When Kids Hate to Read

Reading this article When Kids Hate to Read conjured up images of my childhood years. As a child who did not care to read, I can sympathize with the many kids who feel the same way I did when I was their age. With the exception of Charlie and the Chocolate, Charlotte’s Web and the Judy Blume series, reading fiction for me was a waste of time.  This should not come as too much of a surprise, but I also found creative writing a waste of time.  It wasn’t until after college when I started to fall in love with all novels by Nora Roberts. From there I started to read mysteries, adventures and chick-lit. I finally ventured off into children’s books when a co-worker lent me Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
 

Discovering fiction books as an adult made me a little angry at my younger self.  I thought of all the wonderful books I missed out on as a child.  The places they would have taken me, the things I would have learned. But there was no turning that clock back.  So I continue to move forward exploring all books both fiction and non-fiction. And maybe, just maybe this is why I’ve taken such a liking to writing children stories, so I can make-up for all those lost years of not reading them.

Reading fiction novels is like stepping out of your world and into someone else’s. Books take you places you may not be able to see otherwise and they give you hope to dream about achieving the seemingly impossible.  Books help to expand your creativity and appreciation for the arts, while improving your reading comprehension, grammar and spelling.

With the advent of computers/iPhones/text messaging, etc., the challenge to get children to read is even greater.  The article When Kids Hate to Read provides some wonderful strategies on getting children to read.