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At the beginning of the school and during the early years, children begin to acquire knowledge and develop new skills and capabilities. Therefore it is a great moment to take firm steps in the practice of reading without forgetting you are their role model and support. Children are receptive to the stimuli of others, particularly of adults´ to whom they appreciate, admire and value the image they have from them.
Do not forget that the habit of reading offer children the opportunity of having a wonderful leisure time and enhance their capabilities and chances of academic success, as it has been indicated by several researches.
How can we recognize a good book for children?
These are some clues that can guide you in this regard:
· Stories have to connect with children’s tastes and interests, must be well-crafted and enable the reader to identify with their protagonists.
· Text should be clear and concise: children follow better a plot with action and dialogues than one with descriptions.
· Vocabulary must be rich but adapted to children’s reading comprehension. Should be neither simple, nor unnecessarily complicated.
· Images are very important and must be in accordance with the whole text, complement the written word and enrich the act of reading.
· Format has to be attractive and easy-to-use.
Which books are the most appropriated for each age group?
In general...
· Children show a wide range of interests, so that the variety of topics and genres gradually increase in these years,
· Their skills and capabilities to read wider and more complex readings increase gradually.
· Children give more and more importance to the content and to the fact that it connects to their tastes and interests.
Age group classification…
6-8 years-olds
In this age group, poems and songs are present in children’s learning and leisure time. Fairy tales are an inexhaustible source of surprises and discoveries, even a means to overcome their fears. They also need realistic stories in which topics of their interest are dealt with, and humour is often present as a means to de-emphasize awkward situations. Images are essential, hence the importance of illustrated books.
9 to 11 years-olds
Their interests are very diverse: adventure books: detectives, gangs and fear; imaginary and mythological stories; funny stories, books of poetry, stories of real life: family, school, personal and group conflicts, etc. More complicated books can also be recommended (moderate difficulty or denseness). Topics which are away from their everyday environment are attractive to them; also informative books on issues of their interest stimulate their curiosity. The comics, in turn, really attract their attention.
Always keep your children’s tastes and interests in mind, especially as they begin growing up and developing their own preferences. Try to recommend attractive proposals.
¡Read with them although they have already the skills to do it by themselves! |
