Does anyone remember those “Top Ten” lists David Letterman used to do? He might still do them, for all I know, but I haven’t really watched TV in about a decade. Sorry, TV fans. At any rate, I have a top ten list for you concerning one of Lily’s favorite pastimes: reading.
I read to Lily and I will read to Corin primarily because my parents read to me, and I enjoyed it. But there are lots of other reasons out there from a head start on academics to simply spending time together. A friend recently drew my attention to a fascinating article in the New York Times about the neurological and social benefits of reading fiction ("Your Brain on Fiction"). It focused largely on adults, but it mentioned that even preschoolers who have books read to them show an enhanced ability to comprehend the thoughts of other people. That’s pretty awesome.
But still, I don’t know how Lily will do in primary school or what our relationship will be like in her teenage years or how well she’s developing her “theory of mind.” I am pretty confident, though, that she enjoys reading. Why? I give you....
The Top Ten Signs Your Child Likes to Read.
10. When you go on a trip, you know that you have to pack several books or there will be trouble...possibly including a boycott of bedtime.
9. She has several books completely memorized and will sometimes "read" them to you instead of having them read to her.
8. She corrects your wording if you stray from the normal text if most of her books (saying "rushed" instead of "raced," for example).
7. You find her "reading," with great animation, to her baby doll or her baby brother.
6. She can take a book written in the first person and shift it almost verbatim into a story in the third person.
5. You aren't sure what your kid is like in a candy store, not having attempted it, but your kid in Barnes and Noble seems to capture the gist of the former phrase.
4. You hear--on more than one occasion-- the words "I don't want any movies."
3. You can refer to books in teachable moments. (This week at the Wildflower Center: "You know how Curious George has to learn to follow the signs and not feed the animals at the zoo? Well, this sign says that we have to stay on the path and not throw things in the stream...")
2. She makes up hilarious stories that meld together different moments from favorite books.
1. She often narrates her own goings on out loud, occasionally using phrases from her books (heard during a fit: “tears are rolling down my face!”), and often complete with dialogue phrases like "she replied," "she called," "she cried," "she exclaimed," and, my personal favorite, "she said with a laugh."
I read to Lily and I will read to Corin primarily because my parents read to me, and I enjoyed it. But there are lots of other reasons out there from a head start on academics to simply spending time together. A friend recently drew my attention to a fascinating article in the New York Times about the neurological and social benefits of reading fiction ("Your Brain on Fiction"). It focused largely on adults, but it mentioned that even preschoolers who have books read to them show an enhanced ability to comprehend the thoughts of other people. That’s pretty awesome.
But still, I don’t know how Lily will do in primary school or what our relationship will be like in her teenage years or how well she’s developing her “theory of mind.” I am pretty confident, though, that she enjoys reading. Why? I give you....
The Top Ten Signs Your Child Likes to Read.
10. When you go on a trip, you know that you have to pack several books or there will be trouble...possibly including a boycott of bedtime.
9. She has several books completely memorized and will sometimes "read" them to you instead of having them read to her.
8. She corrects your wording if you stray from the normal text if most of her books (saying "rushed" instead of "raced," for example).
7. You find her "reading," with great animation, to her baby doll or her baby brother.
6. She can take a book written in the first person and shift it almost verbatim into a story in the third person.
5. You aren't sure what your kid is like in a candy store, not having attempted it, but your kid in Barnes and Noble seems to capture the gist of the former phrase.
4. You hear--on more than one occasion-- the words "I don't want any movies."
3. You can refer to books in teachable moments. (This week at the Wildflower Center: "You know how Curious George has to learn to follow the signs and not feed the animals at the zoo? Well, this sign says that we have to stay on the path and not throw things in the stream...")
2. She makes up hilarious stories that meld together different moments from favorite books.
1. She often narrates her own goings on out loud, occasionally using phrases from her books (heard during a fit: “tears are rolling down my face!”), and often complete with dialogue phrases like "she replied," "she called," "she cried," "she exclaimed," and, my personal favorite, "she said with a laugh."
Hi Lindsay. Your Mom shared this on Facebook and I loved reading about Lily's love of reading. I was reminded of all my Windsor Park students who loved to read. The only time my daughters got their names on the board at WP was when they were caught reading a book under their desk while the teacher was teaching! I remember one WP student who almost got a concussion on the way to lunch by bashing his head into one of those wooden posts on the second grade wing. You guessed it - he was reading a book and not watching where he was going!
ReplyDeleteWe're moving to Austin in a few weeks to be closer to grandkids and as a certified Garden Geek, I've already become a member of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, so who knows, we might bump into each other one day. Kudos to you for reading to Lily and being such a great Mom! Mrs. Mead