Boys & Books
The March 27 NY Times Op-Ed page carried an article that somewhat surprised me. For many years, we’ve heard about girls lagging behind boys in science and math. However, did you know that boys are now lagging behind girls in reading?
I was a lucky Mom for many reasons, but one of them is that both of my kids loved to read. I don’t recall ever having to twist their arms to read books for book reports or other similar projects. A love of reading was cultivated in them even before birth, and it continues to this day.
However, there are many children, especially boys of late, who do not like to read. It’s a solitary and slow-paced activity. Reading doesn’t have the immediate gratification of a Sony PlayStation game. Their friends aren’t high-fiving boys for finishing a book like they would for hitting a homerun. Imagination is required to enjoy a good book, and I think imagination is a lost skill for many children. Setting aside regular, quiet time just for reading is not well-promoted by absent parents. In this age of electronic everything, the local library is not as much of a destination or event as it was in years gone by. These and other societal challenges affect developing a love of reading.
The aptly named website, Guys Read, is trying to change all that. Their mission is to:
motivate boys to read by connecting them with materials they will want to read in ways they like to read.
It is a great resource if you are an adult trying to help boys develop a love of reading. The site includes lists of books in so-called ”guy” categories, such as books with at least one explosion, books about realistic kids in realistic situations, books about cars and trucks, books about outer space but no aliens, books about dragons, books for little guys, and more.
The site also includes PDFs of Guys Read bookplates, bookmarks, spine labels and a link to purchase Guys Read T-Shirts or even a Guys Read skateboard. Yes, reading can be very cool for guys of all ages!!
You can also link to many authors’ websites from Guys Read. There are “guy lifestyle” links to such things as Lego professionals or how to draw trucks and cars. You can even have your local library added to the Guys Read google map!
You can help turn around the trend of boys falling behind in reading. By doing so, you are improving their odds of being a successful adult. Reading is fundamental to education, career development, successful parenting in today’s world, community involvement, and much more.
If you have a boy in your life who doesn’t like reading, checkout Guys Read. If you would, please also add a comment below to share your challenges and successes in getting boys to love reading.
Tags: Attitude, Books, Communication, Education, Family, Life
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