Integrating Books Into Daily Life

This article is going to save the nation more than $2 billion.

For his America Reads proposal to raise the standards of literacy for children, President Clinton wants to recruit 30,000 reading specialists, 1 million volunteer tutors and cough up $2.8 billion to cover expenses.

As a librarian, I have spent 23 years developing activities that encourage children to read, so while the commander in chief is busy mobilizing his army of volunteers for book camp, here in the Valley, I have a counterproposal to jump-start the whole program, one that might allow those billions to be spent on our existing information centers, the public libraries.

Here is the key to getting children to read: Incorporate printed material into every aspect of their lives. The proverbial bedtime story is not enough. Books, magazines, newspapers, fliers, cereal boxes, anything that has printed words on it, is useful in teaching literacy and making reading second nature.

Not a week goes by that a parent doesn’t come over to me at work, ringing his hands and crying, “How can I get little Johnny to read?” This same disillusionment engulfed me when I discerned that my two children were destined to be avid readers of TV Guide.

What was needed were practical programs, easy and inexpensive, that feed on a child’s interests. So I created ways to integrate books with everyday events.

My children, for example, seemed to be interested only in parties. So I devised Family Night, a weekly ritual developed around a theme. Every Friday night the television would be turned off and we would partake of crafts, games, stories and food celebrating autumn, strawberries, Abraham Lincoln or any topic that might be of interest. The children thought they were having a party, but really they were learning about the subject, and more important, that the ideas came from the books that were left around the table.

Using my skills as a librarian, I was able to plan evenings that brought forth a variety of ideas. History, poetry, cookbooks, science and craft books could all be used because I knew how to make use of their content. The children always saw the stack of books and even if we didn’t read them all, the kids knew that they existed. Today I have two teenagers who love libraries and happily read everything from 600-page bestsellers to the most difficult classics.

Another way of getting a child to read is to link the books to other forms of entertainment. In Los Angeles, theater, museums, performing arts groups and movies abound. These resources are a springboard for literature. Many children’s movies, for example, are made from popular books, so reading from the novels forges an association between the two art forms. Children learn that reading and writing are natural outgrowths of expression and not a chore to be tolerated. By reading the reviews and looking at the ads, the child learns that reading is a tool to glean information.

When a child reads to an adult it makes him feel useful and grown-up. To vary the usual method of a child reading fiction out loud, and to spare you the trials of Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail, ask the tyke to help with the cooking. Let him read you the recipe while you ready the ingredients. That way he is refining his reading skills, unaware that he is practicing. In fact, he is indispensable because without his help those chocolate chip cookies would never be baked.

Tidbit Treasure Hunt is a game that stimulates a child’s natural curiosity. Ask your son or daughter to find an interesting fact to share with the rest of the family. The child must seek the information from books, magazines or newspapers so he is forced to read to find the special tidbit.

For example: Did you know that President Clinton is going to spend $2.8 billion on a reading program?