Reading Engagement

Reading on the train to NYC!

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful start to 2023! New Year’s Resolutions are popular at this time of the year and one resolution or goal that I see a lot at this time of the year is to read more. Even my second grader came home with goals that she set for the new year and on her list was to read more books. In order to read more, we need to be engaged in what we are reading. There are so many things competing for our time that in order to sustain a reading habit, we need to be invested and engaged in what we are reading or we won’t continue picking up the book. This goes for us as adults and also for kids!

I think it’s because of the time of the year, but I’ve been thinking a lot about how to keep kids engaged and interested in reading. How do we keep kids engaged in their reading so that they finish the books that they are reading and don’t abandon them part of the way through? I think that the books kids choose is so important and it’s something that does not get enough attention. The books we select to read aloud to our kids (in the classroom and at home) are so important because the content of the books can help motivate them to want to read more and to continue reading. There are so many different types of texts in the world. Lately, decodable books have received a lot of attention – but that is only one genre. There are so many others! And, more and more, I feel that it’s important to expose our students to many different genres.

I’ve spoken and written a lot about the power of book series recently. My own kids have been very engaged in book series and it’s pushed them (and me!) to keep reading each day. My younger daughter is in Kindergarten and her class has a class hamster named Humphrey – just like the book series! Betty Birney has a Humphrey series for younger readers – shorter chapter books that include illustrations. I ordered the series before the holidays as something to read with her over the break and in January. It’s amazing to see how much she loves the books and she can’t wait to find out what adventure Humphrey will go on in the next book. She will even go back and re-read the books after I have read them to her. The Humphrey books – the stories and the characters - have contributed to her motivation to read and to practice reading in her decodable books each night. It’s a great reminder that kids can read different genres at the same time!