Title: Games for Reading: Playful Ways to Help Your Child Read
Author: Peggy Kaye
Publication Year: 1984
Website: www.peggykaye.com
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Review: This book has a lot of really good ideas to help your child enjoy learning to read. It has so many suggestions that I plan to take notes on many of the ideas before I return it to the library. My only real problem with it is that I sort of feel like it goes against my own personal teaching philosophy, which is that I think it’s best to let your child learn to read organically, without a lot of intervention.
If I were to do many of the activities in this book with my preschooler, I feel a little like I’d be pressuring him to learn to read, when really, I’m in no hurry and I trust he’ll figure it out on his own when he’s ready. However, I know there are a lot of parents who are legitimately in a hurry for their kids to learn to read, because their kids are in kindergarten or elementary school, and the last thing a parent wants is for their child to fall behind.
To be fair, this book is aimed at those school-age children, not preschoolers. For those families, I think this book might be a really helpful resource. On the other hand, if your child is already one of the kids falling behind, while I do feel like these “games” and ideas encourage the participation of the child rather than resistance, they are not quick and easy solutions.
They’re the sort of ideas that would gradually work over time, so be prepared to be patient in order to see results. Maybe the ideal time to start using these methods would be the summer before a child starts kindergarten, but I wouldn’t hesitate to use these ideas whenever a child is struggling. (Personal Rating: 8/10)
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