Short answer – anything and everything.
Whatever your son wants to read, go with it!
According to Kenny Pieper, author of “Reading for Pleasure: a Passport to Everywhere”, all adults have a responsibility to be reading role models. “We need to step up and be their reading mentors, getting involved in their lives, or at least be the ones who will properly encourage them to turn the key. It won’t happen by accident.”
Equally in “The Enchanted Hour” by Meghan Cox Gurdon, we, as adults, are asked to “Imagine an elixir so strong that a daily dose makes your family smarter, happier, healthier, more successful, and more closely attached. Now imagine that you can have it without spending a dime. It all starts with a story, a voice, and a place to sit…”
10 minutes each day, will have a significant impact on your son’s wider learning capacity and confidence, not to mention the benefits to their reading ability and mental health.
If you are still struggling to get your son to read for 10 minutes each day, hit them with this fact, from Yale researchers: “People who read live longer than those who don’t!” The results of a study conducted in 2016 are startling. “Analyses demonstrated that any level of book reading gave a significantly stronger survival advantage than reading textbooks. Book reading rather than reading in general is driving a survival advantage.”
Why might this be the case? Apparently it comes down to two factors. Deep reading of novels is a slow process, where the reader engages with the book and seeks to understand it within its own context, and within the context of the outside world.
Emotional connection is where the reader empathises with the characters, and that promotes social perception and emotional intelligence. There are no real downsides to reading, other than making the time for it.
Reading Ideas
Where to go for More Ideas?
- #BookTok: TikTok’s community of book lovers, under the hashtag #BookTok, is making real waves in the world of publishing, with recommendations on the platform becoming instant YA bestsellers.
- Read the article below by Mr Roberts, Head of Library, for some excellent book ideas.
Ms Mary Ryan
Literacy Coordinator and English Teacher
mryan01@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Reading for Families over the Summer School Holidays
Give your sons and families the beautiful experience of reading, this summer.
Waverley College is a member of the International Boys’ School Coalition, and they have produced a neat graphic outlining five simple things parents/carers can do, to help their sons read more.
This summer will be a great time to give these tips a go.
I myself, have found that setting small goals of even just reading for 10 minutes, can start the momentum.
To access books, one activity to consider, is to visit your local library as a family. Randwick City Libraries, for example, have current and engaging children’s and Young Adult fiction. This can be a helpful way to try out reading, to find what might be of interest to your sons and yourself!
And if in the city, drop into the City of Sydney’s Customs House Library, just opposite Circular Quay. A brilliant spot for a rest and a boost.
And of course, the College Library provides audio and ebooks via the Library CANVAS page, all summer long! Click on the Ebooks and Audiobooks icon.
Word Fun Activity
As a family, review together the People’s Choice winners for the Macquarie’s Dictionary 2022 words of the year. Great fun!
Macquarie Dictionary Word of the Year 2022
The Role of Wikipedia
The concise article below by Mathieu O’Neil and Rachel Cunneen, gives an overview of the role Wikipedia can play. One key point is that the references listed in Wikipedia are a solid start, when beginning research.
Digital Literacy: using Wikipedia as a fact-checking tool
“Given the usefulness of Wikipedia as both a source of information and as a media literacy teaching tool, this article was intended to change the narrative around Wikipedia”.
If your sons like Wikipedia, this can be a way to boost reading as well. Use Wikipedia not just for research, but for reading around hobbies and interests, leading to further discoveries and reading.
More About Boys and Reading
Boys and Reading – A Quick Guide For Parents
Mr Bill Roberts
Head of Library Services
wroberts@waverley.nsw.edu.au
