Are You a Literacy Spoiler?

Recently I came across this list of ten things placed on Canadian Living magazine’s website in regards to how parents might be spoiling literacy for their kids. Some of the items on the list make a lot of sense, such as not having books in the house. Some make sense when you stop to think about it like watching too much television. (However, they also list some great tips on how to use TV, TV shows, and movies to create or further develop reading interests.) And some items were a little more pause worthy such as #8: Choosing Your Child’s Reading Material for Him/Her. But it makes sense. What we think (as adults) are fabulous reads or enjoy reading out loud to our children (maybe it flows nicely, rhymes, has puns we enjoy, is ‘deeper’ than a bobcat digging a hole once again, etc.,) might not be anywhere up our child’s alley. What would you think if your parents picked out all your reading material? Would they get it right 100% of the time? 50%? 15%? It would most definitely be different than what you would choose, wouldn’t it?

Go buy a kid you know some books (or a gift card) and a reading light or flashlight–reading under the covers makes reading that much more fun!

But personally, I like #10 because it makes me feel stellar. It is “Do You Value the Written Word? Writing and reading go hand in hand.” Yes, I write and read all the time. No literacy spoiling there! So, yeah, I’m rocking this literacy thing and guess what? If you write and read in front of your kids my fellow writers, you too are rockin’ their literacy world. Yes!

Go forth my friends and create readers–us writers need them.