Mom it Forward » Reading

Literacy: Ways to Teach Children How to Read

Jill Greenlaw — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:00:37 +0000

Now looking back on my childhood, I realize I was fortunate that our house was filled with many types of books. My favorite time in school was the designated half-hour of reading in our Homeroom Class. Some students hated this time meant for reading, but it was the period I most looked forward to throughout the day.

I don’t think it is an accident that coming from a family of readers, I in turn, absolutely love to read. I enjoy Young Adult (YA) Books, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and even Middle Grade (MG) Books! My husband does think I am (a bit) silly for reading MG and YA Books, but the good ones have interesting characters and storylines such as The Ember Series by Jeanne DuPrau and The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.

Research has found that the most important aspect of reading is how the child feels about reading. This means that positive reinforcement from parents and educators does help. For a child to see that their parents enjoy reading is one of the best ways to encourage them to read. Research has also found that forcing a child to read does not yield positive results. Instead of forcing the issue, it might work to have a reading time that the whole family enjoys together (Source: www.creativeteachingsite.com).

How To Increase a Child’s Literacy Skills

Here are some suggestions that can help your child build the necessary literacy skills.

Model Reading and Writing

My parents were always reading and I just thought that all families enjoyed reading growing up. As we know, children learn best by what we model. You can ask your middle-grade or teenager to write out to-do lists, shopping lists, letters, and invitations. Another great idea is to have them find a pen pal from another state or even another country. Also, read an MG or YA book together and discuss the characters, storyline, and what you hope will happen next if it is part of a series such as The Hunger Games. This might be fun to do together as it is coming out as a movie this March.

Participate in Everyday Activities

This could include discussing newspaper articles you read together, journals, or magazines. Another idea is to have them compare prices of items they want at different department stores or sporting equipment to find the best deal. Playing language and spelling games together like Scrabble, Boggle, or Trivial Pursuit can help improve literacy skills by looking up the meaning of certain words together.

Turn Family Vacations and Trips Into Learning Opportunities

My daughter loves to go the local museum, planetariums, and zoo. This provides a wonderful opportunity for me to explain how things work and about the animals. Maybe put together a scrapbook of a family vacation together and have them write out funny captions above the pictures.

These are all simple ideas to help to encourage your child to enjoy reading and writing. The less it feels like a chore and more a way of life, the more likely they will grow up with a positive association with reading.

What books are you and your family reading? How can you encourage your kids to read more?

References:

How To Encourage Students To Read (http://www.creativeteachingsite.com/read1).
Peel District School Board. Help your teen build literacy skills (www.peelschools.org).

Picture courtesy of Flickr.

Melissa Northway, M.S. Human Nutrition, is a mom, writer and her storybook app Penelope the Purple Pirate has been chosen as a Top 10 Must-Have eBook by lilsugar of Popsugar.com and a Top 10 Educational iPad App by Digital Storytime. She does consulting work for companies interested in marketing their apps or eBooks. She can be reached at: mcube@sbcglobal.net and http://www.melissanorthway.com or @melissanorthway. See my review of The Hunger Games coming next week.

Children’s Literacy: 5 Ways to Get Your Kids to Love Reading

Desiree Allen — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:00:22 +0000

Reading books to kids, being creative when it comes to books, using technology to make reading fun — all of these activities help get kids to love reading. Did you know that more than 88 percent of children who have difficulty reading at the end of first grade display similar difficulties at the end of fourth grade? And, three-quarters of students who are poor readers in third grade will remain poor readers in high school. Research also indicates a growing number of children are becoming apathetic readers. Some of these children are choosing not to read; not because it’s difficult, but because they don’t want to read.

5 Ways to Get Your Kids Excited About Reading

It is important to be actively involved in your child’s literacy experiences. The following are five suggestions to help you raise a reader in your home:

Listen carefully to your child when he/she shows an interest in something. For example, if he/she tells you about a cool animal on the Discovery Channel or a new student who is coming to school from Japan, make a mental note. Find a book about that “hot topic” and remember: a child’s interest fades quickly, so don’t wait too long to get a book!
Allow choice to be a strong motivator. Let your child choose some books that he/she likes. Reading Rockets, a website dedicated to teaching kids to read and helping those who struggle, offers a themed book list that you can browse to find the best book for your child.
Don’t make reading difficult! Let your child read a few pages to you. If he/she misses five words out of 100, the book is too difficult for him/her to read by himself. Choose another book, or read it to your child. In addition to a wealth of books, your library most likely will have tapes and CDs of books, musical CDs and tapes, movies, computers that you can use, and many more resources. You also might find books in languages other than English, or programs to help adults improve their reading. You can also pick up some reading tips on the U.S. Department of Education’s website.
Model reading in your home. Set a time when the whole family reads together. Each of you can share something about what you read.
Set small goals with your child, such as reading one page every night. Use chart paper and chart the nights she reads. He/she can see for herself if she’s achieving her goal. Do an internet search for a template to use or you can make your own reading log.

How do you get your kids excited about reading? How do you make reading fun for your kids?

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Desiree Allen is a thirty-something single parent with two children. A native of Denver, Colorado, she lived there until 2009, when she moved across the country to northern New Jersey with her kids. She is doing her best to avoid ‘picking up’ a Jersey accent, but she’s not making promises that she won’t eventually start sounding like some of her new friends. You can find her blogging at Writing to Sanity and tweeting @writingtosanity.

Reading: Ways to Overcome Illiteracy One Book at a Time

Jen Tilley — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 11:00:37 +0000

When it comes to illiteracy, it seems hard to believe that in low-income communities there is one book for every 300 children. In these low-income families and communities, price is the #1 barrier to book ownership. The social ramifications of this reality affect all of us. Studies have shown that children and adults who are illiterate or have low literacy skills have poor educational, employment, and health outlooks. According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, “Every student who doesn’t complete high school costs our society $260,000 in lost earnings, taxes, and productivity” (Source: www.firstbook.org).

Luckily we have organizations who are working hard to overcome these barriers. Once such organization, First Book, has donated over 80 million books to children in need!

I had a chance to interview Rochee Jeffrey, Social Media Coordinator at First Book about the organization. We spoke about the work they are doing to help overcome illiteracy – one book at a time. Ms. Jeffrey explained how this organization was started by Kyle Zimmer, president and founder of First Book and two of her friends. “Ms. Zimmer began her career as a corporate attorney in Washington D.C., and spent her evenings volunteering as a reading tutor at a soup kitchen. While volunteering she learned that the children she was reading with had no books of their own at home. After some research into the scarcity of books for kids in low-income communities she began to grasp the magnitude of the need. So, she and two friends decided to do something about it and founded First Book in 1992.”

One person, one idea = 80 million books. Pretty awesome in my book! They also work with several corporations such as Disney – who just donated 8 million brand new books this month, Target and Pi Beta Phi Sorority whose philanthropy is literacy. In fact, according to Shawn Eagleburger, Member Services and Programming Director of Phi Beta Phi, in 2012, the Fraternity for Women will celebrate 100 years of literacy services. They joined forces with First Book for a virtual book drive in 2007. This was so successful, that in 2008, Pi Beta Phi announced a 1 million dollar, 1 million book commitments to be filled by June 2012 – which they are happy to report has already been achieved! However, their support and efforts to overcome illiteracy continue (Source: Interview with Mr. Eagleburger).

Susan B. Neuman, Ph.D. University of Michigan, Ctr. for Improvement of Early Reading Achievement says it best: “Access to books and educational material is the single biggest barrier to literacy development in the United States and beyond. If we can solve the problem of access, we will be well on the road to realizing educational parity – a goal which as eluded this country for generations” (Source: www.firstbook.org). Indeed! Seeing these organizations working together to overcome this problem that affects all of society is great. If you live or work in low-income communities you can get involved and help by registering with First Book or join a volunteer First Book Advisory Board in your area.

Another organization, MrsP.com is also working hard to encourage the love of reading. Their stories are streamed free of charge on their fun and interactive website and they pledge to donate ten percent of its profits to groups that encourage literacy (Source: MrsP.com). Literacy is such an important societal issue! As Ms. Jeffrey of First Book states “Literacy is one of the best predictors of a child’s future success. See how you can get involved and help low-income communities by going here: www.firstbook.org.

Melissa Northway is a mom, writer, and has written a storybook app and book called Penelope the Purple Pirate. She supports literacy organizations and programs such as MrsP.com. She is donating signed Penelope copies to the first 10 submissions received in the 4 to 8 years of age category for MrsP.com Be-A-Famous-Writer Contest. You can read more about Penelope and Melissa at: www.melissanorthway.com.

Bookstores: Sharing a Sense of Community and a Love for Books

Jen Tilley — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 11:00:53 +0000

“Where Everybody Knows Your Name” – Hope I didn’t just date myself by quoting the song from the beloved Cheers TV sitcom that aired during the 1980’s! For those of you who don’t know Sam Malone, Woody, Frasier, or Diane, it was a funny show about friends who would meet at their local bar and you guessed it “everybody knew their name.” A place they could go and relax with good friends. Much like the role our local bookstores play in our neighborhoods – minus the alcohol of course – but a place where one can go and have a shared sense of community.

After the birth of my daughter and sleep deprivation reared its ugly head; some days I had just enough energy to put her in the stroller and walk across the street to our local bookstore. She was going through a stage where all she wanted to look at were yellow ducks, so the owner and staff would put duck books aside knowing I would be in that week. The kindness and support they showed me during that tough time meant a lot to me.

When Borders filed bankruptcy protection February 16^th of this year, citing the challenging economy of the last two years and a rapidly changing retail environment for books and related products, one has to wonder how our beloved independent bookstores are holding up in this changing environment (Source: www.penlive.com).

Amazon announced that their Kindle eBook sales surpassed paperback sales in January of this year. This happened pretty quickly since the launch of the Kindle occurred only four years ago. Amazon also states that 2011 has had the fastest year over year growth rate for its U.S. books sales in over a decade, including both eBooks and print – and that Kindle eBook sales are up 3x in 2011 from what they were this time last year (Source: www.techcrunch.com).

So how are independent bookstores staying competitive? Robyn Carperton, the buyer for Laguna Beach Books (www.lagunabeachbooks.com) says they joined with the American Booksellers Association to offer their customers eBooks through Google. She says “that more and more independent bookstore owners are getting on board and offering eBooks on their websites.” Ms. Carperton states that “what sets them apart from the large chain bookstores is offering a diversified selection and not just the bestsellers.”Her customers report that they see books in their store they don’t normally find in the larger bookstore chains.

Alexandra Uhl, owner of A Whale of a Tale Bookshop in Irvine, California since 1989, says that “she has seen many changes these past few years with the arrival of Amazon and eBooks.” One of the things that set them apart is the fact that they can offer their customers expertise, knowledge and recommendations based on their individual needs. Ms. Uhl states “they take a lot of pride in accommodating each person who walks in the door.” Ms. Uhl has built strong partnerships with the local schools and libraries to further support the community (www.awhaleoftale.com). She states that “independent bookstores are not just about selling books, but also about building community.” She is quite right about that. For every $100 spent locally, $68 of that stays in your community. And more of your taxes are reinvested in your area. (Source: www.IndieBound.org)

This personalized attention and care shown by our independent bookstores is rather priceless. Don’t get me wrong, I understand in this tough economy everyone is trying to save a buck. Just try to remember that by also supporting our local bookstores, we are supporting a business that holds a dear place in any community. So, the next time you need a book or two, think about giving back to your community by supporting the place where everybody knows your name!

Melissa Northway is a mom, writer of children’s picture books, and has written a storybook app and book called Penelope the Purple Pirate. Her tomboy was the inspiration to write about a girl who likes to have adventures with her friends, and at the same time teach little ones the importance of treating others with kindness and respect. Penelope the Purple Pirate was chosen as a Top 10 Must-Have eBook by lilsugar of Popsugar.com and as a Top 10 Educational iPad app by Digital Storytime. Penelope is available at the iTunes app store, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Powell’s Independent Bookstore, A Whale of a Tale, and other local bookstores. You can read more about Penelope and Melissa at: www.melissanorthway.com.

PBS KIDS: Tuesday #gno Twitter Party on Summer Learning

Jen Tilley — Mon, 23 May 2011 17:16:02 +0000

Fearing the “I’m bored” phrase during the summer months? With summer break right around the corner, you might be brainstorming and planning ways to keep the kids entertained until they go back to school in the fall. Instead of using TV and movies as “babysitters” for your kids, turn to reading to keep the kids entertained. Summer is for plenty of outdoor play and lots of reading in the shade!

The iVillage + PBS KIDS Summer Reading Community Challenge is designed to keep kids reading (and being read to) all summer long, which will help keep their little minds sharp and engaged throughout the summer months. Sure, it’s natural for kids to forget some of what they’ve learned in school, but this challenge is aimed at preventing just that — ‘summer slide.’ The challenge will include:

Daily assignment emails chock full of ideas for you and your kids
Expert coaching from Angela Santomero, Creator and Executive Producer of Super Why
24/7 support in the iVillage and PBS KIDS community
Book suggestions for kids of all ages

Not only that, the challenge will also provide guest coaches, interviews, free downloads of PBS KIDS shows, and a chance to win daily prizes. What’s not to love? The challenge begins on June 6, 2011 and there’s still time to sign up! Just visit The iVillage + PBS KIDS Summer Reading Community Challenge for more information.

Party Topic

Join PBS KIDS and iVillage as we discuss summer learning. The party will be held on Tuesday, May 24 from 9-11 p.m. ET (8CT, 7MT, 6PT). Click here to see details about the giveaway and enter for a chance to win.

Party Details

What: Girls’ Night Out (#gno) Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)
When: Tuesday, May 24 from 9-11 p.m. EST (8 CT, 7 MT, & 6 PT)
Where: Party with us on our very own Custom Tweetgrid! (Use hashtags #gno and #PBSKIDS)
Topic: Summer Learning
Who: Brand Panelists: @pbskids @kateklimo @AngelaSanto @ericaperl @angelamatusik @kellywallacetv @theaumsmama @sharonmomof6 , Community Panelists: @SeeryusMama @evolvingmommy @TimeOutMom, Moderators: @jylmomIF @Dadventurous @troypattee and @MomItForward
Party Favors: Click here to enter the giveaway
RSVP: Use Mr. Linky below (enter the twitter URL and your twitter ID (e.g., http://twitter.com/jylmomIF).

RT @MomItForward Join the @pbskids #gno Twitter party 5/24 (9-11 ET) about summer learning http://bit.ly/m3MfEw #PBSKIDS PLS RT

Note: Mom It Forward accepts paid sponsorships for most #gno Twitter parties. During the parties, brand sponsors provide tips, techniques, expert advice, and information on party topics. Mom It Forward is grateful for the giveaway prizes, coupons, and discounts that sponsors also provide to the Mom It Forward community in conjunction with #gno Twitter parties.

PBS KIDS Giveaway: Win a PBS KIDS Prize Pack (5 Winners)

Jen Tilley — Mon, 23 May 2011 17:15:19 +0000

Did you know that children who don’t maintain reading skills over the summer are likely to start the upcoming school year at a disadvantage? Well PBS KIDS is here to help! The iVillage + PBS KIDS Summer Reading Community Challenge is designed to keep kids reading (and being read to) all summer long, which will help keep their little minds sharp and engaged throughout the summer months.

The challenge begins on June 6, 2011 and there’s still time to sign up! The challenge will include:

Daily assignment emails chock full of ideas for you and your kids
Expert coaching from Angela Santomero, Creator and Executive Producer of Super Why
24/7 support in the iVillage and PBS KIDS community
Book suggestions for kids of all ages

Just visit The iVillage + PBS KIDS Summer Reading Community Challenge for more information.

The Prizes

This week’s giveaway is all about engaging and educational media for children. Five lucky winners will receive a PBS KIDS prize pack (ARV: approx $50).

Entry Requirements

For a chance to enter and win, please complete the following requirements and leave a separate comment for each on this post, including links to your original tweets.

Follow @pbskids on Twitter.
Like PBS Kids on Facebook (http://facebook.com/pbskids).
Answer the following question in the comment section below:How will you help your kids continue learning throughout the summer?
Tweet the following:

RT @MomItForward @pbskids’ Summer Reading Community Challenge begins on June 6! Visit http://bit.ly/kbotx3 for info! #gno #PBSKIDS PLS RT

RT @MomItForward GIVEAWAY! Enter 4 chance 2 win PBS KIDS GO! prize pack (5 Winners) http://bit.ly/m771b1 #gno #PBSKIDS PLS RT

Optional Entries

The following are extra entries that are completely optional and will earn you one extra entry for each completed item. Leave a separate comment on this post for each completed optional entry.

Follow @momitforward on Twitter.
Like Mom It Forward on Facebook: http://facebook.com/momitforward.

Terms and Conditions

Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. No purchase necessary to enter. Giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. ET Wednesday, May 25. See all terms and conditions here. This giveaway is available to U.S. residents only.

Children’s Books: Innovative Companies That Encourage Literacy

Jen Tilley — Wed, 18 May 2011 11:00:17 +0000

As a children’s picture book author, one of my favorite moments while reading my story to groups of children, is to see their faces light up during an exciting part of the story. I think all parents experience that feeling when they see their children enjoy a good story. Recent studies show that reading to a child up to age 5 is a positive predictor for literacy in later years (Source: National Early Literacy Report).

In May 1997, a small reading task force at The National Education Association (NEA) wanted to get kids excited about reading. Thus, NEA’s Read Across America was born and celebrated on March 2, 1998, Dr. Seuss’s birthday. Now we see everyone from schools to libraries to community centers host events to celebrate and promote children’s reading. In honor of this wonderful motivational and awareness program, I want to introduce some innovative companies who are providing interesting ways to keep the love of reading and storytelling alive!

Companies That are Keeping the Love of Reading Alive

Be There Bedtime Stories

One of my favorite companies is based in Orange County, California. Alison Sansone, creator of Be There Bedtime Stories, started her company because her niece lived across the country and she wanted to experience the joy of reading her bedtime stories. Be There Bedtime Stories is a website that places webcam recorded video of a storyteller onto the page of a children’s book, which can be watched on a home computer anytime. This is a wonderful option for military families and grandparents who might live across the country, or can be enjoyed by families who want to video themselves reading a story that can be treasured for years to come. Learn more at: www.betherebedtimestories.com.

Tales2Go

Another company I love because they offer so many great book choices is Tales2Go. Tracey and William Weil, a husband and wife team, started this company because they wanted to offer audio books for children while on the go or at home. As they state on their website: “Tales2Go is all about entertaining your kids with great stories that will make them giggle, laugh, think and ask questions.” Audio books are an important tool in developing reading skills. A 2007 article from the ALSC Research and Development Committee says that young readers are significantly above their reading levels, so audio books can be a bridge for children to enjoy literature that they are ready for intellectually but not yet able to read independently (Source: Article by Liz Noland at: www.audiofilemagazine.com). They have a selection of over 1,500 stories to choose from and have won numerous awards, including the Parents Choice Award. Check out their story selections at: www.tales2go.com.

PicPocket Books

PicPocket Books has a vast selection of storybook apps ranging from traditional stories to new authors and was started by Lynette Mattke. Ms. Mattke says she: “Wanted to offer parents and children options for bringing story time to their mobile devices with an experience that would be quite close to reading a traditional book, but with the convenience of a digital library.” Parents have told her that the stories have sparked conversations with their child – about jobs on the farm, or sibling relations, or local marine life. The highlighting feature that helps pre- and early readers is an educational tool that the parents really like as well. You can read more about PicPocket Books and see their wonderful selection of storybook apps at: www.picpocketbooks.com.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children states that literacy doesn’t begin at kindergarten – or even in preschool. Babies respond to adults talking to them; 1-year-olds point to pictures in books; and 2-year olds chant nursery rhymes. These innovative companies are helping us parents encourage the love of stories and reading! I think Be There Bedtime Stories Ms. Sansone states it best: “Help a child develop reading skills by activating their gray matter!”

What products do you use to help your child fall in love with reading and storytelling? What companies are helping parents encourage their kids to read?

Melissa Northway is a mom, writer of children’s picture books, and just came out with a new storybook app and book called Penelope the Purple Pirate. Her tomboy was the inspiration to write about a girl who likes to have adventures with her friends, and at the same time teach little ones the importance of treating others with kindness and respect. Penelope the Purple Pirate was chosen as a Top 10 Must-Have eBook by lilsugar of Popsugar.com and as a Top 10 Educational iPad app by Digital Storytime. Penelope is available at the iTunes app store and on Amazon. You can read more about Penelope and Melissa at: www.melissanorthway.com.

Apps for Kids: Helping Children Embrace Reading in the Digital Age

Jen Tilley — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:00:14 +0000

I can still remember the first book I read. It was a story by Hans Christian Andersen and I felt such delight and excitement that I was able to read it all by myself! With the arrival of my daughter, it has been such a joy to get back into reading children’s books. We spend hours at our local bookshop and library, and look through all the beautiful books. But my daughter is living in a time of social media and technology that I couldn’t even fathom years ago. To see these changes is exciting, but as parents, we want to make wise choices when it comes using this technology.

This past month at the Tools of Change Bologna conference, there was a sellout crowd of 250, from over 27 countries to talk about how books are moving into a digital world. I found it interesting that studies have shown 34 percent of four and five year olds in the UK are able to open a browser, with only 14 percent of them who are able to tie their shoelaces. I know my own daughter was able to start using my iPhone when she was only two years old. I can’t say I learned it quite as quick!

This technology has been a nice addition to the learning tools that I use with my daughter. We are able to use the iPhone together and play games, read a story, practice counting, addition or even write our own storybook. The choices are endless. As parents, it is just our job to search out the quality apps on the market. So how are we choosing the best apps for our children? According to a study done by Mom Central Consulting, 39 percent of us rely on review blogs and websites, 17 percent rely on friends, and 12 percent rely on their children’s suggestions.

These devices are so child-friendly that if I need a break, my daughter is able to use this technology easily. Apparently, I am not alone. According to Mom Central Consulting, 74 percent of Moms let their children regularly play with their phone, while another 14 percent do so but only rarely. Education (50 percent) comes in only second to games (73 percent) as the most popular categories among Moms according to the same study by Mom Central Consulting.

As a parent, it is my goal to find apps that will further her education. Out of the more than thousands of apps on the market, there are many that will help our children learn how to read, entice their creativity, compose music, and improve their math skills – there are endless learning opportunities. I like a quote that Michelle Rulmont used in her article called: Teaching Technology: The iPad’s Best Educational Apps by Chicago-based educator Marva Collins:

“Once children learn to how to learn, nothing is going to narrow their mind. The essence of teaching is to make learning contagious, to have one idea to spark another.”

Our children literally have at their fingertips, a technology that helps them learn about so many interesting subjects. Along with good parenting and teachers, this can be another tool to help our children learn – and have fun at the same time.

Do you allow your child to play with your iPhone or iPad? Why or why not? If you do, what apps do you have on your phone that are child-friendly? Do the apps tend to be games or are they education-based? Why do you think it’s important to embrace the digital age when it comes to bringing up your child?

Melissa Northway is a mom, writer of children’s picture books, and just came out with a new storybook app called “Penelope the Purple Pirate.” Her tomboy was the inspiration to write about a girl who likes to have adventures with her friends, and at the same time teach little ones the importance of treating others with kindness and respect. “Penelope the Purple Pirate” was chosen as a Top 10 Must-Have eBook by lilsugar of popsugar.com. She is working on her next story featuring Penelope in the Wild West. You can read more about Penelope and Melissa at: www.melissanorthway.com.

Reading: Great Books for 2nd and 3rd Graders

Gigi Ross — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 09:00:30 +0000

This is the second installment in a two-part series on reading series for young elementary school-aged kids. Last week, I provided a list of great series for kindergarten and first graders. This week, I’m focused on second and third graders.

My son is in the home stretch of second grade. It’s been a great year for his reading, where he’s really found some niche series and even specific non-fiction topics that have piqued his interest.

The good news about this stage of reading is the number of fantastic choices kids have when moving into chapter books or delving farther into them. My son spent the better part of this year reading the entire Magic Tree House series, including the non-fiction research guides, and has started exploring other, lesser-known series that strike his fancy.

Here’s another list of great series for 2nd and 3rd graders. Hopefully, you’ll find some selections here that will excite your child!

Second Grade Reading Series

Second graders start to transition heavily into early chapter books and fantasy titles. These are some of my kids’ favorites.

Magic Tree House (Mary Pope Osborne)
Magic Tree House Research Guides [nonfiction] (Mary Pope Osborne)
Flat Stanley (Jeff Brown)
Boxcar Children (Gertrude Chandler Warner)
Secrets of Droon (Tony Abbott)
Dragon Slayers’ Academy (Kate McMullan)
Rainbow Magic Fairies (Daisy Meadows)
Katie Kazoo Switcheroo (Nancy Krulik)
Stink Moody (Megan McDonald)
Geronimo Stilton (Geronimo Stilton)
Ivy and Bean (Annie Barrows)
James and The Giant Peach (Roald Dahl) – and other Roald Dahl titles

Third Grade Reading Series

My son is able to read many third-grade level chapter books and what I’ve noticed about them is that the content matures a bit. Keep this in mind if you have an advanced reader. Make sure you know the subject matter of what they’re reading about.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Jeff Kinney)
Encyclopedia Brown (Donald Sobol)
39 Clues (various authors)
Judy Moody (Megan McDonald)
Emily Windsnap (Liz Keller)
My Weird School (Dan Gutman)
The Time Warp Trio (John Szcieska)
Babymouse (Jennifer and Matthew Holm)
Captain Underpants (Dav Pilkey)
Amazing Days of Abbey Hayes (Anne Mazer)
American Girl series (various authors)
Beast Quest (Adam Blade)
Fairy Godmother Academy (Jan Bozarth)
Fudge (Judy Blume)
Hardy Boys (Franklin W. Dixon)
Henry Huggins (Beverly Cleary)
Ramona (Beverly Cleary)
Goosebumps (R.L. Stine)
The Fairy Chronicles (J.H. Sweet)
Ricky Ricotta (Dav Pilkey)
A Series of Unfortunate Events (Lemony Snicket)

This is just a sampling of the choices out there. What are some of your children’s favorite series that don’t appear on this list? What were your favorite books when you were in this age group?

Gigi Ross is a mom of 2 from Austin, Texas who keeps her personal blog at KludgyMom, where she shares her sometimes snappish, sometimes neurotic take on parenting and blogging. Gigi is a freelance writer and social media consultant. She is the business columnist for ShePosts and the Managing Editor of Business 2 Blogger. Her work has been syndicated by Mamapedia, Babble.com, and BlogHer. Connect with Gigi on Twitter at @akludgymom.

Reading: Great Books for Kindergarten-First Graders

Gigi Ross — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 11:00:02 +0000

If you have a child in the early elementary (K-1) grades, you probably struggle like I do with finding good reads for your kiddo.

My daughter’s in kindergarten and the leveled readers that are sent home from school seem a bit dry and dull. The characters are not that engaging and she tends to bore easily. So it’s important to me that when my kids choose to do pleasure reading, it’s something a cut above what they’re bringing home from school. I try to find book series that are fun, entertaining, and most importantly, inspire an “I want to read more” attitude.

So today, I’d like to share with you some of the reading series that have really gotten my kids jazzed and hungry for more reading.

I’ve separated these by grade; however, as we all know, in the early grades, reading abilities can vary widely. What I suggest for 1st grade may be something much too easy for your 6-year-old. But this should help get some ideas going for you when you head off to the library or bookstore.

Kindergarten Reading Series

Here’s a great selection of kindergarten books that run the gamut from very basic to a little more advanced.

Fluffy the Classroom Guinea Pig Series (Kate McMullan)
Fly Guy (Ted Arnold)
Clifford The Big Red Dog (Norman Bridwell and others)
Elephant and Piggie (Mo Willems)
The Pigeon Series (Mo Willems)
If You Give A Moose A Muffin (and related titles) (Laura Joffe Numeroff)
Little Critters (Mercer Mayer)
No, David (and related titles) (David Shannon)
Maisy (Lucy Cousins)
Bob Books (Bobby Lynn Maslen)
Biscuit Series (Alyssa Satin Capucilli)

First Grade Reading Series

Some first graders are ready for chapter books; others are still on beginning readers. I’ve included a good selection here.

Horrible Harry (Suzy Kline)
Arthur (Marc Brown)
Bailey School Kids (Debbie Dadey)
Junie B. Jones (Barbara Jones)
Black Lagoon Adventures (Mike Thaler)
Henry & Mudge (Cynthia Rylant)
Cowgirl Kate & Cocoa (Erica Silverman)
Mercy Watson (Kate DiCamillo)
Young Cam Jansen (David A. Adler)
Frog and Toad (Arnold Lobel)
Annie and Snowball (Cynthia Rylant)
Magic School Bus (Joanna Cole)
Minnie and Moo (Denys Cazet)
Mr. Putter and Tabby (Cynthia Rylant)

I think it’s great to give kids the freedom to choose their own books at the library or bookstore in exchange for you getting to pick out one or two age-appropriate titles for them to try as well. What’s most important is making reading empowering and exciting. Now, go hit the books!

What were your favorite books when you were in this age group? What were your childrens’ favorite books?