will boost your child’s early learning and confidence while they play their way into reading mastery. 

24. SwapTales: Leon!

Grade range: ​1st grade and up, early to intermediate readers.

Cost: ​$4.99 USD.

Availability: ​Available in the Google Play Store for some devices and in the Apple App Store. 

Did you love the Choose Your Own Adventure Books as a child? SwapTales: Leon! is a new app version your kids will be excited to play. While reading, your child solves puzzles by simply swapping around the story’s words. 

Should Leon go high or low to get to the next step in his adventure? Does he need to push the barrel and pull the door, or pull the barrel and push the door? Based on what your child chooses, they’ll end up at one of 30 different endings, meaning this story-based game can give them hours of learning fun. 

Reading apps introduce children to modern methods of learning

Education is changing. There’s more emphasis on self-paced, personalized learning than ever before. And reading apps embody these modern teaching methods while keeping learning fun. 

Game-based reading programs take out the frustration of learning to read. Kids don’t need tedious worksheets or flashcards to learn — they can practice their reading in fun and engaging ways. And when they learn to love stories, they become a reader for life. 

Bring game-based learning home with Prodigy English. Create your free account today, then watch as kids learn!

Sign up now

Despite K-2 Reading Gains, Results Flat for 3rd Grade ‘COVID Kids’ – The 74

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The percentage of third graders on track in reading hasn’t budged since this time last year, new data shows — a reminder of the literacy setbacks experienced by kindergartners when schools shut down in 2020.

Even so, the test’s administrators are interpreting the flatline at 54% as good news. Paul Gazzerro, director of data analysis at curriculum provider Amplify, said it’s likely that third graders would have fallen even further behind without efforts like tutoring and additional group instruction.

“It looks as if nothing happened, but the reality is I would’ve suspected that things could’ve gotten worse,” he said. “These are students in many cases that are missing very tangible skills. They may even be grade levels behind.

The results come amid brighter news for younger students. The mid-year data, which reflects the performance of about 300,000 students across 43 states, show that more K-2 students are reading on grade level compared with 2022 — a sign that literacy skills overall continue to slowly inch back to pre-COVID levels. 

“The actual pandemic effect seems to be lessening,” Gazzerro said.

Amplify’s latest early literacy snapshot reflects a far less disruptive year than the last one. Schools aren’t dealing with frequent quarantines as they did during last year’s Omicron wave. In addition, many states and districts are in the midst of revamping how they teach reading and are using federal relief funds to purchase new curriculum and train teachers.

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In some cases, states are taking the lead. Tennessee has put $100 million toward teacher training and ensuring districts have a phonics-based reading curriculum to match. And the Texas Education Agency will soon publish a list of approved materials to follow up a state law requiring districts to teach phonics.

At The 74’s request, Burbio, a data company, scanned 6,500 districts’ plans for spending American Rescue Plan funds. Over 3,800 report an emphasis on literacy, more than 4,100 mention reading and over 2,586 note ELA or English language arts. A smaller number, 530, specifically included phonics, and 258 identified science of reading in their plans.

It’s too soon to know whether these developments have had a measurable impact on students’ skills, but they’re “not hurting, that’s for sure,” said Susan Lambert, Amplify’s chief academic officer for elementary humanities. 

The return to a more predictable schedule has contributed to the growth as well, she added.

“We can make progress when kids are in the classroom,” she said. “The data shows that.” 

Amplify uses an assessment called Dynamic Indicators of Basic Literacy Skills, or DIBELS, to test student progress toward learning letter sounds and blends, recognizing sight words and gaining speed and accuracy.  

Students in K-2 haven’t caught up to peers who were in those grades just before COVID hit. But they did make more progress between fall and winter than students did last year. That’s especially true for the youngest students. In 2021-22, the percentage of kindergartners on track grew 15 points over that time period. This year, it grew 19 percentage points. 

‘Can’t spell Harry or Potter’

For teachers, it’s rewarding to see their students leap from identifying one or two sounds in a word to accurately writing complete sentences. 

JoLynn Aldinger, who teaches first grade in the West Ada School District, near Boise, Idaho, said her students’ growth over the past five months makes her want to “do cartwheels” in the classroom. 

JoLynn Aldinger’s first graders give a thumbs down to indicate when they see a nonsense word. (Courtesy of JoLynn Aldinger)

A 25-year veteran teacher, she used to emphasize stories and comprehension over phonics. But when she had a 7-year-old in her class who took longer than her peers to learn letter sounds, Aldinger set off on her own quest to learn more about the so-called “science of reading. ” 

‘I thought, ‘I have a master’s degree in reading. I should know how to teach reading,’ ” she said. “I knew what phonics was but I didn’t understand how explicit it needed to be.”

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She applied for a grant from her school’s PTA, which paid $1,275 for her to receive training in methods often used with students who have dyslexia. The techniques, like pounding out syllables on their desks and spending extra time on letter blends, benefit even her strongest readers, she said. 

“I would have kids walk in my classroom who have read ‘Harry Potter,’ but they can’t spell Harry or Potter,” she said. 

Now she shows off her students’ improvement to anyone who will listen. And she asks other teachers if they’ve listened to “Sold a Story,” a podcast about how whole language or “balanced” literacy came to dominate reading instruction in U.S. schools. Research shows the approach, which focuses more on access to books and using pictures or other clues to guess words, can leave students without the phonics skills to become strong readers.   

In the fall, one of JoLynn Aldinger’s first graders at Galileo STEM Academy in Eagle, Idaho, could barely write a word or a complete sentence. By the end of January, he made substantial progress. (Courtesy of JoLynn Aldinger)

‘Our COVID kids’

The Amplify data includes other indicators that trends are headed in the right direction. Racial gaps in reading — which grew larger during the pandemic — have narrowed slightly. And between Hispanic and white students, the disparities are even smaller than before COVID.

Since 2019-20, the gap between Hispanic and white kindergartners needing “intensive” support, for example, has fallen from 14 to 11 percentage points. And in third grade, the gap between Hispanic and white students on track dropped from 13 to 8 percentage points over the same time period. For Black students, it remains at 19 percentage points. 

The racial gap in reading between Hispanic and white students has narrowed among kindergartners, compared with the 2019-20 school year. (Amplify)

Third grade, Lambert said, is when foundational skills “are supposed to come together” for students so they can learn from what they’re reading. 

That’s what Jean Hesson, elementary supervisor for the Sumner County Schools in Tennessee, hopes to see this spring when this year’s third graders take the state test. 

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“These are our COVID kids,” she said. Even though the district has adopted a strong curriculum, “ultimately you have 20 wildcards sitting in front of you. You have to know where your kids are.”

As in districts statewide, Sumner teachers are now required to use phonics-based instruction. The district adopted the Wit and Wisdom curriculum for reading about history, science and other topics. It added the Fundations program for phonics and Geodes — a set of books that tie content and literacy skills together.

“The pictures don’t lend themselves to guessing words,” Hesson said. Students “truly have to decode and use their skills.” 

Almost 45% of last year’s third graders met or exceeded English language arts standards — an increase over pre-pandemic scores. Hesson is hoping that trend continues.

“If we had not had high-quality materials, teachers would have been teaching in a million different directions,” she said. “I can’t imagine the gaps that we would have created.” 

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Where do reading children come from

Let’s find out in which families you can find reading children, why and why they read.

Today, a sincere surprise is caused by a child who swallows thick “Chronicles of Narnia” in a week instead of communicating in social networks. To understand what the secret of reading children is, we conducted a survey among parents on Facebook, where everyone could tell about their reading child. It turned out that children who read regularly and with pleasure have a lot in common.

The impetus for our survey was the seminar “What do our children read?”, organized by the Center for the Study of Modern Childhood as a joint initiative of the Higher School of Economics and MSUPE. The seminar discussed how the current generation of reading children differs from ours. Why do our children read? Today, reading as a leisure activity competes with television, computers, computer games and communication via the Internet. And in this competition, reading often loses.

Still, not all reading children and teenagers are listed in the Red Book. A recent all-Russian survey showed that at least 24% of students in grades 5-8 read a lot (30% of girls and 18% of boys, the survey was conducted by the Russian State Library for State Library in 2011-2012, researchers interviewed 1140 students in grades 5-8 of seven metropolitan schools). And 13% of schoolchildren of this age cannot imagine life without books at all. True, children choose other books to read, often not at all those that we were fond of in childhood. Anna Tikhomirova, head of the Bumper Children’s Book Bus project, president of the Childhood Culture Foundation, says:

“If you ask, what did children read before, in Soviet times? What were the teenagers keen on, what kind of reading? … Adventure novels. Jules Verne, Mine Reed, Dumas… Everyone read this. What were these novels? Imagination, the richness of life. They broadened our horizons. Now they are read very little. In the [modern child] … the need to expand the world, to understand how much is happening in this world, is satisfied in other ways”

Children have different reading motives now. This is a matter for a separate scientific study. It can be assumed that the book gives the child something that he often lacks in a world of frantic pace, a wild amount of information and always busy parents. For example, the popular Harry Potter books today allow children to feel that they can become extraordinary from ordinary boys and girls. They have the opportunity to change: to become stronger, more powerful, better.

As eleven-year-old Mark says, he reads books to create his own worlds, to get away from everyday life and worries: “I’m interested in an imaginary world that I can build myself, and not be led by the schedule of directors and game creators.” Many children and teenagers, according to the RSDL, seek to find entertainment in books. They tend to read something that is easy and does not require much effort.

And yet, not all children relax by reading books. Why do only a few become enthusiastic readers? Parents of fifteen readers aged 7 to 12 took part in our survey. They told how it turned out that their child enjoys reading, and how he combines reading with studies, electronic gadgets and other hobbies.

So where do children who read come from?

1. All readers had an early book start and a rich book environment at home. Many reported that they began to read to their children almost from birth and continue to read aloud into adulthood. Often what is read is discussed. At the same time, books and magazines are laid out everywhere and everywhere.

Tanya (hereinafter the parents’ answers) says: “A girl came to us, she is three and a half years old, she sat down at Mashenka’s table, where there was a large stack of books. And while she had not reviewed all the books, and without pictures, she did not come out to drink tea with us … It turned out that her dad had been writing his dissertation for the fourth year, and the whole house was simply littered with books … “

Olga, mother of an 11-year-old girl: “My daughter loved to read and listen from birth – she was always read a lot, she was always discussed with her, she started on her own at the age of 5 with children’s magazines about nature like Geo, then books and encyclopedias. I also always listened to audiobooks a lot – both according to the school curriculum and for the soul”

2. Parents never forced their children to read. Daniel Pennack, a famous children’s writer and book propagandist, also wrote about this important condition for educating a passionate reader. He advocates that reading by a child is perceived as a gift. His main principles are: “Eat when you are hungry, read when you feel like it”, “allow yourself to start reading several books at the same time”.

Irina, mother of a 9-year-old boy: “Now he himself is reading “Three Friends” by Serafimovich. She likes to read because she perceives it as a vacation, and because everyone in the family likes to read every day. We discuss plots from books with him”

Natalia, mother of an 11-year-old boy: “I am against getting fifty books at once, but she decides this herself. Reads a couple of chapters of something he loves, and back on the shelf while looking for an answer to a task in the encyclopedia, will be carried away by some other chapter.0034

3. Parents of children who read limit their use of gadgets and TV viewing. Readers are not white crows. They, like other children, watch TV, play computer games from time to time, communicate on social networks. But their screen time is controlled by adults or limited due to the busy life of a child.

Alena, mother of a 7-year-old girl: “We love gadgets, but there is almost no time left for them, and we use developing programs in them … or draw, dress dolls. Access to gadgets twice a week…”

Tanya, mother of an 11-year-old girl: “Since this year, she has been using a smartphone with Viber and e-mail. At school, the computer is only on computer science, sometimes at home for projects, and occasionally on weekends my brother persuades me to play with it”

4. All children who read have many real interests and hobbies. It turned out that all lovers of reading are children who actively live in the real world. Many of them have at least three hobbies: “ballet, figure skating, chess”, “swimming, writes poetry, music, but also plays music.

Olga, mother of an 11-year-old girl: “If you don’t take sports, he loves to draw, sculpt, attend master classes with crafts, pottery, sewing and other things, go to museums, planetariums and theaters, loves to travel, loves foreign languages, science of animals and planets, dreams of becoming an astrophysicist and learning in addition to English. and Spanish (who are at school) – Hungarian and Swedish”

On the benefits of a broad outlook in children back in the 1980s. wrote the famous teacher Mikhail Shchetinin (To embrace the immensity: notes of a teacher, M. 1986). He conducted a study that confirmed that the presence of side interests in music school students affects the quality of their musical performance. And even the less gifted, the so-called “unpromising students”, with the expansion of the circle of hobbies, began to play musical instruments much better.

Shchetinin also conducted studies that showed that out of 100% of excellent students and good students in music schools, 98% studied for “4” and “5” and in general subjects.

In terms of academic achievement, our small study did not show a direct relationship between love of reading and school performance. But reading with pleasure and success in life, of course, are connected. Canadian reading researcher Keith Stanovich writes: “Those children who succeed from the first steps of learning to read, subsequently demonstrate consistently high academic performance, a steady increase in erudition and general level of culture, and as a result, in adulthood, find themselves in an advantageous position in comparison with those who who didn’t shine in reading classes in elementary school.”

Source: pumbr.ru

Tags: children’s e-books, Books, love of reading, About the benefits of reading, Reading statistics, reading, e-books

Why modern children do not read books and how to deal with it – Moscow 24, 04/09/2021

April 09, 2021, 00:01

Society

Why do modern schoolchildren not like to read? How to get kids interested in reading? And why are some people interested in the adventures of literary heroes, while others want to yawn over the pages? This is discussed by a journalist, mother of two children Yevgeny Borodin.

Photo: depositphotos/Y-Boychenko

The main reason for the cool attitude of schoolchildren to reading is that they do not see their parents with a book in their hands. In families where children are brought up by a TV and a tablet, and parents do not get out of social networks, there is no need to talk about love for literature. Reading loses its value in the eyes of the children, whose parents free up space in the house at the expense of bookcases.

Now the main argument in favor of book repression – why these dust collectors, when there are electronic books. And disputes between supporters of print and electronic books are more vicious than a showdown between political opponents. Defenders of the old-fashioned approach to reading are advised to buy wooden toys for children and, in general, to return to the Stone Age. Paper lovers (I’m on their side) believe that a real reader grows up among ordinary, printed books. Such publications should be in the house, despite the technical advances.

Comfort is created not by empty walls with framed photo reports, but by shelves with books from floor to ceiling. Worn-out spines, glued covers, read-to-hole editions with yellowed pages are more important than a newfangled wall-to-wall screen. A child will not consider reading something important if he does not grow up among books. Such a student will not be interested in the work even in electronic form – on the way to the text he will get stuck in social networks.

Of course, you can’t turn back time. And we are not talking about banning gadgets and getting by with printed texts. All sources of information – both electronic and printed – should complement each other.

Still, devices are replacing paper books, taking up most of the time of schoolchildren. Reading is no longer the main leisure activity, as it was in the days of grandparents. The printed word competes, for example, with videos on the Internet. And children manage to write essays on literary works by reading a summary on the Internet.

Entertainment programs, internet games and cartoons attract the attention of the little ones as well. Now it is easier for adults to leave the child “under supervision” of the TV than to spend time reading together. While the child is watching a cartoon or having fun on a tablet, mom can drink tea, wash dishes, call a friend or post photos on a social network. And with a book, you can’t relax. It is necessary to read, look at and comment on the pictures, ask the child to retell, answer his questions. And mothers take the path of least resistance.

Photo: depositphotos/ZaraMuzafarova

Parents are looking for advice on how to get students to read. And you need to ask yourself how to get your child interested in reading. The secret is simple – the reader must be raised from the cradle. Babies recite poems that you remember from childhood. Mom’s voice and the bewitching rhythm of the poems soothe and entertain children. When the child can already be comfortably placed on your lap, open picture books in front of him. It is better if these are publications with hard pages and covers, because at first children prefer to literally gnaw at the granite of science. The most popular reading for kids under the age of one is nursery rhymes, Agnia Barto’s “Toys” cycle, poems by Marshak and Chukovsky. Young children love it when the same book is read to them several times in a row. My record with my eldest son is reading one rather big work 20 times a day.

Children are quickly drawn into the process of reading. As bonuses – early speech, excellent memory, imaginative thinking, reading skills at preschool age and, of course, a love of books.

Enroll a preschooler in the library – getting a library card will be an event for him. Let the child walk among the shelves with books and choose what he likes. The library atmosphere is such that children love to come back here.

The most common way to get a child interested in reading is to start reading an interesting book aloud and then stop, citing lack of time.