Read To Me!
It’s no secret that motivating children to read is an important factor in student achievement and creating lifelong successful readers. Research has shown that children who are motivated and spend more time reading do better in school. On Wednesday, November 16, 2022, Waikiki School welcomed back Lynn Waihee and "Read To Me International" to talk with our Kindergarten families about the importance of reading. Parents learned some reading strategies to do at home and made a simple art project tied to one of the books that was read aloud. Here at Waikiki School, not only do we want to develop strong, capable readers, we want to nurture individuals who LOVE books and reading!
So what can families do to nurture a passion of reading? We can start with having them read more! Educator Donalyn Miller, author of “The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child,” reports that “students who do not read regularly become weaker readers with each subsequent year. Meanwhile, their peers who read more become stronger readers – creating an ever-widening achievement gap.” Donalyn Miller challenges her students to read forty books a year. How can we help our children reach a lofty goal like that? Start by carving out a quiet place at home and having your child read every night. Where feasible, read alongside your child. Here you see me reading Sharon Creechʻs “Walk Two Moons” with my daughter Allison when she was in fifth grade. Itʻs a daddy-daughter routine that Allison looked forward to every night before bed. In addition to being fun, reading with my daughter allowed me to “walk the walk.” As adults, itʻs incredibly important that we model the dispositions that we want to instill in them. If this is a part of your family routine, share it with the Waikiki School Community. Email me a photo and I'll add it to a future bulletin.
Sincerely,
Mr. Kusuda
Check out this article regarding how daily parent-child exchanges shape language and vocabulary development.
- Develops language skills
- Improves listening comprehension
- Expands the child's attention span
- Builds vocabulary
- Exposes the child to good grammar
- Exposes the child to new experiences and information
- Stimulates the imagination
- Stimulates brain development
- Promotes higher critical thinking skills
- Creates a bond between the child and the reader
- Builds confidence and self-esteem
- Teaches values
About Us
Email: ryan@waikikischool.org
Website: waikikischool.org
Location: 3710 Leahi Avenue, Honolulu, HI, USA
Phone: (808) 971-6900
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WaikikiSchool
Twitter: @WaikikiSchool
