As a result children could be missing out on a whole lot of benefits!
Reading to explore a variety of genres and texts for fun helps with critical thinking which reflects in better performance in academics and helps children to grow into more resilient adults. Here is how.
Freedom to read helps in making reading as a 'want to do' activity and paves the way to perceiving reading as a means to find new information too. It also provides room for strategic thinking in the lines of if this source isn't working, can I find another one? It isn't about how much you read but what you are able to decipher from any given text.
Extending that ability to decipher a little further, you will begin to appreciate how that skill helps with school lessons as well. Reading comprehension improves, retention thereby becomes better. Thinking and establishing connections for better concept absorption comes about as children grow older.
A clear divide tends emerge between readers and non-readers as they move to middle school. When this divide gets noticed, there is a scurry to convert the non-readers into readers. Often, these non-readers are given books and asked to read. Becoming a reader doesn't happen over night. It takes a long time and more importantly access to a variety of books. Library subscriptions are a must. Constant supply of books and the need to return books to the library adds to a conducive reading environment. Sadly, this is an aspect that often gets ignored and very little reading happens as there is very little motivation to read.
"If we want children who are avid and excited readers, we need to let them read what interests them." Donna Green, March 13, 2008, Book Whisperer - Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child by Donalyn Miller.
Building the ability to infer rather than being told what to think- reading for pleasure after school allows room for building this very critical skill.
School classes need to follow a structure and is based on the a prescribed syllabus that comes with timelines that need to be met. The teacher tends to use a particular system to manage the class effectively and teach. This could restrict free thinking and that is inevitable and somewhere required too for focus. Similarly, ending a story with "The moral of the story is..." restricts thinking. The child is being told what to think and is not be encouraged to think on their own.
Reading for pleasure after school helps bridge the gap that emerges on account of lack of free thinking and inference.
When a child chooses a book and spends time reading, it is a space where there is no test or performance requirement. It is entertainment if the book interests the child. If it is interesting, the child begins to think about various aspects. He or she may even become curious to know why a character chose to do something or what will the character do next or a why something happened the way it happened and so on. The same line of inquisition may lead the reader to take a pause make inferences about what the author is trying to convey and how he or she uses the power of words to do so.
Sometimes, a child may not be able to do this independently. Book clubs help to encourage children to think in these lines. When they begin to appreciate books this way, they become able to do the same during their independent reading time as well.
How does this approach to reading after school help with academics?
For starters, reading comprehension is enhanced. The ability to read a textbook, make inferences and conclusions aids the learning process. This paves the way for questions and the need to look for information. contrast this with being asked to read and memorize information from a textbook. Which approach do you think delivers better?
Reading after school helps build resilience:
The present and the future- reading outside of school aids free thinking. Free thinking leads to questions and information seeking for the need to satisfy curiosity and not for a performance measure. This becomes a habit. As children grow up and become an adult, thinking given the information and figuring out possible solutions becomes a second nature. In contrast a child who is to being told what to think most likely will want someone all the time holding their hands, showing them the way. The choice is there to make. What you choose as a parent or an educator, is entirely upto you.
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Both weekday and weekend batches are available at the Young Readers' Club for the 8-12 age group.
NEW! Writing programs for the 8-12 age group- Young Writers' Club Jr.
The Young Writers' Club program for the 13-15 age group offers a weekly platform to read and discuss curated articles from the news, observe writing approaches and practise one's writing skills.
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