Statistics have shown that in a class of 20 students, few, if any, teachers can find even 5 minutes of time in a day to devote to reading with each student. These studies have also come to find that the majority of children in our generation will stop reading as soon as they no longer have to. This absolutely breaks my heart for a number of reasons. Children are no longer delighting in reading, getting swept away in a captivating story, or enjoying the wonder and fun that comes from learning.
As parents, God has trusted us with a very important job. We are here to not only be mothers, but to be teachers and instructors in all that is good and lovely in the world. In my sweet Sarah's book, Read for the Heart, she quotes:
"The first thing that a young heart needs is an education in all that is good."
The main reason behind why children won't find joy and excitement in reading is the fact that they are not being exposed to great books. We don't live in a culture that is filled with very much excellence. While we may not be able to control the media of our generation, we must take on the responsibility of exposing our children to excellent books that will encourage, inspire, and help them flourish into adults who have a love of literature.
In our home, each child has his or her own book shelf. Every Christmas everyone gets their own books!
Book baskets are all over the house--with picture books, magazines, art books, and piled with all sorts of genre's of interesting tales.
In our library, we have overstuffed recliners so anyone can go read in comfort at any time.
At bedtime we kept baskets of short stories and picture books and chapter books to keep going one more chapter each night. (and of course we always followed with cd's of favorite music that placed beauty in their little heads as they drifted off.)
Mediocrity is natural. There are a lot of time wasters out there. However, as mothers, God has called us to the supernatural--the above and beyond of ideals that Jesus wants us to understand. We must rise above what our culture views as normal activity and cultivate minds and hearts in our children that are excellent, joyous, and full of wonder. What we feed our children's minds will in many ways determine what they will have in their soul to respond to when they are adults.
3 Excellent Picture Books to Introduce to Your Family This Month:
1- Tuesday by David Weisner 2- Time of Wonder by Robert McCloskey 3- Song And Dance Man by Karen Ackerman
