Children's Stories that Scare any Parent - Part I

Parents start cognitive "sparks" when it comes to learning and loving reading for their kids.

Building a love to read requires a foundation, time, and patience from the very beginning. There are many "stories" that ignite success, but far too many more that provide an illusion of failure. 

Third graders who don't read as well as their counterparts begin a lifelong journey in which most increasingly lag further and further behind their friends. Research shows they need a growing amount of outside support to help them catch up, which becomes a never-ending story by itself--and a spooky tale to any parent who isn't quite sure what to do.

Here are 5 basic tips--with many more to come!

1. Read, Read, Read--Just not to yourself! Read to, and with, your child beginning at birth. Early reading is important for babies because they pick up sounds, tones, and rhythm. When coupled with a warm embrace, Dr. Pamela High (2000) found it to also promote bonding. "Reading aloud itself promotes language development," she wrote in a study at Brown University. Furthermore, basic vocabulary has been found to develop faster if tied to the visual elements associated with those words. The more you say "milk" when pointing to milk, the more likely it becomes one of your child's first words. 

In the beginning, choose books with only a little text and lots of texture and pictures. It keeps them connected to both literacy and you! 

2. If kids seem uninterested, don't give up...just yet. Try picking portions of the book, sing the text, play hide and seek with it, get books in which the child has to lift the flaps -- "touch and feel books." One of these books will grab their attention. Cause and effect is what interests the baby and most of these books do it. Also, remember to pick a time you know will work well for you both on a regular basis. 

"When you read is just as important as what you read when trying to garner a child's attention."  

3. After kids are old enough and enjoy listening, which can be as early as nine months, let the child choose between two books. He or she will begin to interact with the book by trying to turn pages, feel the texture on the pages, or try to lift pockets on pages. This is a time kids may try and mimic sounds they hear.

4. When they reach about 10 months old, have your children point to different objects. If they have trouble, it's OK to give them the answer. See if they remember the next time you point to it.

5. As kids near the age of two, they should be singing some words with you from familiar nursery rhymes. Add a dance move too. Again, have fun! If you are, so is your child. 

Author Linda Nathan Reads from her book, Too Mad to Trust

More tips to come! In the meantime, why don't you tell me how these tactics are working out for you and I'll be happy to answer all comments! 

References

Effects of an animated book reading intervention on emergency literacy skill development:
   An early pilot study. (2015). Journal of Early Intervention, 37(2), 155-171.
   doi:10.1177/1053815115598842

Josh Nathan Addresses Scholars and Filmmakers

Reading at an Evening Reception

Author Josh Nathan just finished sharing Too Mad to Trust with those at America's first international conference on Celebrity Culture in Manhattan. Discussing the theories behind a book aimed at stemming the growing tide of speech and language disorders like stuttering or selective mutism, Josh was one of only four authors to read from a new release at a conference organized by the Centre for Media & Celebrity Studies (CMCS). 

CMCS Director Dr. Samita Nandy initially invited Josh to serve as a media strategy expert in a professional development workshop there. The two posed for photos with each other's books. Josh was honored to be one of the first to receive a copy of Dr. Nandy's Fame in Hollywood North: A Theoretical Guide to Celebrity Cultures in Canada and she is one of the first to receive a copy of Too Mad to Trust. 

Posing with Each Other's New Releases

     

Serving with Josh on the panel is Dr. Louis Massey, Managing Editor of WaterHill Publishing, and Dr. Samita Nandy. The goal of "Scholars as Critics: A Professional Development Workshop for Academics" was to help those attending understand how the media operates, how to best answer reporter questions, brand yourself, and garner the news coverage you want. The conference's goal centered on "bridging gaps" between academics, those in media, and everyday folks trying to position, and successfully promote, themselves in the market.

Josh Nathan answers questions from conference attendees with Dr. Louis Massey (left) and Dr. Samita Nandy (right) at Club Quarters Hotel, opposite Rockefeller Center, in New York, New York, at Bridging Gaps: Where is the Persona in Celebrity and Journalism?

Josh Presents New Academic Research

NBC News Headquarters

Earlier in the conference, Josh was the first speaker and presented findings from a new academic paper, Implications of Journalism's Tall Tales on a Telling Public. When discussing NBC's Brian Williams, theories collide to explain what happened to one of the nation's most watched news anchors after revealing that he exaggerated stories about his coverage of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. As Williams returns to the air on MSNBC, Josh explains why Williams may still likely have a place in the hearts and minds of viewers.

Filmmaker Veronica Grey

Those at the conference also had an opportunity to screen and discuss the new short documentary Worst Shark Attack Ever featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and filmmaker Veronica Grey. Exploring the carnage humans inflict upon sharks to make shark fin soup, DiCaprio and Grey have been working to shine light on an environmental issue close to their hearts. 

"This conference was rare in that it engendered a genuinely cohesive, collaborative, and supportive group that kept the program running long after the actual event itself ended," Josh told conference co-chairs Dr. Nandy and Dr. Jackie Raphael when making plans to have some of the attendees speak in his courses as "Skype Guests."

You can see more highlights from the conference on Storify and you can follow Josh's tweets through our website, Too Mad to Trust, or by typing in his Twitter Handle @ProfJDN.

As always, if you ever have any questions about Too Mad to Trust--or for one of its authors--we are eager to hear from you and always return emails. You may reach us directly at toomadtotrust@gmail.com and can learn more about Josh, with his recent debut, through AUTHORSdb:

Twitter: Josh Nathan debuts on this week's Top10 Author List