Dad Divides The Internet With His Tactic For Getting His Son To Read
Reading is one of those things that so many of us take for granted. It's hard to remember that there was a time in our lives when we didn't know how to, and that it was something that we actually had to learn how to do.
Do you remember when you started to learn how to read? Was it at school, or did you start learning how to read at home?
As You Might Have Guessed, Reading At Home Is Important
The report of the National Commission on Reading, which was conducted in 1985 but remains one of the most cited documents on the subject, claims that the single most influential factor in a child's literacy development is books being introduced at home even before they start school.
This Continues To Be True For School-Aged Children
In The Literacy Crisis: False Claims, Real Solutions, a study was done with over 100,000 school-aged children, and it found that access to books is the "critical variable affecting reading acquisition."
In addition, it's also been reported that providing a steady stream of new, age-appropriate books has been shown to nearly triple interest in reading within months.
This Is All Well And Good, But How Do You Get Kids To Read?
Knowing that reading is important to your children's future doesn't mean that getting your kids to read is going to be an easy thing to do, especially when it's up against things like watching Netflix or spending time with their friends.
One Dad Has An Interesting Method Of Getting His Son To Read
David Woodland posted on Twitter that he and his wife came up with a scheme to pay their oldest son $1 for every book that he read. It seems to be working considering his son has read a whopping 120 books already this year!
He Later Posted There Was Another Incentive
When I was a kid, the combination of making a bit of money and being able to stay up late would have been enough to convince me to read, at least for a while.
But, To David's Surprise, The Internet Is Divided
There were over 44,000 comments on his tweet, and they were pretty divided. Some people thought that it was a great idea, or shared stories of something similar that worked for them. Others thought it was terrible and urged parents not to do it.
Someone Pointed Out It's Important To Read To Your Child
And it's true! Reading to your child when they are young significantly improves their vocabulary. David read the first four Harry Potter books out loud to his kids until his oldest started reading them on his own.
Some People Were Vocal About Disagreeing
They raised points about how being paid to do something they should be doing anyway will skew their understanding of what's expected of them as a member of a society.
Others Thought It Defeats The Purpose
If you turn learning and reading into something that sort of resembles a job, then there might be a chance that eventually, your kids will dislike it enough to stop caring.
Some Even Said It Was Damaging
It makes you wonder what else might have been going on that they had to go to therapy to work through this idea that you should be paid for your success.
People Were Saying It Was A Good Starting Point
It can be argued that while the child might be reading all those books to get paid in the beginning, over time, they might just love reading so much it won't matter if they're paid.
Even Some Doctors Weighed In
It was interesting to see the debate get people involved who are considered credible sources on the subject. Of course, there could be other professionals who might disagree with them.
Either Way There Are Some Pros
Some Twitter users pointed out that even if you don't agree with the method overall, there are some positives to focus on, like the fact that the child is picking out books at all.
There Are Similar Approaches
A lot of us grew up with a similar sort of idea, but with points that we collected until the end of the year to get things like prizes or parties.
There Were A Lot Of Programs Like This
Turns out that a lot of people did things like this when they were younger, either through the school system or with their parents. Maybe David did something similar and that's part of where the idea came from.
Trading Time For Time
A lot of people liked the idea that this parent had where they allowed their kids to earn time for other things they love by spending time reading. That's kind of how you end up doing things as an adult.
In The End, They All Agreed To Disagree
David posted that it was working for them and they weren't going to change their ways any time soon, but that didn't mean that their way was the only way to get your kids to read.
If You Want Some Other Ideas, Here Are Some Other Strategies:
Get your kids into audiobooks. Listening to audiobooks is a good way to introduce your kids to the idea of stories, especially if they're still learning how to read. They could even follow along.
Read A Lot Yourself
Kids learn by example! They will want to do what they see their parents doing, so it stands to reason that if you read a lot, your kids might be interested in doing it with you.
Use Books As Learning Tools For Other Things
There are lots of books out there that you can use to get your kids into reading but will also help them do things like navigate their bodies, their emotions, and how to deal with adversity.
