A Good Book: How to Fuel a Love of Reading

In our preschool’s office, we are fortunate to have a plethora of great books in our Parent Library available for our parents to borrow at any time. One of our favorite books by Gloria DeGaetano entitled “Parenting Well in a Media Age,” is profound and thought provoking. The author strongly feels that if there is one important idea to glean from her book that would make the biggest difference in a child’s life, it would be:

“Read to your child at least a half-hour every day. Make sure CD’s of books, stories, poetry, folk tales and myths and legends are readily available. Play word games: sing songs, rhymes, and chants often. Make up dialogues for lots of puppet play. Discuss books, ideas, and opinions around the dinner table every night. Tell stories – real and made up ones. Immerse your child in listening to language. You will not regret it. When children are read too often and have daily experiences listening to language, they do well in school, are capable of self-control and self-direction, and express their ideas and feelings coherently.”

Have fun with this! Here is an article by the late Bev Bos, a beloved teacher and child advocate who wrote an article called “Children’s Books and Literacy”. Bev’s philosophy is that:

“Books do not belong in the library or just on the bookshelf at home.  Kids should have easy access to books at all times.  At home, they should be under pillows, stacked by the bed, in every nook and cranny.  Every bathroom should not only have the newspaper but children’s books too.”

 We will share some of her highlights with you here.

The CRITERIA OF A GOOD BOOK:

Is it meaningful to the children, something they can make sense of?  Does it help them make sense of their world without being condescending?  Does it encourage conversations connected to their lives of imagination?

Is it humorous?  Does it promote gales of laughter or heighten a child’s sense of fun?

Are the illustrations visually pleasing and not overwhelming?

Does the story help children toward self-identification or reinforce their self-concept positively?

Are there opportunities to create – to expand on the story?

Is it “preachy,” “teachy,” “cutesy?” If so, you are better off without it.

Take some time this fall to turn off the computer or the TV, find a cozy spot and read with your child. Then take some more time and talk with them about what you’ve read. It can be an excellent way to work in down time for the family. 

Looking for a great play based preschool?

If you or someone you know is interested in our play based preschool and Pre-K programs in Marin, please contact us today to get more information and enroll for Fall 2019.