Ever since the computer, our children have been reading less and less. It is so easy to look up a word on the internet and then they forget it and later they have to do it again.
I think it is definitely the time now, that we start teaching our children how to go to a library and how nice it can be.
You can make an appointment with the librarian and she will normally be very pleased to see some children there. Some Libraries have special days just for children.
What most children do not know is that they will even help them find the right information for a project and that the child can do it in the library with some help of the staff. Once children land up between a lot of books, they will start seeing things they never knew and they will start going through some of the books that show them things they are interested in.
They can then find out how to get a library card, and take the book home if they feel like it.
Our children are struggling with comprehension tests, and that is our fault as they do not read anymore. Once a child finds something to read that makes him want to carry on reading without even thinking, you can be sure that he will never stop again.
That is the whole point of taking them to the library so that they can realise that everything from woodwork to sewing is there for them to read. Some children love DIY and these are the books that help them even better because now they can learn how to read with knowledge as well as making something from the book that they got from the library.
Once children start getting that feeling that they have to have a book to read at night before going to sleep or one that teaches them something to make, they will start reading more and more and will start understanding what they are reading they will start knowing how to do their comprehension tests because they are reading with understanding and knowledge.
If you as a mother or father ask children to tell you the story they are reading the sooner you will know if they are really reading with understanding. There are so many children who know how to read even fluently, but they have no idea what they are reading. This is such a sad situation as this will be a problem for them the rest of their lives, even if they start working.
Somebody might send them an email to tell them what to do and if they cannot read with understanding they will have to ask for help or they may make mistakes. I do not know how to tell everyone exactly how important it is to let children know how a library works, and another thing how a dictionary works.
There may come a time when the child is looking for a specific word and does not have the luxury of a computer. In that case they have to look for the word in a dictionary. Don’t let us leave everything behind just because we have computers. Children should know how to use books read them with understanding, and really know how a dictionary works.
I have found that some of the children do not even know what a dictionary is. They do not even know that you get dictionaries for different subjects like maths and science. So please let your children start reading and enjoying the library from a very small age.
I hope there are more people who feel like I do and start helping their children. I really hope you read this and enjoyed it as much as I did as being old and seeing children struggle unnecessary makes me very sad. I know we old people do not know very much about computers, but we are also learning just like children should be learning how to read with understanding. Have a wonderful day from me and enjoy reading.
