Musing Mondays, Boys and Reading
By APOOO • Nov 3rd, 2008 • Category: Monday Musings •
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Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about boys and reading…
Do you know of any young boys who do not like to read?
Response: I have a son and I’m fortunate that since the day he learned how to read he’s always enjoyed reading. He’s now 16 and reads Sports Illustrated, Time, Newsweek, the daily newspaper in addition to novels(primarily Harry Potter, sci-fi, and classics) and tons of non-fiction books.
Why do you think boys so often don’t?
Response: Because they have other interests…sports, video games, outdoor activities and reading a book might be too much like school/learning for them.
What can we do to encourage them to read more?
Response: Talk to them and discover/find out what they enjoy reading. If it’s graphic or comic books…encourage them to read them. Hopefully by starting there they will be encouraged to stretch and read outside of their zone one day.
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My son is 10 and I am trying to get him to read. Saturday at the bookstore I let him pick his book and he picked a book written by Teke and Ronde Barber. He is really excited about it, so I am excited for him. He likes to read the japanimation books, but everynow and then I throw in a “good” book. My friend tells me at least he reads.I have learned to let him pick with a little guidance.
Hey Lashonda…my son’s the reader my daughter isn’t…oh wait she’s reading more now but still nowhere still as much as my son…or me…lol.
Do you know of any young boys who do not like to read? No, I started off early with my nephews (nieces too) cultivating a love for reading. As babies I read to them and made storytime fun. When they got a little older, we would attend weekly storytime at the library which also normally included a craft. So they learned early that reading could be fun. Next came their own library cards. When they have a card that says their name it really makes them feel special. They pick out their own books. We participate in the summer reading program every year where they are rewarded for reading. Anything I can do to make reading fun. My oldest nephew is now 7 and he loves to read. It’s gotten to the point that when I ask what he wants as a reward for something, Borders is where we end up.
Why do you think boys so often don’t? I agree about the other interests like sports and video games. It’s not “cool” or might be considered “girlie.”
What can we do to encourage them to read more? Make it fun! Be an example.
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Ms. Toni that’s so great that you a role model for your nieces and nephews…YGG!
My 8 year-old likes to read Avatar books. But he don’t always want to read, but it’s required to live in my house. My 3 year-old likes for you to read anything you’re reading to him.
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Boy, in particular must see the people in his life reading books, for one thing. If a child is surrounded by books, encouraged and the message is sent out that books and reading are important and a must, then you’ve got one foot in the door. My 17-year old athlete nephew is surrounded by women; his mother, his sister, his grandmother, me his auntie and his cousin, my daughter Rebecca. His father is not particularly a reader, unless it had to do with sports, hee hee. But when we get together, he has always seen one or more of us reading and enjoying books. He was more of an avid read when younger and every Xmas I would get him Lemon Snickety’s books. As he got older, we have to put books before him and he will read. I gave him Hill Harper’s Letter to a Young Brother and my sister made him read so many pages every day. He is better; we let him know sports is not the end all, be all, although he is getting many college offers for sports scholarships. He is in a senior multicultal literate class and he disccuses and gets advice and recommendations from me. He’s cool.
Sometimes you have to dig deep and meet a young black boy where he lives. A former coworker from years ago had despaired of getting her young teenage son to read and she hit on an idea. She bought Donald Goins books. He ate them up and she graduated inserted other books; before you know it he was reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X without being prompted.
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My son read a condensed version of the autobiography of Malcolm X and he will be portraying him in the school’s 5th grade wax museum. My oldest reads as much as me when she is not in school. During classes her textbooks are her concern. My baby, who is 3 likes to pretend to read. I have always got the all books and read to them from a young age, that boy of mine is just hard to catch on. I love the fact that he actually asked me to get the other book written by the Barber brothers.
I started off with all my boys somewhere between 3 – 6 months. My 13yo has been a big reader but he’s getting more reluctant. In part because the books for YA readers are geared mostly toward girls. Few non-fantasy books for boys, and he’s just not into fantasy. I’ve helped him find authors with more realistic, urban stuff like Paul Volponi and Walter Dean Myers. He can’t get enough of their stuff. He likes books related to sports or young men in middle school/high school. I’ve also got him reading up so he’s working on Dreams of My Father by Barack Obama and The Autobiography of Malcolm X.
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Good point Patricia…there really aren’t a lot of books by Af-Am authors for our boys. My son reads primarily books by non-colored authors.