www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com
childhood, and show them the difference between a loving use of books
and rough handling of books. Give
them;a;bookshelf;on;which;to;store
their;cherished;books.
•;They;need;to;extrapolate;stories;into
additional activities. Of course, the
library provides coloring pages for a
lot of stories, but adding a few extra
touches;really;brings;the;book;to;life.
Swim,;cook,;paint,;go;for;a;walk,;dress
up—do something the character did,
and become the hero. Act out the story.
Make;it;real.
•;They;need;to;enjoy;reading;together.;I
recommend;enjoying;cookies;and;milk
once;a;week,;or;a;blanket;for;cold;win-ter mornings, or a special iced beverage on a hot summer day. Food seems
to accompany our most important
events, so why not reading?
By;making;story;time;a;little;more;spe-
cial, a little more hands-on, a little more
than;just;reading,;a;child;finds;himself
drawn into the world of literature. The
need for this short exercise begins to ta-
per;off;as;the;love;for;books;becomes;no-
ticeable,;so;it’s;not;a;life;sentence.;Think
of it as a short interlude that yields great
rewards,;and;it’s;not;so;hard;to;invest
yourself into the effort required.
Some of us have little ones who are
reading, and we’re wondering, “Is my
child;on;track?”;Personally,;I;have;little
use for standardized testing. Instead,
trust the instincts God gave you.
If you feel your child might be lagging
behind,;assume;he;is,;and;go;back;to;the
basics. Instill a love of reading. Focus on
mechanics. Work on comprehension.
Those;three;building;blocks;bring;every
reader to the pinnacle of accomplish-ment.;I;speak;as;one;with;experience.
When;our;first;son;turned;3,;he;deci-
ded;to;read;a;book;from;one;cover;to;the
other. We practically sweat bullets and it
took;about;four;hours,;but;he;did;it.
He;was;thrilled.;He;was;hooked.
Our second son, at the same age,
knew eighteen letters of the alphabet
but never the same eighteen letters from
one day to the next. After pulling my
hair;out;for;six;months,;I;finally;realized
there;was;a;problem.;We;took;him;to;a
specialist for evaluation, and discovered
that yes, he had a disability, and yes, the
specialist thought he needed professional instruction.
We went to the basics. We read a lot.
We;focused;on;mechanics.;We;worked
on;comprehension.;We;gave;him;a;Bible
and a highlighter and told him he could
highlight;any;word;he;could;read.;At;first
only little words such as his name or a
and the were highlighted.
We;identified;sets;of;words,;such;as
“Lord;God,”;and;told;him;to;go;page;by
page and highlight those two words every time he saw them together. Then we
added more sets of words and phrases.
At;the;end;of;the;year;we;took;him;to
the professionals again, hoping to wipe
his slate clean. God proved gracious and
merciful toward us, because our son test-ed;“normal;for;his;age”;in;reading.;The
specialist;said,;“I;don’t;know;what;you’re
doing,;but;keep;it;up.;And;.;.;.;could;you
add;some;math?”
www.AllAboutLearningPress.com
Our multisensory “hands-on” programs
are easy to learn and easy to teach!
We take the struggle out of
Reading and Spelling
Instill a love of reading.
Focus on mechanics.
Work;on;comprehension.
