Dr. Robert Needlman
Specialist in pediatric behavior and development.
|
|
 Ask Dr. Needlman
Encouraging An Active 6 Year Old To Read | | | QUESTION | | | | How do you get a very active 6 year old to calm down and relax to read more? — Adria in Alexandria, Virginia | | | ANSWER |
May 28, 2000 | | | As your question implies, a child's temperament has a lot to do with how well a six year old will do with sitting still for a story. Some healthy six year olds easily listen for an hour or more; others only for 15 minutes before having to get up and move about. It is helpful to adjust your expectations to match your child's temperament.
If 10 minutes is a long time for him to sit with a story, do several 5-minute reading blocks. You can help "draw in" your active six year old by making the reading-aloud experience very interactive. Stop and ask a lot of questions. Invite him to act out parts of the story. Leave off the ends of sentences so he can fill them in.
Substitute words and see if he can "catch you" at it. Ask questions that let him take off on stories of his own, such as "What would you do if a spider sat down next to you?" Draw pictures to go along with the stories. Act out the stories yourself, using your child. For example, if a story is about a trip on a boat (see, for example, the classic Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak), rock your six year old back and forth like you are rocking in a boat.
Pick stories that need active participation, where, for example, there is a repeated line that he can chant ("Fee, Fie, Fo, Fum"). Research shows that this sort of active participation in the reading experience actually enhances children's learning. Being "read to" does not have to be a passive activity.
You didn't say this, but I would wonder if your very active 6 year old is having difficulties in school. Some kindergartens are quite academically oriented these days. A child might be expected to sit quietly for a 30 minute story time. If your child is doing well in this sort of setting, that's great.
It may be that he "uses up" all of his sitting still ability during the school day. Once he comes home, he might just need to move around a lot. If your child's need to move is causing problems in the school setting, talk with his teacher about how much accommodation can be made there.
What is most important is that the reading experience, and the school experience, are joyful for your child. In the long run, that is what is going to motivate his life-long learning.
— by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. |
|
