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I read a lot of books as a child and so did/do my daughters. It's a myth about the glasses though b/c I didn't need any at all till I turned 40 and then for 12 years I used readers and only a few months ago did I get "real" glasses. Both my girls needed glasses pretty early on though.
Interesting what was said about TV and forming concepts in your mind--I never much liked TV at all and still don't and I've always been very visual when reading--I could see what I was reading about and didn't like having my mind picture disrupted by seeing the movie--even the best movies mess it up sometimes. That said, I'm looking forward to seeing The Hobbit, lol.
There is something else that comes before reading. First, a child must learn to form concepts in his mind, based on a processing of language. Once that level is reached, then reading books can be a satisfactory way of receiving information about the world. But if that level is not reached, then reading is unlikely to be a fulfilling way of experiencing the world.
Sadly, there are no child-oriented radio programs anymore, so every child becomes exposed to the world only through TV, which fills in all the mental pictures for them. With TV in every house, it is surprising that any children read at all anymore.
Also, reading is contagious, and children are impressionable. A child who sees others getting pleasure from reading will be inclined to want to try it himself.
Not true - Kids corner is still aired on NPR. Great radio show! Kids Corner from WXPN
First of all, I'd say that generally speaking, lots of reading is great for kids.
That being said, let me balance it with saying that even the best things are best in moderation.
When I was a child, I read constantly. I am truly pretty much self educated, because every minute that I was in school I had a book in my lap and was reading rather than listening to the teacher. I read on the bus. I read at the dinner table. I read after I went to bed, by the light from the crack in the door.
Actually, I even taught myself to read - and we don't even know how that happened. All my family knows is that when I showed up in kindergarten, I already knew how to read. My parents had thought prior to this that I had some sort of photographic memory and was merely reciting books back to them - but no, I was reading. By the time I was in the second grade I was reading at a college level.
I'm not bragging though, because actually this was problematic. I would read ANYTHING -and since my mind wanted a challenge, I read about all sorts of subjects, including subjects that weren't age appropriate. My parents were so happy that I was a "reader" that they didn't really keep up with what I was reading - and who could, anyway? If there was a book within five miles of me, my hands were on it and I was gobbling it up. I read over 700 words a minute by the third grade so I could really put a whoopin' on a book.
So - since I was quietly reading, and very low maintenance because of it, I was allowed to live in my own emotional world. My father was away from home a lot and my mother was emotionally volatile. Reading was my retreat into another world. I studied philosophy, history, sociology, medicine, etc. Like I said, many topics weren't really age appropriate.
As an adult, I've realized that I have an addiction to reading. It has literally impacted my personal relationships negatively at times. To this day, I have to really exercise self control in order not to allow it to overwhelm my life. I finally got a handle on it, but it was not easy.
I also bought a Kindle so that my home wasn't overwhelmed with books!
Overall, reading has enriched my life more than it has damaged it, but it's been a mixed blessing. I would advise any parent or relative of a young reader to step in and encourage them to get moving - out of the house, in the sun, with friends, etc and help them find the balance between reading and the rest of life.
I've got 2 nephews and they like to read. They are 7 and 9 and read about a 250 page book every other day because they want to. Have you ever heard of such a thing?
Yep - that was me at that age.... AND my kids at that age.
Voracious readers!
Not true - Kids corner is still aired on NPR. Great radio show! Kids Corner from WXPN
When I was in school, before TV, kids went home and listened to the radio, and there were pre-adult programs on from about 4 to 6 pm weekday afternoons -- The Lone Ranger, The Green Hornet, etc. Kids listened to them because they appealed to them, not because Mommy turned them on and told them to listen. The listenership was a peer imperative. Now, programs aimed at the school-age demographic are on TV, there are none on the radio.
Kid's Corner is only on in the Philadelphia area, and most radio markets have no comparable programs on weekdays, although there might be a few on weekends. I've never heard it, but I presume it is a magazine-type show, not the kind of program that would require listeners to follow an imaginary story line.
I just googled /children program npr/ and got no relevant hits at all.
Some of these are on the radio, some are on-line, but I believe all are audio only. But you are right in that unlike tv shows, there is no peer pressure to listen to any radio program. Kids corner is a wonderful show that features childrens performers and talks about many different things from bullying to food to world problems. It is available via the internet to anyone.
Back to children and reading though - I don't think that radio shows have anything to do with reading. I was (and still am) a voracious reader but certainly could have just watched tv.
A lot of children manage to teach themselves to read. It's amazing!!
I read "Gone with The Wind" in the third grade. My son read Hemmingway's "Old Man and The Sea" in the first. My grandson taught himself to read and write (well, it looked enough like printing that you could figure it out) in kindergarten.
Maybe loving to read is a genetic thing.
However, another son had a lousey first grade teacher. Toward the end of the year, he was in tears because he couldn't figure out how to read. I did the unthinkable. I taught him how the letters and sounds work. He was reading anything he wanted to within a couple of weeks.
250 pages every 2 days is a bit Heavy for ANY reader... Most books of that age genre are ~80 - 100 pages. I and my kids would haul an armload / every 2 weeks @ that age, but your nephews would need a forklift for every 2 weeks. I bet they need glasses early too...
I read like that as a kid, and still would if life didn't include so many other interests and responsibilities. When I was in fourth grade, a classmate told my best friend (also a reader) that she would ruin her eyes with so much reading. He told her to eat a carrot for every 100 pages. She gave up on the carrots on Day 2.
Oh - I'm close to 50 and do all right without glasses so far.
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