Develop your child's talents through reading

Ebony, April, 1994

Books can help your child discover and develop special strengths--and you can lead the way. These 10 classroom-tested ideas, offered by seasoned educators from around the country, will show you how.

The trick, these experts say, lies partly in knowing which books to share with your child. The rest comes from knowing just how to share the books you pick. Here are their tips:

1. Be a Matchmaker. "Trust your instincts and choose books that build on your child's interests and talents," says Beverly Hoeltke, a teacher of kindergarten through second grade at the Key School in Indianapolis, Indiana. A young child who likes to sing, for example, should love a book like Raffi's Baby Beluga (Crown, 1990). Kids who like to express themselves physically with enjoy books they can act out, such as Jean Marzollo's Pretend You're a Cat (Dial Books for Young Readers, 1990). "Remember that interests change and new talents emerge as a child grows," Hoeltke adds. "So stay open to an ever-changing menu of literary offerings."

2. Make Your Child the Export. How do you avoid investing too heavily in a passion that turns out to be short-lived? Third- and fourth-grade teacher Cherylann Parker, who teaches at the Fuller School in Gloucester, Massachusetts, has a solution. Insist that your child read deeply about the interest before you spend a dime. "Suppose your child wants to set up an aquarium or take up the tube," says Parker. "Before hitting a pet shop or music store, borrow books that will make your child an 'expert' on tubas or tropical fish. Then, help your child decide whether this is an interest worth pursuing big-time.

3. Write to Discover. Let key interests bubble up out of writing together. "If you go on a trip together, take snapshots," says Pat Morales, principal of the Peabody Charter School in Santa Barbara, California. "Put them in an album and write captions for them. When you go shopping, draw up lists together. Don't miss any chance to help children feel the power of the written world!"

4. Make Room for Dad. "I always urge fathers to read with their children," says Joan Webb, who teaches third grade at the Armstrong Elementary School in Dallas, Texas. "When fathers do some of the reading aloud, choosing books on topics they care about, kids and fathers have a chance to see each other in a new light. These sessions provide kids with another way to reflect on what they care about and can do well!"

5. Share the News. "Read newspaper articles with your child," suggests Huck Fitterer, principal at the Aztec Elementary School in Scottsdale, Arizona. You'll be surprised how much can be done with a game based on a simple news story. "Take turns trying to stump each other with questions that begin with who, what, when, where, why and how," he says. "You child will begin to develop questioning and information-seeking skills needed for exploring his or her interests and abilities."

6. Read Back and Forth. "Turn off the TV and read aloud to your kids, no matter what their ages," advises Tom Hoerr, director of the New City School in St. Louis, Missouri. "And ask them to read to you. Read back and forth with the other adults in the house, too. Then talk about what you read. This way," he explains, "reading becomes a public activity that can help children think about what they're good at and what they want to strengthen."

7. Follow Up with Creativity. "Help your child use stories and books as springboards to personal expression," suggests Sue Metz, a music specialist at the Rio Linda Union School District in California. After reading a fairy tale, for instance, you might encourage your child to retall it.

"The trick here," Metz says, "is to offer gentl suggestions and follow your child's lead. Your child may want to draw a picture of the story, act it out with costumes and props or build a castle with blocks."

8. Respect Your Child's Choices. What if your child prefers comics to classics? "Respect your child's choices," urges Mary Ann Fabel, who teaches third and fourth grade at the Clara Barton Elementary School in Minneaplis, Minnesota. "My own son," she notes, "moves from Matt Groening cartoons to reading every book by Gary Paulson. Reading will enrich children's lives only if you help them make that discovery themselves.

9. Index Your Child's Reading Gains. A treasure ches of book titles can build self-esteem while helping children find what interests them. All you need, says Priscilla Ribeiro-Perdomo, an eighth-grade teacher at the Driftwood Middle School in Broward County. Florida, is an index box, a pack of index cards and a steady stream of read-alouds. "Jot down and file the title of every book you read with your child," she advises. "This lets you log your child's reading progress and in the process help uncover topics of real interes."

10. Profit from a Valuable Resource--Your Child's School. "All parents should make more use of schools and teachers as resources for exploring and nuturing their children's talents," says Helen Schmisseur, principal of the Lake Elementary School in Granite City, Illinois. At Lake, she's making her advice easy to follow with the help of a $1,000 Family Reading Grant from Chrysler Corporation. The grant--one of 50 awarded last year--will help her launch a family reading club and a lending library of books and audio tapes for parents to tap into. "With reading," she says, "anything is possible."