\n\nSHARE What is this?\n\n#### Health & Fitness Guide\n\n1\n\nFact vs. Fiction\n\n2\n\nTips for Success\n\n3\n\nGet Lean\n\n4\n\nGet Strong\n\n5\n\nFuel Your Body\n\n6\n\nExpert Help\n\n#### Further Reading:\n\n * Slideshow: 10 Ways to Speed Up Your Metabolism\n * Basic Metabolic Panel-Topic Overview\n * Comprehensive Metabolic Panel-Related Information\n * Comprehensive Metabolic Panel-Topic Overview\n * Madelung's Disease\n * Metabolic Syndrome-Other Places To Get Help\n * Boosting Metabolism to Get More From Your Workout, Lose More Weight\n * See All Metabolism Topics\n\n### Fitness & Exercise\n\n * Fact vs. Fiction\n * Tips for Success\n * Get Lean\n * Get Strong\n * Fuel Your Body\n * Expert Help\n\n### Weight Loss & Diet Plans\n\n * Eating Essentials\n * Losing Weight\n * Special Diets\n * Real-Life Tips\n * Help & Support\n\n### Food & Recipes\n\n * Healthy Kitchen\n * Start Cooking\n * Recipes\n * Kitchen Experts\n * Of Special Interest\n * Help & Support\n\n### Healthy Eating Guides\n\n * Gluten Free\n * High Protein\n * Low Sodium\n * Omega-3s\n * Vegetarian\n\n### Related To Fitness\n\n * Cholesterol\n * Diabetes\n * Hypertension\n * Quick Tricks for Diet, Exercise and Stress\n * Weight Loss Surgery\n * More Related Topics\n\n### Healthy Living Tools\n\nSee All Tools\n\n### Ditch Those Inches\n\nSet goals, tally calorie intake, track workouts and more, all via WebMD’s free\nFood & Fitness Planner.\n\nGet Started\n\n## Today in Fitness & Exercise\n\nSlideshow\n\nInfections Lurking in the Locker Room\n\nSlideshow\n\nGet Flatter Abs\n\nSlideshow\n\nBuild a Better Butt\n\nQuiz\n\nTest Your Sports Injury Savvy\n\nArticle\n\nTips for Exercising With Diabetes\n\nInteractive\n\nHow to Do Basic Stretches\n\nSlideshow\n\nThe 30-Minute Workout Routine\n\nVideo\n\nBelly Fat and Your Heart: The Connection\n\nSlideshow\n\n15 Pilates Moves That Get Results\n\nVideo\n\nExercise Well Even With Allergies\n\nArticle\n\n6 Exercise Traps Teens Should Avoid\n\nArticle\n\nTaylor Lautner's Workout\n\n## Subscribe\n\n### to WebMD Newsletters\n\n### WebMD Special Sections\n\n * Healthy Recipe Finder\n\n### Health Solutions From Our Sponsors\n\n * Aching Back Center\n * Blood Sugar Control\n\n * Joint Pain Help Center\n * Musculoskeletal Pain\n\n * Options for Depression\n * Once-Daily COPD Treatment\n\n * Osteoarthritis Center\n * RA Patient Stories\n\n * Injectable RA Treatment\n * Understand Fibromyalgia\n\n##### In-depth coverage:\n\nIs Your Psoriasis Treatment on Target?|Your Guide to a Healthy\nMouth|Rheumatoid Arthritis Health Check| Teen Girls and Puberty|Diabetes and\nYour Body\n\n###### Find us on:\n\nURAC: Accredited Health Web Site\n\nHonCode: Health on the Net Foundation AdChoices\n\nAbout WebMD Advertise With Us Terms of Use Privacy Policy Sponsor Policy Site\nMap Careers Contact Us\n\nMedscape Reference eMedicineHealth RxList Medscape MedicineNet BootsWebMD\nWebMD Corporate\n\nFirst Aid WebMD the Magazine WebMD Health Record WebMD Mobile Newsletters\n\n©2005-2012 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.\n\nWebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional\ninformation.\n\n"},{"original_url":"http://www.mayoclinic.org:80/caffeine/expert-answers/FAQ-20058459","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20160727230917/http://www.mayoclinic.org:80/caffeine/expert-answers/FAQ-20058459","parsed_text":{"title":"Caffeine: Can it help me lose weight?","passages":[]},"parsed_md":"Caffeine: Can it help me lose weight? - Mayo Clinic\n\n"},{"original_url":"http://www.mayoclinic.org:80/calories/art-20048065","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20140110061101/http://www.mayoclinic.org:80/calories/art-20048065","parsed_text":{"title":"Counting calories: Get back to weight-loss basics","passages":[]},"parsed_md":"Counting calories: Get back to weight-loss basics - Mayo Clinic\n\n"},{"original_url":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18223609","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20180924221854/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18223609","parsed_text":{"title":"Differences in daily energy expenditure in lean and obese women: the role of posture allocation.","passages":[]},"parsed_md":"Differences in daily energy expenditure in lean and obese women: the role of\nposture allocation. - PubMed - NCBI\n\n"}],"string":"[\n {\n \"original_url\": \"https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24532996\",\n \"archive_url\": \"http://web.archive.org/web/20210825031814/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24532996\",\n \"parsed_text\": {\n \"title\": \"Calorie burner: How much better is standing up than sitting?\",\n \"passages\": [\n \"Studies have claimed major health benefits for standing for much of the day as opposed to sitting. The difference is marked, explains Michael Mosley.\",\n \"Guess how many hours a day you spend sitting? Fewer than eight? More than 10? A recent survey found that many of us spend up to 12 hours a day sitting on our bottoms looking at computers or watching television. If you throw in the seven hours we spend sleeping then that adds up to a remarkable 19 hours a day being sedentary.\",\n \"Sitting down as much as this is clearly bad for us and some studies suggest that those who sit all day live around two years less than those who are more active. Most of us are guilty of excess sitting. We sit at work, in the car and at home, moving only to shift from one seat to another.\",\n \"Even if you exercise on a regular basis that may not be enough. There is mounting evidence that exercise will not undo the damage done by prolonged sitting. Our technology has made us the most sedentary humans in history.\",\n \"So why is sitting so damaging? One thing it does is change the way our bodies deal with sugar. When you eat, your body breaks down the food into glucose, which is then transported in the blood to other cells.\",\n \"Glucose is an essential fuel but persistently high levels increase your risk of diabetes and heart disease. Your pancreas produces the hormone insulin to help get your glucose levels back down to normal, but how efficiently your body does that is affected by how physically active you are\",\n \"We wanted to see what would happen if we took a group of people who normally spend their day sitting in an office and ask them to spend a few hours a day on their feet instead.\",\n \"Standing while you are working may seem rather odd, but it is a practice with a long tradition. Winston Churchill wrote while working at a special standing desk, as did Ernest Hemingway and Benjamin Franklin.\",\n \"So with Dr John Buckley and a team of researchers from the University of Chester we conducted a simple experiment. We asked 10 people who work at an estate agents to stand for at least three hours a day for a week.\",\n \"We asked all the volunteers to wear an accelerometer - a movement monitor - to record just how much moving about they were doing. They also wore heart rate monitors and had glucose monitors that measured their blood sugar levels constantly, day and night.\",\n \"The evidence that standing up is good for you goes back to at least the 1950s when a study was done comparing bus conductors (who stand) with bus drivers (who don't). This study, published in the Lancet, showed that the bus conductors had around half the risk of developing heart disease of the bus drivers.\",\n \"Since then prolonged sitting has not only been linked to problems with blood glucose control, but also a sharp reduction in the activity of an enzyme called lipoprotein lipase, which breaks down blood fats and makes them available as a fuel to the muscles. This reduction in enzyme activity leads to raised levels of triglycerides and fats in the blood, increasing the risk of heart disease.\",\n \"We had good reason to believe that standing would make a difference to our volunteers, but we were also a little anxious as to how they would get on. This was the first time an experiment like this had been conducted in the UK. Would our volunteers stick to it?\",\n \"The Chester researchers took measurements on days when the volunteers stood, and when they sat around. When they looked at the data there were some striking differences. As we had hoped, blood glucose levels fell back to normal levels after a meal far more quickly on the days when the volunteers stood than when they sat.\",\n \"There was also evidence, from the heart rate monitors that they were wearing, that by standing they were burning more calories.\",\n \"\\\"If we look at the heart rates,\\\" John Buckley explains, \\\"we can see they are quite a lot higher actually - on average around 10 beats per minute higher and that makes a difference of about 0.7 of a calorie per minute.\\\"\",\n \"Now that doesn't sound like much, but it adds up to about 50 calories an hour. If you stand for three hours a day for five days that's around 750 calories burnt. Over the course of a year it would add up to about 30,000 extra calories, or around 8lb of fat.\",\n \"\\\"If you want to put that into activity levels,\\\" Dr Buckley says, \\\"then that would be the equivalent of running about 10 marathons a year. Just by standing up three or four hours in your day at work.\\\"\",\n \"Dr Buckley thinks that although going out and doing exercise offers many proven benefits, our bodies also need the constant, almost imperceptible increase in muscle activity that standing provides. Simple movement helps us to keep our all-important blood sugar under control.\",\n \"We can't all stand up at work but the researchers believe that even small adjustments, like standing while talking on the phone, going over to talk to a colleague rather than sending an email, or simply taking the stairs, will help.\",\n \"© 2021 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.\"\n ]\n },\n \"parsed_md\": \"Calorie burner: How much better is standing up than sitting? - BBC News\\n\\nBBC News\\n\\n# Calorie burner: How much better is standing up than sitting?\\n\\nPublished\\n\\n 16 October 2013\\n\\nShare page\\n\\nAbout sharing\\n\\nStudies have claimed major health benefits for standing for much of the day as\\nopposed to sitting. The difference is marked, explains Michael Mosley.\\n\\nGuess how many hours a day you spend sitting? Fewer than eight? More than 10?\\nA recent survey found that many of us spend up to 12 hours a day sitting on\\nour bottoms looking at computers or watching television. If you throw in the\\nseven hours we spend sleeping then that adds up to a remarkable 19 hours a day\\nbeing sedentary.\\n\\nSitting down as much as this is clearly bad for us and some studies suggest\\nthat those who sit all day live around two years less than those who are more\\nactive. Most of us are guilty of excess sitting. We sit at work, in the car\\nand at home, moving only to shift from one seat to another.\\n\\nEven if you exercise on a regular basis that may not be enough. There is\\nmounting evidence that exercise will not undo the damage done by prolonged\\nsitting. Our technology has made us the most sedentary humans in history.\\n\\nSo why is sitting so damaging? One thing it does is change the way our bodies\\ndeal with sugar. When you eat, your body breaks down the food into glucose,\\nwhich is then transported in the blood to other cells.\\n\\nGlucose is an essential fuel but persistently high levels increase your risk\\nof diabetes and heart disease. Your pancreas produces the hormone insulin to\\nhelp get your glucose levels back down to normal, but how efficiently your\\nbody does that is affected by how physically active you are\\n\\nWe wanted to see what would happen if we took a group of people who normally\\nspend their day sitting in an office and ask them to spend a few hours a day\\non their feet instead.\\n\\nStanding while you are working may seem rather odd, but it is a practice with\\na long tradition. Winston Churchill wrote while working at a special standing\\ndesk, as did Ernest Hemingway and Benjamin Franklin.\\n\\nSo with Dr John Buckley and a team of researchers from the University of\\nChester we conducted a simple experiment. We asked 10 people who work at an\\nestate agents to stand for at least three hours a day for a week.\\n\\nOur lucky volunteers had mixed feelings about how they would get on.\\n\\n\\\"It'll be different, but looking forward to it, yes...\\\"\\n\\n\\\"I think my feet might hurt - I'll have to wear sensible shoes...\\\"\\n\\n\\\"The small of my back, it's going to hurt...\\\"\\n\\n\\\"I'm worried that I'm not going to be able to stand up for all that\\ntime...[Laughs nervously]\\\"\\n\\nWe asked all the volunteers to wear an accelerometer - a movement monitor - to\\nrecord just how much moving about they were doing. They also wore heart rate\\nmonitors and had glucose monitors that measured their blood sugar levels\\nconstantly, day and night.\\n\\nimage captionThe equivalent of 10 marathons a year?\\n\\nThe evidence that standing up is good for you goes back to at least the 1950s\\nwhen a study was done comparing bus conductors (who stand) with bus drivers\\n(who don't). This study, published in the Lancet, showed that the bus\\nconductors had around half the risk of developing heart disease of the bus\\ndrivers.\\n\\nSince then prolonged sitting has not only been linked to problems with blood\\nglucose control, but also a sharp reduction in the activity of an enzyme\\ncalled lipoprotein lipase, which breaks down blood fats and makes them\\navailable as a fuel to the muscles. This reduction in enzyme activity leads to\\nraised levels of triglycerides and fats in the blood, increasing the risk of\\nheart disease.\\n\\nWe had good reason to believe that standing would make a difference to our\\nvolunteers, but we were also a little anxious as to how they would get on.\\nThis was the first time an experiment like this had been conducted in the UK.\\nWould our volunteers stick to it?\\n\\nThey did. One woman with arthritis even found that standing actually improved\\nher symptoms.\\n\\nThe Chester researchers took measurements on days when the volunteers stood,\\nand when they sat around. When they looked at the data there were some\\nstriking differences. As we had hoped, blood glucose levels fell back to\\nnormal levels after a meal far more quickly on the days when the volunteers\\nstood than when they sat.\\n\\nThere was also evidence, from the heart rate monitors that they were wearing,\\nthat by standing they were burning more calories.\\n\\n\\\"If we look at the heart rates,\\\" John Buckley explains, \\\"we can see they are\\nquite a lot higher actually - on average around 10 beats per minute higher and\\nthat makes a difference of about 0.7 of a calorie per minute.\\\"\\n\\nNow that doesn't sound like much, but it adds up to about 50 calories an hour.\\nIf you stand for three hours a day for five days that's around 750 calories\\nburnt. Over the course of a year it would add up to about 30,000 extra\\ncalories, or around 8lb of fat.\\n\\n\\\"If you want to put that into activity levels,\\\" Dr Buckley says, \\\"then that\\nwould be the equivalent of running about 10 marathons a year. Just by standing\\nup three or four hours in your day at work.\\\"\\n\\nDr Buckley thinks that although going out and doing exercise offers many\\nproven benefits, our bodies also need the constant, almost imperceptible\\nincrease in muscle activity that standing provides. Simple movement helps us\\nto keep our all-important blood sugar under control.\\n\\nWe can't all stand up at work but the researchers believe that even small\\nadjustments, like standing while talking on the phone, going over to talk to a\\ncolleague rather than sending an email, or simply taking the stairs, will\\nhelp.\\n\\nI have, of course, written this article while standing.\\n\\nFollow @BBCNewsMagazine on Twitter and on Facebook\\n\\n## Top Stories\\n\\n * Biden on Kabul: 'The sooner we finish, the better'\\n\\nThe US president says US troops are on track to end evacuations by a 31 August\\ndeadline.\\n\\nPublished\\n\\n 15 minutes ago\\n\\n * Afghan working women to stay at home for now\\n\\nPublished\\n\\n 10 hours ago\\n\\n * 'In the city I loved, suddenly nowhere was safe'\\n\\nPublished\\n\\n 7 hours ago\\n\\n## Features\\n\\n * 'In the city I loved, suddenly nowhere was safe'\\n\\n * The lowdown on being disabled in Japan\\n\\n * Charlie Watts: Jazz man who became rock superstar\\n\\n * Forced to eat insects in drought-hit Madagascar\\n\\n * Mother mourns death of baby in Haitian earthquake. VideoMother mourns death of baby in Haitian earthquake\\n\\n * The world’s highest alpine solar farm. VideoThe world’s highest alpine solar farm\\n\\n * Can the US crack down on fake vaccination cards?\\n\\n * Beer boss: 'Tear up the business plan' VideoBeer boss: 'Tear up the business plan'\\n\\n * BBC Culture: What our private scribbles can reveal\\n\\n## Elsewhere on the BBC\\n\\n * Football phrases\\n\\n15 sayings from around the world\\n\\n## Most Read\\n\\n * Jagger and Richards pay tribute to bandmate Watts1\\n\\n * Suspected Havana syndrome case delays Harris's trip2\\n\\n * Biden on Kabul: 'The sooner we finish, the better'3\\n\\n * In pictures: Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts4\\n\\n * Charlie Watts: Jazz man who became rock superstar5\\n\\n * Afghan working women to stay at home for now6\\n\\n * Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts dies at 807\\n\\n * 'In the city I loved, suddenly nowhere was safe'8\\n\\n * 'Never again', vows toddler lost in woods for days9\\n\\n * Forced to eat insects in drought-hit Madagascar10\\n\\n * Home\\n * News\\n * Sport\\n * Reel\\n * Worklife\\n * Travel\\n * Future\\n * Culture\\n * Music\\n * TV\\n * Weather\\n * Sounds\\n\\n * Terms of Use\\n * About the BBC\\n * Privacy Policy\\n * Cookies\\n * Accessibility Help\\n * Parental Guidance\\n * Contact the BBC\\n * Get Personalised Newsletters\\n * Why you can trust the BBC\\n * Advertise with us\\n * AdChoices / Do Not Sell My Info\\n\\n© 2021 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read\\nabout our approach to external linking.\\n\\n\"\n },\n {\n \"original_url\": \"http://www.mayoclinic.org:80/sitting/expert-answers/faq-20058005\",\n \"archive_url\": \"http://web.archive.org/web/20160813202553/http://www.mayoclinic.org:80/sitting/expert-answers/faq-20058005\",\n \"parsed_text\": {\n \"title\": \"Sitting risks: How harmful is too much sitting?\",\n \"passages\": []\n },\n \"parsed_md\": \"Sitting risks: How harmful is too much sitting? - Mayo Clinic\\n\\n\"\n },\n {\n \"original_url\": \"http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/make-most-your-metabolism\",\n \"archive_url\": \"http://web.archive.org/web/20120613215304/http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/make-most-your-metabolism\",\n \"parsed_text\": {\n \"title\": \"Metabolism: Heredity, Boosting Metabolism, Exercise, and More\",\n \"passages\": [\n \"Sound familiar? If you're carrying some extra pounds (and having a hard time losing them), it's tempting to put the blame on a sluggish metabolism.\",\n \"But is your metabolism really the reason it's often so hard to lose weight? And, more important, is there anything you can do about it?\",\n \"WebMD asked experts to explore facts and myths about metabolism -- and the good news is, there are things you can do to help boost your body's calorie- burning power.\",\n \"Your metabolism, experts say, involves a complex network of hormones and enzymes that not only convert food into fuel but also affect how efficiently you burn that fuel.\",\n \"\\\"The process of metabolism establishes the rate at which we burn our calories and, ultimately, how quickly we gain weight or how easily we lose it,\\\" says Robert Yanagisawa, MD, director of the Medically Supervised Weight Management Program at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York.\",\n \"Your metabolism is influenced by your age (metabolism naturally slows about 5% per decade after age 40); your sex (men generally burn more calories at rest than women); and proportion of lean body mass (the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate tends to be).\",\n \"\\\"Some people just burn calories at a slower rate than others,\\\" says Barrie Wolfe-Radbill, RD, a nutritionist specializing in weight loss at New York University Medical Center.\",\n \"And here's a fact that may surprise you: the more weight you carry, the faster your metabolism is likely running.\",\n \"\\\"The simple fact is that the extra weight causes your body to work harder just to sustain itself at rest, so in most instances, the metabolism is always running a bit faster,\\\" says Molly Kimball, RD, sports and lifestyle nutritionist at the Oscher's Clinic's Elmwood Fitness Center.\",\n \"That's one reason it's almost always easiest to lose weight at the start of a diet, and harder later on, Kimball says: \\\"When you are very overweight your metabolism is already running so high that any small cut in calories will result in an immediate loss.\\\"\",\n \"Then, when you lose significant amounts of body fat and muscle, your body needs fewer calories to sustain itself, she says. That helps explain why it's so easy to regain weight after you've worked to lose it.\",\n \"\\\"If two people both weigh 250 pounds, and one got there by dieting down from 350 and the other one was always at 250, the one who got there by cutting calories is going to have a slower metabolism,\\\" says Yanagisawa. \\\"That means they will require fewer calories to maintain their weight than the person who never went beyond 250 pounds.\\\"\"\n ]\n },\n \"parsed_md\": \"Metabolism: Heredity, Boosting Metabolism, Exercise, and More\\n\\nSkip to content\\n\\n * Home & News\\n\\n * WebMD Home\\n * WebMD News Home\\n * Free Health Newsletters\\n\\n * Health A-Z\\n\\n * ADD/ADHD\\n * Allergies\\n * Alzheimer's\\n * Anxiety Disorders\\n * Arthritis\\n * Asthma\\n * Back Pain\\n * Bipolar Disorder\\n * Breast Cancer\\n * Cancer\\n * Carpal Tunnel Syndrome\\n * Cholesterol\\n * Cold, Flu, & Cough\\n * Colorectal Cancer\\n * COPD\\n\\n * Depression\\n * Diabetes\\n * Erectile Dysfunction\\n * Eye Health\\n * Fibromyalgia\\n * Heart Disease\\n * Heartburn/GERD\\n * Herpes\\n * HPV/Genital Warts\\n * Hypertension\\n * IBS\\n * Incontinence/OAB\\n * Inflammatory Bowel\\n * Lupus\\n\\n * Melanoma/Skin Cancer\\n * Menopause\\n * Mental Health\\n * Migraine\\n * Multiple Sclerosis\\n * Osteoporosis\\n * Pain Management\\n * Rheumatoid Arthritis\\n * Sexual Conditions\\n * Shingles\\n * Skin Problems\\n * Sleep Disorders\\n * Stroke\\n * See All Topics\\n\\n * Tools & Video\\n * First Aid\\n * Games\\n * Mobile Apps\\n * Slideshows\\n * Symptom Checker\\n * Vaccine Tracker\\n * Tests & Tools\\n * Videos\\n * Community\\n * Experts & Blogs\\n * WebMD Community\\n\\n * Drugs & Medications Center\\n\\n * Find or Review a Drug\\n * Vitamins or Supplements\\n * Pill Identifier\\n * Drug News\\n * Mobile Drug Information\\n\\n * Healthy Living\\n\\n * Women's Health\\n * Men's Health\\n * 50+: Live Better, Longer\\n * Emotional Health\\n * Healthy Beauty\\n * Sex & Relationships\\n * Oral Health\\n * See All Topics\\n\\n * Healthy Eating & Diet\\n\\n * Weight Loss & Diet Plans\\n * BMI Plus Calculator\\n * Food & Fitness Planner\\n * Food-o-Meter\\n * Personal Diet Evaluator\\n * Portion Size Helper\\n * All Diet Tools\\n * Food & Recipes\\n * Fitness & Exercise\\n * Fit-o-Meter\\n\\n * Parenting & Pregnancy\\n\\n * Pregnancy\\n * Newborn & Baby\\n * Children's Health\\n * Children's Vaccines\\n * Parenting\\n * Raising Fit Kids\\n * Mom's Guide to Summer Family Health\\n * WebMD for Kids\\n\\n * Teen Health\\n\\n * Teen Girls\\n * Teen Boys\\n * WebMD FIT Teen\\n * Food\\n * Move\\n * Recharge\\n * Mood\\n\\n * Pet Health\\n\\n * Healthy Dogs\\n * Healthy Cats\\n\\nOther search tools:Symptoms Doctors Medical Dictionary\\n\\n###### Find us on:\\n\\nWebMD Home Fitness & Exercise Center Fitness & Exercise Guide\\n\\nEmail a Friend\\n\\nPrint Article\\n\\n# Fitness & Exercise\\n\\n## Fitness 411\\n\\n * Exercise Myths\\n * Your Exercise Personality\\n * Best Teen Workout Shoes\\n * Exercises for Sore Knees\\n * Cheap Home Gym\\n * 5-Minute Desk Workout\\n\\nThis article is from the WebMD Feature Archive\\n\\nFont Size\\n\\nA\\n\\nA\\n\\nA\\n\\n## Make the Most of Your Metabolism\\n\\nBy Colette Bouchez WebMD Weight Loss Clinic-Feature\\n\\nReviewed by Louise Chang, MD\\n\\n\\\"It's my metabolism!\\\"\\n\\nSound familiar? If you're carrying some extra pounds (and having a hard time\\nlosing them), it's tempting to put the blame on a sluggish metabolism.\\n\\nBut is your metabolism really the reason it's often so hard to lose weight?\\nAnd, more important, is there anything you can do about it?\\n\\nWebMD asked experts to explore facts and myths about metabolism -- and the\\ngood news is, there are things you can do to help boost your body's calorie-\\nburning power.\\n\\nSee How You Can Boost Your Metabolism\\n\\n### What Is Metabolism?\\n\\nYour metabolism, experts say, involves a complex network of hormones and\\nenzymes that not only convert food into fuel but also affect how efficiently\\nyou burn that fuel.\\n\\n\\\"The process of metabolism establishes the rate at which we burn our calories\\nand, ultimately, how quickly we gain weight or how easily we lose it,\\\" says\\nRobert Yanagisawa, MD, director of the Medically Supervised Weight Management\\nProgram at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York.\\n\\nOf course, not everyone burns calories at the same rate.\\n\\nYour metabolism is influenced by your age (metabolism naturally slows about 5%\\nper decade after age 40); your sex (men generally burn more calories at rest\\nthan women); and proportion of lean body mass (the more muscle you have, the\\nhigher your metabolic rate tends to be).\\n\\nAnd yes, heredity makes a difference.\\n\\n\\\"Some people just burn calories at a slower rate than others,\\\" says Barrie\\nWolfe-Radbill, RD, a nutritionist specializing in weight loss at New York\\nUniversity Medical Center.\\n\\nOccasionally, Yanagisawa says, a defect in the thyroid gland can slow\\nmetabolism, though this problem is relatively rare.\\n\\nAnd here's a fact that may surprise you: the more weight you carry, the faster\\nyour metabolism is likely running.\\n\\n\\\"The simple fact is that the extra weight causes your body to work harder just\\nto sustain itself at rest, so in most instances, the metabolism is always\\nrunning a bit faster,\\\" says Molly Kimball, RD, sports and lifestyle\\nnutritionist at the Oscher's Clinic's Elmwood Fitness Center.\\n\\nThat's one reason it's almost always easiest to lose weight at the start of a\\ndiet, and harder later on, Kimball says: \\\"When you are very overweight your\\nmetabolism is already running so high that any small cut in calories will\\nresult in an immediate loss.\\\"\\n\\nThen, when you lose significant amounts of body fat and muscle, your body\\nneeds fewer calories to sustain itself, she says. That helps explain why it's\\nso easy to regain weight after you've worked to lose it.\\n\\n\\\"If two people both weigh 250 pounds, and one got there by dieting down from\\n350 and the other one was always at 250, the one who got there by cutting\\ncalories is going to have a slower metabolism,\\\" says Yanagisawa. \\\"That means\\nthey will require fewer calories to maintain their weight than the person who\\nnever went beyond 250 pounds.\\\"\\n\\n1 | 2 | 3\\n\\nNext Page >\\n\\nSHARE What is this?\\n\\n#### Health & Fitness Guide\\n\\n1\\n\\nFact vs. Fiction\\n\\n2\\n\\nTips for Success\\n\\n3\\n\\nGet Lean\\n\\n4\\n\\nGet Strong\\n\\n5\\n\\nFuel Your Body\\n\\n6\\n\\nExpert Help\\n\\n#### Further Reading:\\n\\n * Slideshow: 10 Ways to Speed Up Your Metabolism\\n * Basic Metabolic Panel-Topic Overview\\n * Comprehensive Metabolic Panel-Related Information\\n * Comprehensive Metabolic Panel-Topic Overview\\n * Madelung's Disease\\n * Metabolic Syndrome-Other Places To Get Help\\n * Boosting Metabolism to Get More From Your Workout, Lose More Weight\\n * See All Metabolism Topics\\n\\n### Fitness & Exercise\\n\\n * Fact vs. Fiction\\n * Tips for Success\\n * Get Lean\\n * Get Strong\\n * Fuel Your Body\\n * Expert Help\\n\\n### Weight Loss & Diet Plans\\n\\n * Eating Essentials\\n * Losing Weight\\n * Special Diets\\n * Real-Life Tips\\n * Help & Support\\n\\n### Food & Recipes\\n\\n * Healthy Kitchen\\n * Start Cooking\\n * Recipes\\n * Kitchen Experts\\n * Of Special Interest\\n * Help & Support\\n\\n### Healthy Eating Guides\\n\\n * Gluten Free\\n * High Protein\\n * Low Sodium\\n * Omega-3s\\n * Vegetarian\\n\\n### Related To Fitness\\n\\n * Cholesterol\\n * Diabetes\\n * Hypertension\\n * Quick Tricks for Diet, Exercise and Stress\\n * Weight Loss Surgery\\n * More Related Topics\\n\\n### Healthy Living Tools\\n\\nSee All Tools\\n\\n### Ditch Those Inches\\n\\nSet goals, tally calorie intake, track workouts and more, all via WebMD’s free\\nFood & Fitness Planner.\\n\\nGet Started\\n\\n## Today in Fitness & Exercise\\n\\nSlideshow\\n\\nInfections Lurking in the Locker Room\\n\\nSlideshow\\n\\nGet Flatter Abs\\n\\nSlideshow\\n\\nBuild a Better Butt\\n\\nQuiz\\n\\nTest Your Sports Injury Savvy\\n\\nArticle\\n\\nTips for Exercising With Diabetes\\n\\nInteractive\\n\\nHow to Do Basic Stretches\\n\\nSlideshow\\n\\nThe 30-Minute Workout Routine\\n\\nVideo\\n\\nBelly Fat and Your Heart: The Connection\\n\\nSlideshow\\n\\n15 Pilates Moves That Get Results\\n\\nVideo\\n\\nExercise Well Even With Allergies\\n\\nArticle\\n\\n6 Exercise Traps Teens Should Avoid\\n\\nArticle\\n\\nTaylor Lautner's Workout\\n\\n## Subscribe\\n\\n### to WebMD Newsletters\\n\\n### WebMD Special Sections\\n\\n * Healthy Recipe Finder\\n\\n### Health Solutions From Our Sponsors\\n\\n * Aching Back Center\\n * Blood Sugar Control\\n\\n * Joint Pain Help Center\\n * Musculoskeletal Pain\\n\\n * Options for Depression\\n * Once-Daily COPD Treatment\\n\\n * Osteoarthritis Center\\n * RA Patient Stories\\n\\n * Injectable RA Treatment\\n * Understand Fibromyalgia\\n\\n##### In-depth coverage:\\n\\nIs Your Psoriasis Treatment on Target?|Your Guide to a Healthy\\nMouth|Rheumatoid Arthritis Health Check| Teen Girls and Puberty|Diabetes and\\nYour Body\\n\\n###### Find us on:\\n\\nURAC: Accredited Health Web Site\\n\\nHonCode: Health on the Net Foundation AdChoices\\n\\nAbout WebMD Advertise With Us Terms of Use Privacy Policy Sponsor Policy Site\\nMap Careers Contact Us\\n\\nMedscape Reference eMedicineHealth RxList Medscape MedicineNet BootsWebMD\\nWebMD Corporate\\n\\nFirst Aid WebMD the Magazine WebMD Health Record WebMD Mobile Newsletters\\n\\n©2005-2012 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.\\n\\nWebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional\\ninformation.\\n\\n\"\n },\n {\n \"original_url\": \"http://www.mayoclinic.org:80/caffeine/expert-answers/FAQ-20058459\",\n \"archive_url\": \"http://web.archive.org/web/20160727230917/http://www.mayoclinic.org:80/caffeine/expert-answers/FAQ-20058459\",\n \"parsed_text\": {\n \"title\": \"Caffeine: Can it help me lose weight?\",\n \"passages\": []\n },\n \"parsed_md\": \"Caffeine: Can it help me lose weight? - Mayo Clinic\\n\\n\"\n },\n {\n \"original_url\": \"http://www.mayoclinic.org:80/calories/art-20048065\",\n \"archive_url\": \"http://web.archive.org/web/20140110061101/http://www.mayoclinic.org:80/calories/art-20048065\",\n \"parsed_text\": {\n \"title\": \"Counting calories: Get back to weight-loss basics\",\n \"passages\": []\n },\n \"parsed_md\": \"Counting calories: Get back to weight-loss basics - Mayo Clinic\\n\\n\"\n },\n {\n \"original_url\": \"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18223609\",\n \"archive_url\": \"http://web.archive.org/web/20180924221854/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18223609\",\n \"parsed_text\": {\n \"title\": \"Differences in daily energy expenditure in lean and obese women: the role of posture allocation.\",\n \"passages\": []\n },\n \"parsed_md\": \"Differences in daily energy expenditure in lean and obese women: the role of\\nposture allocation. - PubMed - NCBI\\n\\n\"\n }\n]"}}},{"rowIdx":150,"cells":{"article_id":{"kind":"number","value":1423996,"string":"1,423,996"},"question":{"kind":"string","value":"How To Get Your Child to Love Reading"},"answer":{"kind":"string","value":"To help your child become a regular reader, set aside a consistent time for reading in your daily routine. Place age-appropriate books and magazines around the house for your child to choose from, and create a comfortable space that is free of screens and other distractions for your child to read them. Introduce new activities that make reading fun, such as starting a neighborhood book club, listening to audiobooks, or reading ebooks on a Kindle."},"related_document_urls_wayback_snapshots":{"kind":"list like","value":["http://web.archive.org/web/20210503105518/https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/62202/10-great-kids-comics-early-readers","http://web.archive.org/web/20171229232923/https://www.thebalance.com/places-to-get-free-kindle-books-1357954","http://web.archive.org/web/20211204204836/https://edsource.org/2015/study-says-reading-aloud-to-children-more-than-talking-builds-literacy/82045","http://web.archive.org/web/20171130053307/http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/reading/genius-ways-to-make-kids-love-reading/","http://web.archive.org/web/20210712130848/https://www.ahaparenting.com/parenting-tools/intelligent-creative-child/child-loves-read"],"string":"[\n \"http://web.archive.org/web/20210503105518/https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/62202/10-great-kids-comics-early-readers\",\n \"http://web.archive.org/web/20171229232923/https://www.thebalance.com/places-to-get-free-kindle-books-1357954\",\n \"http://web.archive.org/web/20211204204836/https://edsource.org/2015/study-says-reading-aloud-to-children-more-than-talking-builds-literacy/82045\",\n \"http://web.archive.org/web/20171130053307/http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/reading/genius-ways-to-make-kids-love-reading/\",\n \"http://web.archive.org/web/20210712130848/https://www.ahaparenting.com/parenting-tools/intelligent-creative-child/child-loves-read\"\n]"},"split":{"kind":"string","value":"train"},"cluster":{"kind":"number","value":613,"string":"613"},"related_documents_content":{"kind":"list like","value":[{"original_url":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/62202/10-great-kids-comics-early-readers","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20210503105518/https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/62202/10-great-kids-comics-early-readers","parsed_text":{"title":"10 Great Kids Comics for Early Readers","passages":["When a child is just learning to read, comics can be a great supplement to help foster love and enjoyment for books. As detailed in this wonderful handout, “Raising a Reader,” [PDF] from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, comics have a lot to offer young readers. For that crucial first stage of early reading (ages 5-8, grades K-2), though, it can be hard to find appropriate comic book reading material. Many parents will either disregard comic books as a reading option or assume that any old superhero comic will do. The appropriate range of choices for this specific age group and reading level is actually pretty narrow, but it contains some fabulous picks.","I’ve put together a list of 10 great choices to consider giving your early reader. I’ve tried to keep in mind both reading level and content appropriateness. Also, it should be noted that 98 percent of today’s superhero comics are written for a minimum age of at least 13. Both Marvel and DC publish a couple of choices for younger readers based off their animated TV shows, but even those tend to skew older than the reading level we’re talking about here.","Without a doubt, the best go-to option for parents looking for quality comics for early readers is the many graphic novels from Toon Books. Started in 2008 by comics power couple Françoise Mouly (art and comics editor for the New Yorker) and Art Spiegelman (creator of the literary comics masterpiece Maus), Toon Books is the only comics publisher that organizes their publications by reading level. For early readers, they have a number of great offerings spread across two levels: Brand-new readers (ages 3+, grades K-1) and Emerging Readers (ages 4+, grades 1-2). They also publish books for later stages like grades 2-3 and beyond.","The best part about Toon Books is the quality of the creative talent that Mouly and Spiegelman have tapped. There are books in these early levels by outstanding cartoonists such as Lilli Carré, Renee French, and Rutu Modan, and children’s book award-winning contributions from Jeff Smith and Eleanor Davis. Most books come in hardcover and softcover format and are pretty readily available in bookstores, but you can browse them all on Toon-Books.com or head to Amazon to browse their selection.","Difficulty: The best part about Toon Books is they clearly label each book according to grade level beginning at K-1 up to Grade 3+. Content: Think of these as a bridge between reading picture books and reading comics. The varied offerings include lots of books about cute, anthropomorphic animals learning moral and educational lessons. Where to start: You can’t go wrong with Eleanor Davis’s award-winning Stinky, about a monster who is afraid of people but learns that, once you meet them, they’re really not that scary. Certain volumes are also available on Amazon.","For early readers who are still trying to gain their confidence with the written word, there are comics like Andy Runton’s Owly that let the pictures do the talking. These cute, award-winning books are mostly wordless, sometimes using word balloons that contain pictures instead of words. This is a great way of getting new readers into the flow of reading—especially comics reading—without stumbling over word recognition. The stories usually center around friendship, loyalty, and nature and are charmingly innocent. While there may not be any words, Runton’s illustrations will give you and your little reader a lot to look at and talk about.","Difficulty: Since there are no words, even pre-readers can pick these up. Content: These are very innocent stories, completely devoid of violence or adult themes. Where to start: You can learn about Owly on Runton's website (he even has a lot of free PDFs you can download to sample). There is a pretty big library of Owly books that are readily available in most comic shops, bookstores, or Amazon.","Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani have made a name for themselves by creating all-ages superhero comics in their very recognizable kid-friendly style. They’ve applied this style to everything from their own creations like Patrick the Wolf Boy to “Itty Bitty” versions of horror comic characters like Hellboy and Vampirella. The book that put them on the map, though, is Tiny Titans which ran for 50 issues from 2008 until 2012, twice winning the comics industry's top award for Best Kids Series, and has been collected across eight volumes of trade paperbacks.","Difficulty: The books consist of short stories—mostly two-four pages in length—and the storytelling relies a lot on visual gags so the word count is pretty low and non-intimidating. Content: The stories are focused on elementary-school versions of many DC Comics characters (primarily those associated with the Teen Titans like Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Aqualad) and it’s more about being in school than fighting criminals. Some of the jokes may require some familiarity with the DC Universe and other pop culture for kids to fully “get” them, though. Where to start: You may be able to find some random back issues at certain comic shops, but since the series has ended, your best bet will be the trade paperback collections like Tiny Titans Vol. 1: Welcome to the Treehouse.","How can you go wrong with nursery rhymes and fairy tales? Especially when they’re drawn by some of the best cartoonists in the business? First Second Books and editor Chris Duffy had the brilliant idea of putting together two separate large collections (there are 50 nursery rhymes in one book and 17 fairy tales in the other) by a dream lineup of primarily indie-comic stars like Roz Chast, Gene Luen Yang, Mike Mignola, Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez, Emily Carroll, Raina Telgemeier, David Mazzucchelli, Eleanor Davis, Stan Sakai, and others.","Difficulty: As you might be able to surmise, the Nursery Rhyme collection skews a little younger, but both are perfect choices for this reading level. Content: Kids will recognize most of the stories here, but they do mix things up with a couple of obscure selections in each. The fairy tales are certainly no more disturbing than any Grimm fairy tale you read when you were young. Where to Start: Both books should be pretty easy to find wherever books are sold.","Unexpectedly, one of the most enjoyable kids comics to come out in recent years is Scooby-Doo Team-Up which, each month, has the Scooby-Doo gang meet various DC Comics heroes as well as characters from classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons like the Flintstones and the Jetsons. Parents reading along will appreciate writer Sholly Fisch’s inside jokes in relation to these old shows.","Difficulty: The vocabulary should be within most early readers' ability. These are written a little more like a standard comic book than the previous entries on this list, with lots of word balloons and pages with many individual panels. This will pretty much be the case with the rest of the items on this list, but I point it out because navigating the architecture of some comic pages can be intimidating for some readers. Content: These are fun stories and actually a better kid-friendly introduction to superheroes like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman than you’ll find in 95 percent of all other superhero comics today. Where to start: This series is easy to find wherever books are sold.","Why not start them with the classics? Carl Barks’s Uncle Scrooge comics from the 1940s, '50s, and '60s are widely considered to be some of the greatest comics ever made. Unlike a lot of comics from that era, though, they hold up really well and will still get laughs out of kids today.","Difficulty: There is some complicated wordplay at times and the occasional old-fashioned jokes and plot line that may go over some kids' heads. Content: At a certain point Barks—and later Don Rosa—began to tell stories with Scrooge McDuck and his nephews Donald, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, that took on a globe- trotting bent with archeological digs and explorations of far-off cultures. These would inspire the popular Duck Tales animated series of the 1980s. Huey, Dewey, and Louie’s adventures may inspire a yearning for knowledge in your own little Junior Woodchucks. Where to start: Fantagraphics has put out many collected volumes of the classic Uncle Scrooge comics, which are available on Amazon. They generally run about $30 each but are beautifully put together. Most public libraries are bound to have an Uncle Scrooge book or two on their shelves if you want to sample them that way.","Luke Pearson’s Hilda series of graphic novels follows a young elementary- school-age girl who lives in a village called Trolberg, populated by talking birds, giants, black hounds, and, of course, trolls. Otherwise, her world is not much different from our own and Hilda is not much different from any other girl her age. She’s smart and sassy, lives alone with her mom, and loves animals. That realism amidst the fantasy world she exists in is what makes this series so enjoyable for kids (boys and girls alike). Pearson has a wonderful, European sensibility to his cartooning, which matches the vaguely Northern European setting of the stories and makes these books a delight to read.","Difficulty: The reading level shouldn’t be a problem for grades 1 and up and the page lengths (the first two books are 44 pages and the third is 64) are long but achievable. Content: Very kid-friendly stories with nice life lessons, but they’re also thoughtful and sophisticated in a way that makes them rise above kiddie fare. Where to start: The very first book, Hildafolk, is a 24-page comic, but Pearson has moved into a longer, more European-style graphic “album” format. He has released several book-length adventures so far, and you can probably find them wherever books are sold.","Brad Meltzer and Chris Eliopoulos’s Ordinary People Can Change The World series of picture book/graphic novels about famous people who made a difference in history is an easy-to-read and fun way for a child to learn about important figures like Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks, Albert Einstein, and even (in an upcoming volume) Lucille Ball. Both writer and artist are familiar names in the comics world. Meltzer is more famous as a novelist, but comic fans will know him as the writer of DC’s Identity Crisis, while Eliopoulos has illustrated a number of comics for kids like Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius.","Difficulty: There are some lengthy picture book-style text pieces in addition to the comic book-style word balloons, but it’s all written for a Kindergarten-and-up audience. Content: I think some educators and sticklers for facts have questioned the validity of presenting biographies in this way, but it’s certainly a great way to get young kids interested in history. Where to start: There's a whole range of volumes to choose from, including I am Abraham Lincoln, I am Amelia Earhart, I am Rosa Parks, I am Albert Einstein, and I am Jackie Robinson. There are even more available on Amazon.","Abigail and the Snowman is published by Boom! Studios and written and drawn by Roger Langridge (most recently known for his spectacular run on the Muppet Show comics). It’s a funny story about friendship in which a 9-year-old girl named Abigail moves to a new town with her single dad and struggles to make friends until she meets Claude, a Yeti who has escaped from a secret government lab and who only Abigail and the other kids at school can see. Kids of all ages – boys and girls alike – will get a kick out of Abigail and Claude’s friendship.","Difficulty: Langridge is masterful at character design and physical comedy and that really goes a long way in making this fun to read. Content: There are some government agents chasing Claude but the danger here is not too scary. Where to start: This is a four-issue limited series that you can find online.","For kids who enjoy an odd sense of humor, Anouk Ricard’s delightfully weird graphic novel series Anna & Froga is an easy read that will earn some giggles. Each book contains a collection of short stories centered around a young girl named Anna and her animal friends—Froga the frog, Christopher the worm, Bubu the dog, and Ron the cat. Like any group of friends, they tend to bicker and tease each other while also accepting their idiosyncrasies. Ricard’s drawing style is fun and childlike, but her understated, sometimes testy dialogue among the friends is what makes this so fun.","Difficulty: This can be easily read by most new readers, but the sense of humor—the books are translated from French—may be too subtle and low-key for some kids. Content: The friends do fun, innocent stuff like go to an amusement park, make their own movie, and take a trip to the lake, but there’s a healthy dose of sarcasm involved. Where to Start: Drawn & Quarterly has published a bunch of Anna & Froga stories: Fore!; Thrills, Chills and Gooseberries; Want a Gumball?; and I Dunno, What Do You Want To Do? They all feature various self- contained stories so you can jump in anywhere."]},"parsed_md":"10 Great Kids Comics for Early Readers | Mental Floss\n\nMental Floss\n\nMENU\n\nCLOSE\n\n * BIG QUESTIONS\n * QUIZZES\n * BIOGRAPHIES\n * LISTS\n * AMAZING FACTS\n * STORE\n\n## SECTIONS\n\n * BIG QUESTIONS\n * JOB SECRETS\n * HISTORY VS.\n * KENNECTIONS\n * LIVE SMARTER\n * QUIZZES\n * RETROBITUARIES\n * SMART SHOPPING\n * #TBT\n\n## BIOGRAPHIES\n\n * AUTHORS\n * SCIENTISTS\n * ARTISTS\n * U.S. PRESIDENTS\n * MILITARY\n\n## TOPICS\n\n * ANIMALS\n * ARCHAEOLOGY\n * ART\n * CORONAVIRUS\n * DIY\n * ENTERTAINMENT\n * FOOD\n * HEALTH\n * HISTORY\n * LANGUAGE\n * OLYMPICS\n * SCIENCE\n * SPORTS\n * TECHNOLOGY\n * TRAVEL\n\n## TOPICS\n\n * ANIMALS\n * ARCHAEOLOGY\n * ART\n * CORONAVIRUS\n * DIY\n * ENTERTAINMENT\n * FOOD\n * HEALTH\n * HISTORY\n * LANGUAGE\n * OLYMPICS\n * SCIENCE\n * SPORTS\n * TECHNOLOGY\n * TRAVEL\n\n## TOPICS\n\n * ANIMALS\n * ARCHAEOLOGY\n * ART\n * CORONAVIRUS\n * DIY\n * ENTERTAINMENT\n * FOOD\n * HEALTH\n * HISTORY\n * LANGUAGE\n * OLYMPICS\n * SCIENCE\n * SPORTS\n * TECHNOLOGY\n * TRAVEL\n\n## ABOUT\n\n * ABOUT US\n * AUTHORS\n * COOKIE POLICY\n * CONTACT\n * CUSTOMER SERVICE\n * PITCH A STORY\n * PRIVACY\n * RSS\n * STORE\n * TERMS\n\nMENTAL FLOSS\n\nABOUT RSS CONTACT US PRIVACY POLICY COOKIE POLICY TERMS OF SERVICE\n\nFLOOR8 12UP 90MIN\n\nMentalFlossVideo on YouTube @mental_floss on Instagram @mental_floss on\nInstagram @mental_floss on Twitter\n\nSubscribe to our Newsletter!\n\nSIGN UP NOW\n\nFLOOR8 12UP 90MIN\n\n×\n\nCLOSE\n\narrow\n\nSmart Shopping\n\n# 10 Great Kids Comics for Early Readers\n\nBY Rich Barrett\n\nMarch 18, 2015\n\n(Updated: February 24, 2021)\n\nDC Comics/Fly Eye Books/Amazon\n\nWhen a child is just learning to read, comics can be a great supplement to\nhelp foster love and enjoyment for books. As detailed in this wonderful\nhandout, “Raising a Reader,” [PDF] from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund,\ncomics have a lot to offer young readers. For that crucial first stage of\nearly reading (ages 5-8, grades K-2), though, it can be hard to find\nappropriate comic book reading material. Many parents will either disregard\ncomic books as a reading option or assume that any old superhero comic will\ndo. The appropriate range of choices for this specific age group and reading\nlevel is actually pretty narrow, but it contains some fabulous picks.\n\nI’ve put together a list of 10 great choices to consider giving your early\nreader. I’ve tried to keep in mind both reading level and content\nappropriateness. Also, it should be noted that 98 percent of today’s superhero\ncomics are written for a minimum age of at least 13. Both Marvel and DC\npublish a couple of choices for younger readers based off their animated TV\nshows, but even those tend to skew older than the reading level we’re talking\nabout here.\n\n## 1\\. Toon Books\n\nToon Books/Amazon\n\nWithout a doubt, the best go-to option for parents looking for quality comics\nfor early readers is the many graphic novels from Toon Books. Started in 2008\nby comics power couple Françoise Mouly (art and comics editor for the New\nYorker) and Art Spiegelman (creator of the literary comics masterpiece Maus),\nToon Books is the only comics publisher that organizes their publications by\nreading level. For early readers, they have a number of great offerings spread\nacross two levels: Brand-new readers (ages 3+, grades K-1) and Emerging\nReaders (ages 4+, grades 1-2). They also publish books for later stages like\ngrades 2-3 and beyond.\n\nThe best part about Toon Books is the quality of the creative talent that\nMouly and Spiegelman have tapped. There are books in these early levels by\noutstanding cartoonists such as Lilli Carré, Renee French, and Rutu Modan, and\nchildren’s book award-winning contributions from Jeff Smith and Eleanor Davis.\nMost books come in hardcover and softcover format and are pretty readily\navailable in bookstores, but you can browse them all on Toon-Books.com or head\nto Amazon to browse their selection.\n\nDifficulty: The best part about Toon Books is they clearly label each book\naccording to grade level beginning at K-1 up to Grade 3+. Content: Think of\nthese as a bridge between reading picture books and reading comics. The varied\nofferings include lots of books about cute, anthropomorphic animals learning\nmoral and educational lessons. Where to start: You can’t go wrong with Eleanor\nDavis’s award-winning Stinky, about a monster who is afraid of people but\nlearns that, once you meet them, they’re really not that scary. Certain\nvolumes are also available on Amazon.\n\n## 2\\. Owly\n\nTop Shelf Productions/Amazon\n\nFor early readers who are still trying to gain their confidence with the\nwritten word, there are comics like Andy Runton’s Owly that let the pictures\ndo the talking. These cute, award-winning books are mostly wordless, sometimes\nusing word balloons that contain pictures instead of words. This is a great\nway of getting new readers into the flow of reading—especially comics\nreading—without stumbling over word recognition. The stories usually center\naround friendship, loyalty, and nature and are charmingly innocent. While\nthere may not be any words, Runton’s illustrations will give you and your\nlittle reader a lot to look at and talk about.\n\nDifficulty: Since there are no words, even pre-readers can pick these up.\nContent: These are very innocent stories, completely devoid of violence or\nadult themes. Where to start: You can learn about Owly on Runton's website (he\neven has a lot of free PDFs you can download to sample). There is a pretty big\nlibrary of Owly books that are readily available in most comic shops,\nbookstores, or Amazon.\n\n## 3\\. Tiny Titans\n\nDC Comics/Amazon\n\nArt Baltazar and Franco Aureliani have made a name for themselves by creating\nall-ages superhero comics in their very recognizable kid-friendly style.\nThey’ve applied this style to everything from their own creations like Patrick\nthe Wolf Boy to “Itty Bitty” versions of horror comic characters like Hellboy\nand Vampirella. The book that put them on the map, though, is Tiny Titans\nwhich ran for 50 issues from 2008 until 2012, twice winning the comics\nindustry's top award for Best Kids Series, and has been collected across eight\nvolumes of trade paperbacks.\n\nDifficulty: The books consist of short stories—mostly two-four pages in\nlength—and the storytelling relies a lot on visual gags so the word count is\npretty low and non-intimidating. Content: The stories are focused on\nelementary-school versions of many DC Comics characters (primarily those\nassociated with the Teen Titans like Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Aqualad)\nand it’s more about being in school than fighting criminals. Some of the jokes\nmay require some familiarity with the DC Universe and other pop culture for\nkids to fully “get” them, though. Where to start: You may be able to find some\nrandom back issues at certain comic shops, but since the series has ended,\nyour best bet will be the trade paperback collections like Tiny Titans Vol. 1:\nWelcome to the Treehouse.\n\n## 4\\. Nursery Rhyme Comics and Fairy Tale Comics\n\nFirst Second/Amazon\n\nHow can you go wrong with nursery rhymes and fairy tales? Especially when\nthey’re drawn by some of the best cartoonists in the business? First Second\nBooks and editor Chris Duffy had the brilliant idea of putting together two\nseparate large collections (there are 50 nursery rhymes in one book and 17\nfairy tales in the other) by a dream lineup of primarily indie-comic stars\nlike Roz Chast, Gene Luen Yang, Mike Mignola, Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez,\nEmily Carroll, Raina Telgemeier, David Mazzucchelli, Eleanor Davis, Stan\nSakai, and others.\n\nDifficulty: As you might be able to surmise, the Nursery Rhyme collection\nskews a little younger, but both are perfect choices for this reading level.\nContent: Kids will recognize most of the stories here, but they do mix things\nup with a couple of obscure selections in each. The fairy tales are certainly\nno more disturbing than any Grimm fairy tale you read when you were young.\nWhere to Start: Both books should be pretty easy to find wherever books are\nsold.\n\n## 5\\. Scooby-Doo Team-Up\n\nDC Comics/Amazon\n\nUnexpectedly, one of the most enjoyable kids comics to come out in recent\nyears is Scooby-Doo Team-Up which, each month, has the Scooby-Doo gang meet\nvarious DC Comics heroes as well as characters from classic Hanna-Barbera\ncartoons like the Flintstones and the Jetsons. Parents reading along will\nappreciate writer Sholly Fisch’s inside jokes in relation to these old shows.\n\nDifficulty: The vocabulary should be within most early readers' ability. These\nare written a little more like a standard comic book than the previous entries\non this list, with lots of word balloons and pages with many individual\npanels. This will pretty much be the case with the rest of the items on this\nlist, but I point it out because navigating the architecture of some comic\npages can be intimidating for some readers. Content: These are fun stories and\nactually a better kid-friendly introduction to superheroes like Batman,\nSuperman, and Wonder Woman than you’ll find in 95 percent of all other\nsuperhero comics today. Where to start: This series is easy to find wherever\nbooks are sold.\n\n## 6\\. Uncle Scrooge\n\nFantagraphics/Amazon\n\nWhy not start them with the classics? Carl Barks’s Uncle Scrooge comics from\nthe 1940s, '50s, and '60s are widely considered to be some of the greatest\ncomics ever made. Unlike a lot of comics from that era, though, they hold up\nreally well and will still get laughs out of kids today.\n\nDifficulty: There is some complicated wordplay at times and the occasional\nold-fashioned jokes and plot line that may go over some kids' heads. Content:\nAt a certain point Barks—and later Don Rosa—began to tell stories with Scrooge\nMcDuck and his nephews Donald, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, that took on a globe-\ntrotting bent with archeological digs and explorations of far-off cultures.\nThese would inspire the popular Duck Tales animated series of the 1980s. Huey,\nDewey, and Louie’s adventures may inspire a yearning for knowledge in your own\nlittle Junior Woodchucks. Where to start: Fantagraphics has put out many\ncollected volumes of the classic Uncle Scrooge comics, which are available on\nAmazon. They generally run about $30 each but are beautifully put together.\nMost public libraries are bound to have an Uncle Scrooge book or two on their\nshelves if you want to sample them that way.\n\n## 7\\. Hilda\n\nFlying Eye Books/Amazon\n\nLuke Pearson’s Hilda series of graphic novels follows a young elementary-\nschool-age girl who lives in a village called Trolberg, populated by talking\nbirds, giants, black hounds, and, of course, trolls. Otherwise, her world is\nnot much different from our own and Hilda is not much different from any other\ngirl her age. She’s smart and sassy, lives alone with her mom, and loves\nanimals. That realism amidst the fantasy world she exists in is what makes\nthis series so enjoyable for kids (boys and girls alike). Pearson has a\nwonderful, European sensibility to his cartooning, which matches the vaguely\nNorthern European setting of the stories and makes these books a delight to\nread.\n\nDifficulty: The reading level shouldn’t be a problem for grades 1 and up and\nthe page lengths (the first two books are 44 pages and the third is 64) are\nlong but achievable. Content: Very kid-friendly stories with nice life\nlessons, but they’re also thoughtful and sophisticated in a way that makes\nthem rise above kiddie fare. Where to start: The very first book, Hildafolk,\nis a 24-page comic, but Pearson has moved into a longer, more European-style\ngraphic “album” format. He has released several book-length adventures so far,\nand you can probably find them wherever books are sold.\n\n## 8\\. Ordinary People Can Change the World\n\nDial Books/Amazon\n\nBrad Meltzer and Chris Eliopoulos’s Ordinary People Can Change The World\nseries of picture book/graphic novels about famous people who made a\ndifference in history is an easy-to-read and fun way for a child to learn\nabout important figures like Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks, Albert Einstein, and\neven (in an upcoming volume) Lucille Ball. Both writer and artist are familiar\nnames in the comics world. Meltzer is more famous as a novelist, but comic\nfans will know him as the writer of DC’s Identity Crisis, while Eliopoulos has\nillustrated a number of comics for kids like Franklin Richards: Son of a\nGenius.\n\nDifficulty: There are some lengthy picture book-style text pieces in addition\nto the comic book-style word balloons, but it’s all written for a\nKindergarten-and-up audience. Content: I think some educators and sticklers\nfor facts have questioned the validity of presenting biographies in this way,\nbut it’s certainly a great way to get young kids interested in history. Where\nto start: There's a whole range of volumes to choose from, including I am\nAbraham Lincoln, I am Amelia Earhart, I am Rosa Parks, I am Albert Einstein,\nand I am Jackie Robinson. There are even more available on Amazon.\n\n## 9\\. Abigail and the Snowman\n\nkaBOOM!/Amazon\n\nAbigail and the Snowman is published by Boom! Studios and written and drawn by\nRoger Langridge (most recently known for his spectacular run on the Muppet\nShow comics). It’s a funny story about friendship in which a 9-year-old girl\nnamed Abigail moves to a new town with her single dad and struggles to make\nfriends until she meets Claude, a Yeti who has escaped from a secret\ngovernment lab and who only Abigail and the other kids at school can see. Kids\nof all ages – boys and girls alike – will get a kick out of Abigail and\nClaude’s friendship.\n\nDifficulty: Langridge is masterful at character design and physical comedy and\nthat really goes a long way in making this fun to read. Content: There are\nsome government agents chasing Claude but the danger here is not too scary.\nWhere to start: This is a four-issue limited series that you can find online.\n\n## 10\\. Anna & Froga\n\nDrawn and Quarterly/Amazon\n\nFor kids who enjoy an odd sense of humor, Anouk Ricard’s delightfully weird\ngraphic novel series Anna & Froga is an easy read that will earn some giggles.\nEach book contains a collection of short stories centered around a young girl\nnamed Anna and her animal friends—Froga the frog, Christopher the worm, Bubu\nthe dog, and Ron the cat. Like any group of friends, they tend to bicker and\ntease each other while also accepting their idiosyncrasies. Ricard’s drawing\nstyle is fun and childlike, but her understated, sometimes testy dialogue\namong the friends is what makes this so fun.\n\nDifficulty: This can be easily read by most new readers, but the sense of\nhumor—the books are translated from French—may be too subtle and low-key for\nsome kids. Content: The friends do fun, innocent stuff like go to an amusement\npark, make their own movie, and take a trip to the lake, but there’s a healthy\ndose of sarcasm involved. Where to Start: Drawn & Quarterly has published a\nbunch of Anna & Froga stories: Fore!; Thrills, Chills and Gooseberries; Want a\nGumball?; and I Dunno, What Do You Want To Do? They all feature various self-\ncontained stories so you can jump in anywhere.\n\nSign Up Today: Get exclusive deals, product news, reviews, and more with the\nMental Floss Smart Shopping newsletter!\n\nComics shopping Smart Shopping\n\nFACEBOOK 0\n\nTWITTER\n\nEMAIL\n\nSubscribe to our Newsletter!\n\nSIGN UP NOW\n\nMENTAL FLOSS\n\nABOUT RSS CONTACT US PRIVACY POLICY COOKIE POLICY TERMS OF SERVICE\n\nFLOOR8 12UP 90MIN\n\nMentalFlossVideo on YouTube @mental_floss on Instagram @mental_floss on\nInstagram @mental_floss on Twitter\n\nSubscribe to our Newsletter!\n\nSIGN UP NOW\n\nFLOOR8 12UP 90MIN\n\n"},{"original_url":"https://www.thebalance.com/places-to-get-free-kindle-books-1357954","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20171229232923/https://www.thebalance.com/places-to-get-free-kindle-books-1357954","parsed_text":{"title":"26 Places to Get Free Kindle Books","passages":["There are so many free Kindle books that are available out there that you could go years and years without having to buy a book for your Kindle.","It's easier than you think to get free Kindle books, you just need to know where to look. The websites below are great places to visit and each website will walk you through the process of finding and downloading the free Kindle book that you want to start reading.","If you're looking for more specific free Kindle books, I also have a list of where you can find free Kindle books for kids and free romance Kindle books. If you have a Kindle Fire, be check to check out this list of free Kindle Fire apps everyone should have.","You can also borrow and lend library books to your friends and family. Here's a guide on how to share Kindle books.","If you don't have a Kindle, no worries because there is a free Kindle reading app that you can get for your browser, smartphone, or tablet. After you've installed the app then you are all ready to get your free Kindle books.","Important: If you see a free Kindle book that you want then get it as soon as you can. Prices often change and it's difficult to tell how long the book will remain free. When downloading a free Kindle book on Amazon verify that the book is still free by making sure the price is $0.00. If it lists a price or says \"read for free\" or has a price for prime members the book is not free anymore.","Are you a Nook owner instead? Get some free Nook books for your e-reader. There are also free audio books out there for those of you who want to listen instead of read. There are lots of other ways to get free books as well, and even free magazine subscriptions that are available.","New to Ebooks? Read my How to Get Free Ebooks article for everything you need to know, like what device they'll work on, how to get them transferred, and much more.","The first place I suggest going to for free Kindle books is straight to the source—Amazon. Here you'll find hundreds of free eBooks that can be downloaded and sent straight to your Kindle.","Amazon's eBooks are listed out in the Top 100 Free section. Within this category are lots of genres to choose from to narrow down the selection, such as Self-Help, Travel, Teen & Young Adult, Foreign Languages, Children's eBooks, and History.","You can also browse Amazon's limited-time free Kindle books to find out what books are free right now. You can sort this list by the average customer review rating as well as by the book's publication date.","If you're an Amazon Prime member, you can get a free kindle eBook every month through the Amazon First Reads program.","If your public library has a subscription to OverDrive then you can borrow free Kindle books from your library just how you'd check out a paper book. Use the Library Search to find out which libraries near you offer OverDrive.","Just like with library books, when you check out an eBook from OverDrive it'll only be loaned to you for a few weeks before being automatically taken off your Kindle.","You can find out more details about using the public library to get free Kindle books if you'd like more information on how the process works. More","If your library doesn't have a subscription to OverDrive or you're looking for some more free Kindle books, then BookLending is a similar service where you can borrow and lend books for your Kindle without going through a library.","After you register at BookLending (which is free) you'll have the ability to borrow books that other individuals are loaning or to loan one of your Kindle books. You can search through the titles, browse through the list of recently loaned books, and find eBook by genre.","Kindle books can only be loaned once, so if you see a title you want, get it before it's gone.","The free Kindle books here can be borrowed for 14 days and then will be automatically returned to the owner at that time. More","eReaderIQ may look like your typical free eBook site but they actually have a lot of extra features that makes it a go-to place when you're looking for free Kindle books.","At eReaderIQ all the free Kindle books are updated hourly, meaning you won't have to miss out on any of the limited-time offers. In fact, you can even get notified when new books from Amazon are added.","Browsing books at eReaderIQ is a breeze because you can look through categories and sort the results by newest, rating, and minimum length. You can even set it to show only new books that have been added since you last visited. More","Use the search box to find a specific book or browse through the detailed categories to find your next great read. You can also view the free Kindle books here by top downloads or recently added.","You'll be able to download the books at Project Gutenberg as .MOBI, .EPUB, or .PDF files for your Kindle. More","Freebooksy is a free eBook blog that lists primarily free Kindle books but also has free Nook books as well.","There's a new book listed at least once a day, but often times there are many listed in one day, and you can download one or all of them.","ManyBooks.net is another free eBook website that scours the Internet to find the greatest and latest in free Kindle books. Currently, there are over 33,000 free eBooks here.","Browse the free eBooks by authors, titles, genres, or languages and then download the book as a Kindle file (.azw) or another file type if you prefer.","Open Library is a free Kindle book downloading and lending service that has well over 1 million eBook titles available.","They seem to specialize in classic literature and you can search by keyword or browse by subjects, authors, and genre.","Each book can be downloaded in a variety of file formats like MOBI, DJVU, EPUB, plain text, and PDF, but you can't go wrong using the Send to Kindle feature. More","OHFB.com is free Kindle book website that gathers all the free Kindle books from Amazon and gives you some excellent search features so you can easily find your next great read.","You can search category or keyword to quickly sift through the free Kindle books that are available. Finds a free Kindle book you're interested in through categories like horror, fiction, cookbooks, young adult, and several others.","Large photos of the Kindle books covers makes it especially easy to quickly scroll through and stop to read the descriptions of books that you're interested in. More","FreeBooksHub.com is another website where you can find free Kindle books that are available through Amazon to everyone, plus some that are available only to Amazon Prime members.","The blog at FreeBooksHub.com highlights newly available free Kindle books along with the book cover, comments, and description. Having these details right on the blog is what really sets FreeBooksHub.com apart and make it a great place to visit for free Kindle books. More","DigiLibraries gathers up free Kindle books from independent authors and publishers. You can download these free Kindle books directly from their website.","My favorite part about DigiLibraries is that you can click on any of the categories on the left side of the page to quickly see free Kindle books that only fall into that category. It really speeds up the work of narrowing down the books to find what I'm looking for. More","Each day's list of new free Kindle books includes a top recommendation with an author profile and then is followed by more free books that include the genre, title, author, and synopsis. More","Freebook Sifter is a no-frills free kindle book website that lists hundreds of thousands of books that link to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Project Gutenberg for download.","Beside each of these free eBook titles, you can quickly see the rating of the book along with the number of ratings. This makes it really easy to find the most popular free eBooks. More","Daily email subscriptions and social media profiles are also available if you don't want to check their site every day. More","Every day, eBookDaily adds three new free Kindle books to several different genres, such as Nonfiction, Business & Investion, Mystery & Thriller, Romance, Teens & Young Adult, Children's Books, and others.","Amazon's star rating and its number of reviews are shown below each book, along with the cover image and description.","You can browse the past day's free books as well but you must create an account before downloading anything. A free account also gives you access to email alerts in all the genres you choose. More","There are specific categories of books no the website that you can pick from, but only the Free category guarantees that you're looking at free books.","They also have a Jr. Edition so you can find the latest free eBooks for your children and teens. More","eBooks Habit promises to feed your free eBooks addiction with multiple posts every day that summarizes the free kindle books available.","The free kindle book listings include a full description of the book as well as a photo of the cover. More","Updated every hour with fresh content, Centsless Books provides over 30 genres of free Kindle books to choose from, and the website couldn’t be easier to use.","All the books are listed down a single page with thumbnails of the cover image and direct links to Amazon.","If you’d rather not check Centsless Books’ website for updates, you can follow them on Twitter and subscribe to email updates. More","Click on any book title and you'll get a synopsis and photo of the book cover as well as the date when the book will stop being free. Links to where you can download the book for free are included to make it easy to get your next free eBook. More","You can search for free Kindle books at Free-eBooks.net by browsing through fiction and non-fiction categories or by viewing a list of the top 10 free eBooks.","Kindle Books and Tips is another source for free Kindle books but discounted books are also mixed in every day.","There are plenty of genres available and you can search the website by keyword to find a particular book. Each book has a full description and a direct link to Amazon for the download.","To stay up to date with new releases, Kindle Books, and Tips has a free email subscription service you can use as well as an RSS feed and social media accounts. More","Free Ebooks Daily posts between 10 and 15 books in genres like non-fiction, romance, mystery, and thriller, and science fiction every single day, and at least four of them are always free. They also have cheap, $0.99 books.","You can see every book's cover image and read its description on the website before visiting Amazon to download them.","Because some books are free for a limited time, it's best to sign up with Free Ebooks Daily's email service to get these deals sent directly to your inbox when they become available. More","BookGoodies has lots of fiction and non-fiction Kindle books in a variety of genres, like Paranormal, Women's Fiction, Humor, and Travel, that are completely free to download from Amazon.","The time frame a book is available as a free download is shown on each download page, as well as a full description of the book and sometimes a link to the author's website.","Social media pages help you find new eBooks from BookGoodies, but they also have an email service that will send the free Kindle books to you every day.","Booktastik has free and discounted books on its website, and you can follow their social media accounts for current updates.","There aren't a lot of free Kindle books here because they aren't free for a very long period of time, though there are plenty of genres you can browse through. Look carefully on each download page and you can find when the free deal ends.","Bootastik's free Kindle books have links to where you can download them, like on Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble, etc., as well as a full description of the book. More","The Kindle Owners' Lending Library has over 800,000 free Kindle books available directly from Amazon. This is a lending process so you will only be able to borrow the book, not keep it.","Although this program is free, you'll need to be an Amazon Prime member to take advantage of it. If you're not a member you can sign up for a free trial of Amazon Prime or wait until they offer free subscriptions, which they do from time to time for special groups of people like moms or students."]},"parsed_md":"26 Places to Get Free Kindle Books\n\nThe Balance\n\n26 Places to Get Free Kindle Books\n\nFreebies\n\n# 26 Places to Get Free Kindle Books\n\n## Best Sites to Download Free Books for Your Kindle\n\n * Share\n * Flip\n * Pin\n * Email\n\nFreebies\n\n * Ebooks\n * Samples\n * Food\n * Home & Garden\n * Beauty & Health\n * Movies and TV\n * Printables\n * Software\n * Music\n * Kid's Stuff\n * Holidays\n * For Families\n\nView All\n\nBy Stacy Fisher\n\nUpdated December 01, 2017\n\nThere are so many free Kindle books that are available out there that you\ncould go years and years without having to buy a book for your Kindle.\n\nIt's easier than you think to get free Kindle books, you just need to know\nwhere to look. The websites below are great places to visit and each website\nwill walk you through the process of finding and downloading the free Kindle\nbook that you want to start reading.\n\nIf you're looking for more specific free Kindle books, I also have a list of\nwhere you can find free Kindle books for kids and free romance Kindle books.\nIf you have a Kindle Fire, be check to check out this list of free Kindle Fire\napps everyone should have.\n\nYou can also borrow and lend library books to your friends and family. Here's\na guide on how to share Kindle books.\n\nIf you don't have a Kindle, no worries because there is a free Kindle reading\napp that you can get for your browser, smartphone, or tablet. After you've\ninstalled the app then you are all ready to get your free Kindle books.\n\nImportant: If you see a free Kindle book that you want then get it as soon as\nyou can. Prices often change and it's difficult to tell how long the book will\nremain free. When downloading a free Kindle book on Amazon verify that the\nbook is still free by making sure the price is $0.00. If it lists a price or\nsays \"read for free\" or has a price for prime members the book is not free\nanymore.\n\nAre you a Nook owner instead? Get some free Nook books for your e-reader.\nThere are also free audio books out there for those of you who want to listen\ninstead of read. There are lots of other ways to get free books as well, and\neven free magazine subscriptions that are available.\n\nNew to Ebooks? Read my How to Get Free Ebooks article for everything you need\nto know, like what device they'll work on, how to get them transferred, and\nmuch more.\n\n##\n\n1\n\nAmazon's Free Kindle Ebooks\n\nCindy Prins/Moment Mobile/Getty Images\n\nThe first place I suggest going to for free Kindle books is straight to the\nsource—Amazon. Here you'll find hundreds of free eBooks that can be downloaded\nand sent straight to your Kindle.\n\nAmazon's Free Kindle Ebooks\n\nAmazon's eBooks are listed out in the Top 100 Free section. Within this\ncategory are lots of genres to choose from to narrow down the selection, such\nas Self-Help, Travel, Teen & Young Adult, Foreign Languages, Children's\neBooks, and History.\n\nYou can also browse Amazon's limited-time free Kindle books to find out what\nbooks are free right now. You can sort this list by the average customer\nreview rating as well as by the book's publication date.\n\nIf you're an Amazon Prime member, you can get a free kindle eBook every month\nthrough the Amazon First Reads program.\n\n##\n\n2\n\nOverDrive Through Your Public Library\n\n© OverDrive\n\nIf your public library has a subscription to OverDrive then you can borrow\nfree Kindle books from your library just how you'd check out a paper book. Use\nthe Library Search to find out which libraries near you offer OverDrive.\n\nJust like with library books, when you check out an eBook from OverDrive it'll\nonly be loaned to you for a few weeks before being automatically taken off\nyour Kindle.\n\nYou can even borrow books through their mobile app called Libby.\n\nYou can find out more details about using the public library to get free\nKindle books if you'd like more information on how the process works. More\n\n##\n\n3\n\nBookLending\n\n© BookLending.com\n\nIf your library doesn't have a subscription to OverDrive or you're looking for\nsome more free Kindle books, then BookLending is a similar service where you\ncan borrow and lend books for your Kindle without going through a library.\n\nAfter you register at BookLending (which is free) you'll have the ability to\nborrow books that other individuals are loaning or to loan one of your Kindle\nbooks. You can search through the titles, browse through the list of recently\nloaned books, and find eBook by genre.\n\nKindle books can only be loaned once, so if you see a title you want, get it\nbefore it's gone.\n\nThe free Kindle books here can be borrowed for 14 days and then will be\nautomatically returned to the owner at that time. More\n\n##\n\n4\n\neReaderIQ\n\n© eReaderIQ\n\neReaderIQ may look like your typical free eBook site but they actually have a\nlot of extra features that makes it a go-to place when you're looking for free\nKindle books.\n\nAt eReaderIQ all the free Kindle books are updated hourly, meaning you won't\nhave to miss out on any of the limited-time offers. In fact, you can even get\nnotified when new books from Amazon are added.\n\nBrowsing books at eReaderIQ is a breeze because you can look through\ncategories and sort the results by newest, rating, and minimum length. You can\neven set it to show only new books that have been added since you last\nvisited. More\n\n##\n\n5\n\nProject Gutenberg\n\n© Project Gutenberg\n\nThere are over 54,000 free Kindle books that you can download at Project\nGutenberg.\n\nUse the search box to find a specific book or browse through the detailed\ncategories to find your next great read. You can also view the free Kindle\nbooks here by top downloads or recently added.\n\nYou'll be able to download the books at Project Gutenberg as .MOBI, .EPUB, or\n.PDF files for your Kindle. More\n\n##\n\n6\n\nFreebooksy\n\n© Written Word Media, Inc.\n\nFreebooksy is a free eBook blog that lists primarily free Kindle books but\nalso has free Nook books as well.\n\nThere's a new book listed at least once a day, but often times there are many\nlisted in one day, and you can download one or all of them.\n\nA few genres available in eBooks at Freebooksy include Science Fiction,\nHorror, Mystery/Thriller, Romance/Chick Lit, and Religion/Spirituality. More\n\n##\n\n7\n\nManyBooks.net\n\n© ManyBooks\n\nManyBooks.net is another free eBook website that scours the Internet to find\nthe greatest and latest in free Kindle books. Currently, there are over 33,000\nfree eBooks here.\n\nBrowse the free eBooks by authors, titles, genres, or languages and then\ndownload the book as a Kindle file (.azw) or another file type if you prefer.\n\nYou can also find ManyBooks.net's free eBooks in their popular and recommended\ncategories. More\n\n##\n\n8\n\nOpen Library\n\n© Internet Archive\n\nOpen Library is a free Kindle book downloading and lending service that has\nwell over 1 million eBook titles available.\n\nThey seem to specialize in classic literature and you can search by keyword or\nbrowse by subjects, authors, and genre.\n\nEach book can be downloaded in a variety of file formats like MOBI, DJVU,\nEPUB, plain text, and PDF, but you can't go wrong using the Send to Kindle\nfeature. More\n\n##\n\n9\n\nOHFB.com (OneHundredFreeBooks)\n\n© The Toy Spy Media Group, LLC\n\nOHFB.com is free Kindle book website that gathers all the free Kindle books\nfrom Amazon and gives you some excellent search features so you can easily\nfind your next great read.\n\nYou can search category or keyword to quickly sift through the free Kindle\nbooks that are available. Finds a free Kindle book you're interested in\nthrough categories like horror, fiction, cookbooks, young adult, and several\nothers.\n\nLarge photos of the Kindle books covers makes it especially easy to quickly\nscroll through and stop to read the descriptions of books that you're\ninterested in. More\n\n##\n\n10\n\nFreeBooksHub.com\n\nFreeBooksHub.com is another website where you can find free Kindle books that\nare available through Amazon to everyone, plus some that are available only to\nAmazon Prime members.\n\nThe blog at FreeBooksHub.com highlights newly available free Kindle books\nalong with the book cover, comments, and description. Having these details\nright on the blog is what really sets FreeBooksHub.com apart and make it a\ngreat place to visit for free Kindle books. More\n\n##\n\n11\n\nDigiLibraries\n\nDigiLibraries gathers up free Kindle books from independent authors and\npublishers. You can download these free Kindle books directly from their\nwebsite.\n\nMy favorite part about DigiLibraries is that you can click on any of the\ncategories on the left side of the page to quickly see free Kindle books that\nonly fall into that category. It really speeds up the work of narrowing down\nthe books to find what I'm looking for. More\n\n##\n\n12\n\nKindle Buffet\n\nKindle Buffet is updated each day with the best of the best free Kindle books\navailable from Amazon.\n\nEach day's list of new free Kindle books includes a top recommendation with an\nauthor profile and then is followed by more free books that include the genre,\ntitle, author, and synopsis. More\n\n##\n\n13\n\nFreebook Sifter\n\nFreebook Sifter is a no-frills free kindle book website that lists hundreds of\nthousands of books that link to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Project\nGutenberg for download.\n\nBeside each of these free eBook titles, you can quickly see the rating of the\nbook along with the number of ratings. This makes it really easy to find the\nmost popular free eBooks. More\n\n##\n\n14\n\nThe eReader Cafe\n\nThe eReader Cafe has listings every day for free Kindle books and a few\nbargain books.\n\nDaily email subscriptions and social media profiles are also available if you\ndon't want to check their site every day. More\n\n##\n\n15\n\neBookDaily\n\nEvery day, eBookDaily adds three new free Kindle books to several different\ngenres, such as Nonfiction, Business & Investion, Mystery & Thriller, Romance,\nTeens & Young Adult, Children's Books, and others.\n\nAmazon's star rating and its number of reviews are shown below each book,\nalong with the cover image and description.\n\nYou can browse the past day's free books as well but you must create an\naccount before downloading anything. A free account also gives you access to\nemail alerts in all the genres you choose. More\n\n##\n\n16\n\nDailyCheapReads.com\n\nDailyCheapReads.com has daily posts on the latest free Kindle books available\nfor download at Amazon.\n\nThere are specific categories of books no the website that you can pick from,\nbut only the Free category guarantees that you're looking at free books.\n\nThey also have a Jr. Edition so you can find the latest free eBooks for your\nchildren and teens. More\n\n##\n\n17\n\neBooks Habit\n\neBooks Habit promises to feed your free eBooks addiction with multiple posts\nevery day that summarizes the free kindle books available.\n\nThe free kindle book listings include a full description of the book as well\nas a photo of the cover. More\n\n##\n\n18\n\nCentsless Books\n\nUpdated every hour with fresh content, Centsless Books provides over 30 genres\nof free Kindle books to choose from, and the website couldn’t be easier to\nuse.\n\nAll the books are listed down a single page with thumbnails of the cover image\nand direct links to Amazon.\n\nIf you’d rather not check Centsless Books’ website for updates, you can follow\nthem on Twitter and subscribe to email updates. More\n\n##\n\n19\n\nPixelScroll\n\nPixelScroll lists free Kindle eBooks every day that each include their genre\nlisting, synopsis, and cover.\n\nPixelScroll also lists all kinds of other free goodies like free music,\nvideos, and apps. More\n\n##\n\n20\n\nBookBub\n\nBookBub is another website that will keep you updated on free Kindle books\nthat are currently available.\n\nClick on any book title and you'll get a synopsis and photo of the book cover\nas well as the date when the book will stop being free. Links to where you can\ndownload the book for free are included to make it easy to get your next free\neBook. More\n\n##\n\n21\n\nFree-eBooks.net\n\nYou can search for free Kindle books at Free-eBooks.net by browsing through\nfiction and non-fiction categories or by viewing a list of the top 10 free\neBooks.\n\nYou'll need to be a member of Free-eBooks.net to download the books, but\nmembership is free. More\n\n##\n\n22\n\nKindle Books and Tips\n\nKindle Books and Tips is another source for free Kindle books but discounted\nbooks are also mixed in every day.\n\nThere are plenty of genres available and you can search the website by keyword\nto find a particular book. Each book has a full description and a direct link\nto Amazon for the download.\n\nTo stay up to date with new releases, Kindle Books, and Tips has a free email\nsubscription service you can use as well as an RSS feed and social media\naccounts. More\n\n##\n\n23\n\nFree Ebooks Daily\n\nFree Ebooks Daily posts between 10 and 15 books in genres like non-fiction,\nromance, mystery, and thriller, and science fiction every single day, and at\nleast four of them are always free. They also have cheap, $0.99 books.\n\nYou can see every book's cover image and read its description on the website\nbefore visiting Amazon to download them.\n\nBecause some books are free for a limited time, it's best to sign up with Free\nEbooks Daily's email service to get these deals sent directly to your inbox\nwhen they become available. More\n\n##\n\n24\n\nBookGoodies\n\nBookGoodies has lots of fiction and non-fiction Kindle books in a variety of\ngenres, like Paranormal, Women's Fiction, Humor, and Travel, that are\ncompletely free to download from Amazon.\n\nThe time frame a book is available as a free download is shown on each\ndownload page, as well as a full description of the book and sometimes a link\nto the author's website.\n\nSocial media pages help you find new eBooks from BookGoodies, but they also\nhave an email service that will send the free Kindle books to you every day.\n\nBookGoodies for Kids is a similar website that has free Kindle books for\nchildren. More\n\n##\n\n25\n\nBooktastik\n\nBooktastik has free and discounted books on its website, and you can follow\ntheir social media accounts for current updates.\n\nThere aren't a lot of free Kindle books here because they aren't free for a\nvery long period of time, though there are plenty of genres you can browse\nthrough. Look carefully on each download page and you can find when the free\ndeal ends.\n\nBootastik's free Kindle books have links to where you can download them, like\non Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble, etc., as well as a full description of the\nbook. More\n\n##\n\n26\n\nKindle Owners' Lending Library\n\nThe Kindle Owners' Lending Library has over 800,000 free Kindle books\navailable directly from Amazon. This is a lending process so you will only be\nable to borrow the book, not keep it.\n\nAlthough this program is free, you'll need to be an Amazon Prime member to\ntake advantage of it. If you're not a member you can sign up for a free trial\nof Amazon Prime or wait until they offer free subscriptions, which they do\nfrom time to time for special groups of people like moms or students.\n\n * #### Find out the Best Places Online to Get Free Kindle Books for Kids\n\n * #### Where to Find Thousands of Free Ebooks and How to Get Them\n\n * #### Places to Get Free Kindle Romance Books\n\n * #### Looking for Some Free Books? 16 Options to Choose From\n\n * #### Get Free Kindle Books at Hundred Zeros\n\n * #### How to Lend, Borrow, and Share Kindle Books With Friends and Family\n\n * #### 7 Websites That Have Free Nook Books\n\n * #### 15 Essential Free Kindle Fire Apps Everyone Should Have\n\n * #### Score 50 Free Comics on Free Comic Book Day 2017\n\n * #### 22 Places for Free Stock Photos for Commercial and Personal Use\n\n * #### 18 Free Magazine Subscriptions With No Strings Attached\n\n * #### 11 Best Websites for Downloading Free Music Legally\n\n * #### Find out the Best Websites for Downloading Free Audio Books\n\n * #### 6 Things You Should Never Spend Money On\n\n * #### 9 Things You Can Get for Free on Amazon\n\n * #### 16 of The Best Websites to Find Free PSD Templates for Adobe Photoshop\n\nThe Balance\n\nGet Daily Money Tips to Your Inbox\n\nFollow Us\n\n * Facebook\n * Pinterest\n * Twitter\n * Flipboard\n * LinkedIn\n\n * About Us\n * Advertise\n * Terms of Use\n * Privacy Policy\n * Careers\n * Contact\n\n"},{"original_url":"https://edsource.org/2015/study-says-reading-aloud-to-children-more-than-talking-builds-literacy/82045","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20211204204836/https://edsource.org/2015/study-says-reading-aloud-to-children-more-than-talking-builds-literacy/82045","parsed_text":{"title":"Study says reading aloud to children, more than talking, builds literacy","passages":["Upcoming Roundtable — The future of grading: When failure is not an option — Dec. 8 at 4 p.m. | Register Today!","Uriel Torres, 4, counts the windows on a building pictured in the Clifford book he’s reading with his tutor, Lisa Hern, at his home in East Palo Alto.","Uriel Torres, 4, counts the windows on a building pictured in the Clifford book he’s reading with his tutor, Lisa Hern, at his home in East Palo Alto.","In “The Pout-Pout Fish” children’s picture book, the author weaves words like “aghast” and “grimace” into a story about a fish who thought he was destined to “spread the dreary-wearies all over the place” until...well, no need to spoil the ending.","Finding such rich language in a picture book is not unusual, and reading those stories aloud will introduce children to an extensive vocabulary, according to new research conducted by Dominic Massaro, a professor emeritus in psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He said although parents can build their children’s vocabularies by talking to them, reading to them is more effective.","Reading aloud is the best way to help children develop word mastery and grammatical understanding, which form the basis for learning how to read, said Massaro, who studies language acquisition and literacy. He found that picture books are two to three times as likely as parent-child conversations to include a word that isn’t among the 5,000 most common English words.","“We talk with a lazy tongue,” Massaro said. “We tend to point at something or use a pronoun and the context tells you what it is. We talk at a basic level.”","Massaro said the limited vocabulary in ordinary, informal speech means what has been dubbed “the talking cure” – encouraging parents to talk more to their children to increase their vocabularies – has its drawbacks. Reading picture books to children would not only expose them to more words, he said, but it also would have a leveling effect for families with less education and a more limited vocabulary.","“Given the fact that word mastery in adulthood is correlated with early acquisition of words, shared picture book reading offers a potentially powerful strategy to prepare children for competent literacy skills,” Massaro said in the study.","The emphasis on talking more to children to increase their vocabularies is based on research by Betty Hart and Todd Risley at the University of Kansas. They found that parents on welfare spoke about 620 words to their children in an average hour compared with 2,150 words an hour spoken by parents with professional jobs. By age 3, the children with professional parents had heard 30 million more words than the children whose parents were on welfare. Hart and Risley concluded that the more parents talked to their children, the faster the children’s vocabularies grew and the higher the children’s I.Q. test scores were at age 3 and later. Since their research was published, there has been a push to encourage low-income parents to talk more to their children as a way to improve literacy.","“Reading takes you beyond the easy way to communicate,” said Dominic Massaro, psychology professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. “It takes you to another world and challenges you.”","“Reading takes you beyond the easy way to communicate,” he said. “It takes you to another world and challenges you.”","Reading picture books to babies and toddlers is important, he said, because the earlier children acquire language, the more likely they are to master it.","“You are stretching them in vocabulary and grammar at an early age,” Massaro said. “You are preparing them to be expert language users, and indirectly you are going to facilitate their learning to read.”","Massaro said encouraging older children to sound out words and explaining what a word means if it isn’t clear in the context of the story will help build children’s vocabularies. Allowing children to pick the books they are interested in and turn the pages themselves keeps them active and engaged in learning, he said.","Massaro said that 95 percent of the time when adults are reading to children, the children are looking at the pictures, partly because picture books tend to have small or fancy fonts that are hard to read. If picture book publishers would use larger and simpler fonts, then children would be more likely to also focus on the words, helping them to become independent readers, he said.","In the study, Massaro compared the words in 112 popular picture books to adult-to-child conversations and adult-to-adult conversations. The picture books, which were recommended by librarians and chosen by him, included such favorites as “Goodnight Moon” and “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.”","Most of the books Massaro used were fiction, but children’s picture books can also be nonfiction and discuss topics such as earthquakes or ocean life that would likely include a larger number of uncommon words, he said, giving them an even greater advantage over conversation.","To analyze the conversations, Massaro used two databases of words. One database involved 64 conversations with 32 mothers. The mothers had one conversation with their baby, age 2 to 5 months, while interacting with toys, and another “casual conversation” with an adult experimenter. The second database consisted of more than 2.5 million words spoken by parents, caregivers and experimenters in the presence of children with a mean age of 36 months.","In his comparison, Massaro identified the number of uncommon words, and he determined that the picture books he analyzed contained more of them than the language used in conversation.","Do you count on EdSource’s reporting daily? Make your donation today to our year end fundraising campaign by Dec. 31st to keep us going without a paywall or ads.","We welcome your comments. All comments are moderated for civility, relevance and other considerations. Click here for EdSource's Comments Policy.","To be honest your article is informative and very helpful. After i saw your site and i read it and it help me a lot. Thanks for share your kind information. You may like this post on https://rokipedia.net/how-to-improve- vocabulary-for-adults/","The issue should never be talking to vs reading to children, but interacting with children around language. Talk in a way that signals you expect a response; read as if in a conversation – comment, ask questions, talk about words in the book.","A well-known finding in the literacy field: interacting with children around books is more beneficial than simply reading aloud. See for example, Dickinson & Smith 1994; Teale & Martinez 1996; Beck & McKeown 2001)","https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326630284_The_impact_of_a_writing_programme_on_reading_acquisition_of_at- risk_first_grade_children here is a fantastic study for those looking for ways to help children gain better reading skills, especially if they are behind their peers. Thank you for this article. While I knew reading was important, I figured the quantity of words was important, not thinking about the quality. This has motivated me to set a 10 book minimum for my children with lots of uncommon words.","Reading aloud is the best investment in the future of the child. The basis of literacy and interest in reading is laid in early childhood. Until the child learns to read independently, the influence of parents on his literacy is the most important. The number of home books, daily stories and regular visits to the library has a great influence on the development of the child's reading habits. My colleague conducted studies ... Read More","Reading aloud is the best investment in the future of the child. The basis of literacy and interest in reading is laid in early childhood. Until the child learns to read independently, the influence of parents on his literacy is the most important. The number of home books, daily stories and regular visits to the library has a great influence on the development of the child’s reading habits. My colleague conducted studies show that at the age of three children from families where they read books, heard more than 20 million words than children from families where books are not read. If by the time of admission to school a child knows the letters well and has a certain lexicon, the level of his literary literacy remains high in the future. Reading aloud is a more important factor in a child’s success in the future than the socioeconomic status of his parents.","Excellent article. Picture books are made for adults to read to children. That less frequent vocabulary found in picture book stories are the very words children probably do not know and will gloss over if the child is reading alone. The adult reading the story aloud to the child helps with unfamiliar vocabulary. This help provides the word knowledge children need to acquire to evetually add the word to his or her lexicon.","We totally agree! When children listen to stories they not only hear a wide vocabulary but they are also exposed to complex sentence structures that are different from the ones used in conversations. Also, most importantly, children who hear stories will learn to enjoy books and are more likely to read for pleasure themselves! Success! Cid and Mo","This is such an important study. Parents in a lower social class often do not know what to talk to their children about which can also hinder the ability of the child to learn new vocabulary, however reading picture books gives a starting point for conversations. The story and pictures can promote discussion and further understanding. This study gives further evidence to the importance of reading to young babies and toddlers; each ... Read More","This is such an important study. Parents in a lower social class often do not know what to talk to their children about which can also hinder the ability of the child to learn new vocabulary, however reading picture books gives a starting point for conversations. The story and pictures can promote discussion and further understanding. This study gives further evidence to the importance of reading to young babies and toddlers; each new study is just adding further weight to the argument.","Let's not put down alphabet books with realistic pictures of apples, balls, and so on. I recall reading such a book with my child who was not yet walking. I read what was written and added my own about the \"crunch\" when you bit into an apple and more. There was a large \"A\" and \"a\" on the page. My child then pointed to the letters and clearly wanted ... Read More","Let’s not put down alphabet books with realistic pictures of apples, balls, and so on. I recall reading such a book with my child who was not yet walking. I read what was written and added my own about the “crunch” when you bit into an apple and more. There was a large “A” and “a” on the page. My child then pointed to the letters and clearly wanted to know more about them as if why aren’t you talking about these. Phonics began that day... No one taught my son to read though sometimes he emphasized the wrong syllable in foreign names from the newspaper. I am blessed.","I believe the money paid,to do,the study was money waisted. Of course all people soak,up info. Better when road to for thousands and thousands of common sense reasons. 1. Some do not speakmenglishmwell and itmismtoughmtomstumble and stumble over words one can't pronouncemandmthis creates a lack of flow,ofmcomprehensionmet. 2. In our electronicmtextmworld, many are in a hurry and rush reading, skimming,mane comprehension is,lessened as compared to those who rest while being read to. 3. there is a ... Read More","2. In our electronicmtextmworld, many are in a hurry and rush reading, skimming,mane comprehension is,lessened as compared to those who rest while being read to.","3. there is a magesty,of,theatre in hearing someone read ,in person, that is a God effect and captivates people to understand in more depth , not unlike eye contact.","When my daughter was two years old, she was diagnosed with a developmental disability and was not talking and not understanding us. I would check out loads of children's picture books from the library to read to her. The pictures weren't enough for her to understand, so we would take stuffed animals and act out what was happening on each page. . We would read and act out about 13 books every evening before bed--plus ... Read More","When my daughter was two years old, she was diagnosed with a developmental disability and was not talking and not understanding us. I would check out loads of children’s picture books from the library to read to her. The pictures weren’t enough for her to understand, so we would take stuffed animals and act out what was happening on each page. . We would read and act out about 13 books every evening before bed–plus some books during the day. (She also had other interventions to help her learn to talk). The repetition of familiar books was very helpful. We would always do the same book twice in a row before moving on to another book. Fred and Ted (Big Dog, Little Dog) books were the best. She got to the point where she not only understood them and could act them out, she could flip the language (Book says: Ted liked beets” she could take her stuffed animal and have it pretend to say, “I like beets.” Years later, she is communicating on grade level and is about a year ahead of her age group in reading. The repetition, pictures, and predictability of children’s books make them ideal for helping kids learn–not just literacy but also about the world and how to communicate verbally.","* ## Parent 6 years ago6 years ago\nWhat a wonderful post. I sure wish that some non profit would do some valuable study on what you presented here to see if the act of reading that way did propel an autistic child forward more or not. A study is in order. . . . I ask you consider writing to some non profit that focuses on autism and ask if you can help shape a study to test out what you were doing ... Read More","What a wonderful post. I sure wish that some non profit would do some valuable study on what you presented here to see if the act of reading that way did propel an autistic child forward more or not. A study is in order. . . . I ask you consider writing to some non profit that focuses on autism and ask if you can help shape a study to test out what you were doing with your child and to educate others if it works or not in a validated study. . . . Please consider that.","* ## Susan Frey 6 years ago6 years ago\nThanks for your comment. I forwarded it to Professor Massaro, who is more in touch with the research community. I simply report on studies that I see. I don’t conduct them. It sounds like a terrific idea.","* ## Dom Massaro 6 years ago6 years ago\nThanks much for sharing your success story with your child. I would suggest contacting Autism Speaks (https://www.autismspeaks.org/) about your experiences.","* ## Parent News Opinion 6 years ago6 years ago\nHow about facial ting more with parent, and , ask parent if someone from autism speaks can call her.","Parents often work two jobs and large non profits and others need to better reach out to facilitate in stronger ways.","While I see NO downside to reading aloud to/from any age group, I also want to state that the right type of verbal discussion can be as valuable or more valuable depending upon the topic. I cannot begin to explain all that I learned listening to adult conversations at the dinner table. Controversial current event topics began to make sense. I certainly learned my parents' preferences regarding the world order. Civics ... Read More","While I see NO downside to reading aloud to/from any age group, I also want to state that the right type of verbal discussion can be as valuable or more valuable depending upon the topic. I cannot begin to explain all that I learned listening to adult conversations at the dinner table. Controversial current event topics began to make sense. I certainly learned my parents’ preferences regarding the world order. Civics was stressed beyond most measures of exposure in school. What has happened to the informed conversation? Obviously, the listener/learner will hear many biased opinions, however, the defense of those opinions can be a very valuable learning experience too.","Studies are always interesting, but do we really want to set up a dichotomy between talking to kids vs. reading aloud to them? First off, I have to say how important it is to limit screens-time if you want to enhance a kid's love of reading. Obviously, both talking and reading aloud are important for both a child's sense of well-being and becoming literate. One aspect of reading aloud to young children that is sometimes ... Read More","Studies are always interesting, but do we really want to set up a dichotomy between talking to kids vs. reading aloud to them? First off, I have to say how important it is to limit screens-time if you want to enhance a kid’s love of reading.","Obviously, both talking and reading aloud are important for both a child’s sense of well-being and becoming literate. One aspect of reading aloud to young children that is sometimes overlooked is taking time to encourage the youngster’s comments on the story or the illustrations — what feelings does the story elicit, predictions about what might happen, counting numbers, naming animals, identifying colors, appreciating the illustrations and wondering how they were made.","Also, there’s no age limit to the mutual pleasure of reading aloud or being read to. I know teenagers who will accept a grandparent’s offer to read aloud at bedtime and I know adults who do read-alouds on road-trips. Reading aloud is a human interaction and people remember the sound of a reader’s voice –a teacher, parent, grandparent, older brother, a friend, forever. One of life’s joys is discussing literature with someone who’s read what you’ve read, or who tells you about a book that’s unknown to you — and that someone can be a little kid or another adult.","Our brains are designed to pay attention to the novel and gloss over the familiar. This goes all the way back to basic survival awareness where the unexpected and new are either threats or opportunities, but it can be harnessed for learning and complex cognitive processing. Combining that with the power of storytelling and its ability to touch our thoughts and emotions at the same time and you have a powerful teaching tool. ... Read More","Our brains are designed to pay attention to the novel and gloss over the familiar. This goes all the way back to basic survival awareness where the unexpected and new are either threats or opportunities, but it can be harnessed for learning and complex cognitive processing. Combining that with the power of storytelling and its ability to touch our thoughts and emotions at the same time and you have a powerful teaching tool. Being exposed to novel words in a familiar and stimulating context is important to a child’s brain development and learning ability. Conditioning them that not everything is familiar will serve to keep them on their toes and alert for new stimuli, terms, and concepts. Their internal reward is the feeling of accomplishment and approval that comes with learning something new — aspiring and achieving. Stimulation is vital to the health of our brains, especially children’s brains. Attaching the learning moment to an emotion (preferably a positive one such as joy, excitement, or delight) solidifies the memory as significant and aids in placing it in long-term storage. Let’s not squander a mind that is open to the world by boring it into a stupor.","At what age do the benefits of reading aloud begin to taper off? I’m still reading aloud to my 8 year old, does it continue thru the tween years? Any studies done on that?","* ## Dom Massaro 6 years ago6 years ago\nThere is no reason to stop reading to your child if you both are enjoying it. More importantly, the finding that the earlier you learn a word the better you master it holds well into adulthood. A particularly positive influence would occur if your shared reading stretches your child’s vocabulary beyond what he or she would normally read alone.","* ## Shannon 6 years ago6 years ago\nI loved reading this article. I am a veteran teacher, starting my 27th year, and have been reading aloud to students (no matter what grade level I taught...6th graders seemed to love it more than most other grade levels ironically) . How can I convey this to my parents or colleagues how vital this is for our children?","* ## Gary Ravani 6 years ago6 years ago\nMdw: I'm not familiar with studies indicating increased reading comprehension (measured) via being read to aloud for older students. I will say, from experience, that students through 9th grade seem to appreciate it. Certainly junior high kids do, caught as they are in that \"tweener\" stage. Reading aloud, if done well, can allow a teacher to provide access to more sophisticated reading materials than student's current reading fluency levels might otherwise allow. Though a reading disability ... Read More","I’m not familiar with studies indicating increased reading comprehension (measured) via being read to aloud for older students. I will say, from experience, that students through 9th grade seem to appreciate it. Certainly junior high kids do, caught as they are in that “tweener” stage. Reading aloud, if done well, can allow a teacher to provide access to more sophisticated reading materials than student’s current reading fluency levels might otherwise allow. Though a reading disability or lack of experience with English might not allow students to tackle more difficult text materials, they can frequently work with more sophisticated ideas. Which, in the long run, typically adds to comprehension levels as it develops increased context. Other similar strategies, readers’ theater, choral reading, and “jig-sawing” can also work well in the classroom.","* ## Don 6 years ago6 years ago\nI guess it depends because at some point you may be reading to your child in lieu of your child reading alone. If your child wants you to read past the age when s/he should be reading alone then it is becoming a crutch.","* ## FloydThursby1941 6 years ago6 years ago\nI think reading with your kids makes it fun and teachers them it’s important. They associate fun time with parents and approval with being able to read. 60% of Asians teach their kids to read before Kindergarten vs. 16% of whites, the main cause of the gap between these two groups in California. Reading is always better than talking.","* ## Luis Carbajal 6 years ago6 years ago\nYou are absolutely right Floyd. Reading to children is as much a pleasurable bonding experience as it is a learning experience. If a child or any human being for that matter, associates an activity with pleasure, he will be more likely to continue doing it.","As both a mom and illustrator of picture books this Is concrete validation of not only the word wealth but also visual literacy benefits of a child and a story in your lap. Amen!","There's some very conflicting ideas in this article concerning reading more and talking more. Massaro says, \"....encouraging parents to talk more to their children to increase their vocabularies – has its drawbacks.\" Frey goes on in the next paragraph too cite Hart and Risley who \"concluded that the more parents talked to their children, the faster the children’s vocabularies grew and the higher the children’s I.Q. test scores were at age 3...\" Is the author ... Read More","There’s some very conflicting ideas in this article concerning reading more and talking more. Massaro says, “....encouraging parents to talk more to their children to increase their vocabularies – has its drawbacks.” Frey goes on in the next paragraph too cite Hart and Risley who “concluded that the more parents talked to their children, the faster the children’s vocabularies grew and the higher the children’s I.Q. test scores were at age 3...” Is the author conflating reading and talking (conversation)? Then there’s some explicit advice given by Massaro for everyone to read more, which is fine except for the fact that it is couched in the notion that doing so, ” would not only expose them to more words, he said, but it also would have a leveling effect for families with less education and a more limited vocabulary.” This totally omits what is being read and what is being discussed as factors. Which brings me to the next point.","The theory espoused here is that Moby Dick is better than The Old Man and the Sea – that reading is more like the first and talking is more like the second. I can imagine these researchers with their abacuses counting the words and separating them into big and small. There’s no discussion of storyline, character development, motif, meaning, etc. It’s all about some quantitative word uptake. Here’s a excerpt of a Carol Burris article about Common Core and the opt out movement:","“Here is a sample from the Grade 6 Reading test that was given in Virginia last year to measure the state’s Standards of Learning (SOL):","“Julia raced down the hallway, sliding the last few feet to her next class. The bell had already rung, so she slipped through the door and quickly sat down, hoping the teacher would not notice.","Mr. Malone turned from the piano and said, “Julia, I’m happy you could join us.” He continued teaching, explaining the new music they were preparing to learn. Julia relaxed, thinking Mr. Malone would let another tardy slide by. Unfortunately, she realized at the end of class that she was incorrect.”","That is certainly a reasonable passage to expect sixth-graders to read. You can find the complete passage and other released items from the Virginia tests here.","Contrast the above with a paragraph from a passage on the sixth-grade New York Common Core test given this spring.","The artist focuses on the ephemerality of his subject. “It’s there for a brief moment and the clouds fall apart,” he says. Since clouds are something that people tend to have strong connections to, there are a lot of preconceived notions and emotions tied to them. For him though, his work presents “a transitory moment of presence in a distinct location.” End","In the first passage there’s a tangible meaning and interaction relative to the child doing the reading. The second passage is abstract and evocative, and clearly beyond the average 6th grade mentality. But, gee whiz, its got a lot of big words. Well , no need to go off topic and trash Common Core. It does a pretty good job of trashing itself or as Burris noted – “I will let readers draw their own conclusions.”","“You are stretching them in vocabulary and grammar at an early age,” Massaro said. “You are preparing them to be expert language users, and indirectly you are going to facilitate their learning to read.”","Massaro wants to teach his 36 month old toddler grammar. I read to my kids so they would love a good story and develop an appreciation for writing and the aspirations of humanity. (drum roll)","The stuff of this article comes straight out of the Common Core slice and dice playbook which is not surprising given the big money donated by Gates to Ed Source.","As its main author, David Coleman said about writing in school, “They ( society/employers) don’t give a sh*t what you think or what you feel.” Maybe his mother talked too much and read too little.","* ## Dana 3 years ago3 years ago\nReading aloud is the best investment in the future of the child"]},"parsed_md":"Study says reading aloud to children, more than talking, builds literacy |\nEdSource\n\nUpcoming Roundtable — The future of grading: When failure is not an option —\nDec. 8 at 4 p.m. | Register Today!\n\nEXPLORE: REMOTE'S IMPACT ON THE YOUNGESTQuick Guides\n\n## Highlighting Strategies for Student Success\n\n * Donate\n * Subscribe\n\nQuick search above or Advanced Search\n\n### Literacy\n\n# Study says reading aloud to children, more than talking, builds literacy\n\n### Literacy\n\n##### July 8, 2015\n\n##### Susan Frey\n\n##### 29 Comments\n\nCredit: Lillian Mongeau/EdSource Today\n\nUriel Torres, 4, counts the windows on a building pictured in the Clifford\nbook he’s reading with his tutor, Lisa Hern, at his home in East Palo Alto.\n\nCredit: Lillian Mongeau/EdSource Today\n\nUriel Torres, 4, counts the windows on a building pictured in the Clifford\nbook he’s reading with his tutor, Lisa Hern, at his home in East Palo Alto.\n\n##### Susan Frey\n\n##### July 8, 2015\n\n##### 29 Comments\n\nIn “The Pout-Pout Fish” children’s picture book, the author weaves words like\n“aghast” and “grimace” into a story about a fish who thought he was destined\nto “spread the dreary-wearies all over the place” until...well, no need to\nspoil the ending.\n\nFinding such rich language in a picture book is not unusual, and reading those\nstories aloud will introduce children to an extensive vocabulary, according to\nnew research conducted by Dominic Massaro, a professor emeritus in psychology\nat the University of California, Santa Cruz. He said although parents can\nbuild their children’s vocabularies by talking to them, reading to them is\nmore effective.\n\nReading aloud is the best way to help children develop word mastery and\ngrammatical understanding, which form the basis for learning how to read, said\nMassaro, who studies language acquisition and literacy. He found that picture\nbooks are two to three times as likely as parent-child conversations to\ninclude a word that isn’t among the 5,000 most common English words.\n\nPicture books even include more uncommon words than conversations among\nadults, he said.\n\n“We talk with a lazy tongue,” Massaro said. “We tend to point at something or\nuse a pronoun and the context tells you what it is. We talk at a basic level.”\n\nLiv Ames for EdSource\n\nBooks by Dr. Seuss are popular with children.\n\nMassaro said the limited vocabulary in ordinary, informal speech means what\nhas been dubbed “the talking cure” – encouraging parents to talk more to their\nchildren to increase their vocabularies – has its drawbacks. Reading picture\nbooks to children would not only expose them to more words, he said, but it\nalso would have a leveling effect for families with less education and a more\nlimited vocabulary.\n\n“Given the fact that word mastery in adulthood is correlated with early\nacquisition of words, shared picture book reading offers a potentially\npowerful strategy to prepare children for competent literacy skills,” Massaro\nsaid in the study.\n\nThe emphasis on talking more to children to increase their vocabularies is\nbased on research by Betty Hart and Todd Risley at the University of Kansas.\nThey found that parents on welfare spoke about 620 words to their children in\nan average hour compared with 2,150 words an hour spoken by parents with\nprofessional jobs. By age 3, the children with professional parents had heard\n30 million more words than the children whose parents were on welfare. Hart\nand Risley concluded that the more parents talked to their children, the\nfaster the children’s vocabularies grew and the higher the children’s I.Q.\ntest scores were at age 3 and later. Since their research was published, there\nhas been a push to encourage low-income parents to talk more to their children\nas a way to improve literacy.\n\n> “Reading takes you beyond the easy way to communicate,” said Dominic\n> Massaro, psychology professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz.\n> “It takes you to another world and challenges you.”\n\nBut more picture book reading would be beneficial to children from every\nsocial class, Massaro said. What limits the tongue of even well-educated\nadults are “certain rules of discourse,” such as responding quickly, he said.\nThat reduces word choices to those acquired early and used more frequently. In\nconversation, people also repeat words that have been recently spoken, further\nrestricting the variety of words used.\n\nWriting, on the other hand, is more formal, Massaro said, even in children’s\nbooks.\n\n“Reading takes you beyond the easy way to communicate,” he said. “It takes you\nto another world and challenges you.”\n\nReading picture books to babies and toddlers is important, he said, because\nthe earlier children acquire language, the more likely they are to master it.\n\n“You are stretching them in vocabulary and grammar at an early age,” Massaro\nsaid. “You are preparing them to be expert language users, and indirectly you\nare going to facilitate their learning to read.”\n\n# Going Deeper\n\n“Two Different Communication Genres and Implications for Vocabulary\nDevelopment and Learning to Read” by Dominic W. Massaro, Department of\nPsychology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 2015\n\n“The Early Catastrophe: The 30 Million Word Gap by Age 3” by Betty Hart and\nTodd Risley, University of Kansas, 1995\n\n“The Talking Cure” by Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, Jan. 12, 2005\n\nMassaro said encouraging older children to sound out words and explaining what\na word means if it isn’t clear in the context of the story will help build\nchildren’s vocabularies. Allowing children to pick the books they are\ninterested in and turn the pages themselves keeps them active and engaged in\nlearning, he said.\n\nReading to children also teaches them to listen, and “good listeners are going\nto be good readers,” Massaro said.\n\nMassaro said that 95 percent of the time when adults are reading to children,\nthe children are looking at the pictures, partly because picture books tend to\nhave small or fancy fonts that are hard to read. If picture book publishers\nwould use larger and simpler fonts, then children would be more likely to also\nfocus on the words, helping them to become independent readers, he said.\n\nIn the study, Massaro compared the words in 112 popular picture books to\nadult-to-child conversations and adult-to-adult conversations. The picture\nbooks, which were recommended by librarians and chosen by him, included such\nfavorites as “Goodnight Moon” and “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.”\n\nMost of the books Massaro used were fiction, but children’s picture books can\nalso be nonfiction and discuss topics such as earthquakes or ocean life that\nwould likely include a larger number of uncommon words, he said, giving them\nan even greater advantage over conversation.\n\nTo analyze the conversations, Massaro used two databases of words. One\ndatabase involved 64 conversations with 32 mothers. The mothers had one\nconversation with their baby, age 2 to 5 months, while interacting with toys,\nand another “casual conversation” with an adult experimenter. The second\ndatabase consisted of more than 2.5 million words spoken by parents,\ncaregivers and experimenters in the presence of children with a mean age of 36\nmonths.\n\nIn his comparison, Massaro identified the number of uncommon words, and he\ndetermined that the picture books he analyzed contained more of them than the\nlanguage used in conversation.\n\nMassaro’s study has been accepted for publication in The Journal of Literacy\nResearch.\n\nDo you count on EdSource’s reporting daily? Make your donation today to our\nyear end fundraising campaign by Dec. 31st to keep us going without a paywall\nor ads.\n\nRepublish this article\n\n### Share Article\n\n### Susan Frey covered early learning, expanded learning, foster students and\nadult education for EdSource until\n\n### EXPLORE:\n\nLiteracyEarly LearningCurriculumAcademicsEarly LearningFeaturedReadingStudent\nLiteracy\n\n### Comments (29)\n\n## Leave a Comment\n\n##### Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * *\n\nClick here to cancel reply.\n\n### Comments Policy\n\nWe welcome your comments. All comments are moderated for civility, relevance\nand other considerations. Click here for EdSource's Comments Policy.\n\n 1. ## ROKIPEDIA 1 year ago1 year ago\n\nTo be honest your article is informative and very helpful. After i saw your\nsite and i read it and it help me a lot. Thanks for share your kind\ninformation. You may like this post on https://rokipedia.net/how-to-improve-\nvocabulary-for-adults/\n\n 2. ## Margaret McKeown 2 years ago2 years ago\n\nThe issue should never be talking to vs reading to children, but interacting\nwith children around language. Talk in a way that signals you expect a\nresponse; read as if in a conversation – comment, ask questions, talk about\nwords in the book.\n\nA well-known finding in the literacy field: interacting with children around\nbooks is more beneficial than simply reading aloud. See for example, Dickinson\n& Smith 1994; Teale & Martinez 1996; Beck & McKeown 2001)\n\n 3. ## Charris 3 years ago3 years ago\n\nhttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/326630284_The_impact_of_a_writing_programme_on_reading_acquisition_of_at-\nrisk_first_grade_children here is a fantastic study for those looking for ways\nto help children gain better reading skills, especially if they are behind\ntheir peers. Thank you for this article. While I knew reading was important, I\nfigured the quantity of words was important, not thinking about the quality.\nThis has motivated me to set a 10 book minimum for my children with lots of\nuncommon words.\n\n 4. ## writingpaper 4 years ago4 years ago\n\nReading aloud is the best investment in the future of the child. The basis of\nliteracy and interest in reading is laid in early childhood. Until the child\nlearns to read independently, the influence of parents on his literacy is the\nmost important. The number of home books, daily stories and regular visits to\nthe library has a great influence on the development of the child's reading\nhabits. My colleague conducted studies ... Read More\n\nReading aloud is the best investment in the future of the child. The basis of\nliteracy and interest in reading is laid in early childhood. Until the child\nlearns to read independently, the influence of parents on his literacy is the\nmost important. The number of home books, daily stories and regular visits to\nthe library has a great influence on the development of the child’s reading\nhabits. My colleague conducted studies show that at the age of three children\nfrom families where they read books, heard more than 20 million words than\nchildren from families where books are not read. If by the time of admission\nto school a child knows the letters well and has a certain lexicon, the level\nof his literary literacy remains high in the future. Reading aloud is a more\nimportant factor in a child’s success in the future than the socioeconomic\nstatus of his parents.\n\n 5. ## Gigi 4 years ago4 years ago\n\nExcellent article. Picture books are made for adults to read to children. That\nless frequent vocabulary found in picture book stories are the very words\nchildren probably do not know and will gloss over if the child is reading\nalone. The adult reading the story aloud to the child helps with unfamiliar\nvocabulary. This help provides the word knowledge children need to acquire to\nevetually add the word to his or her lexicon.\n\n 6. ## Cid and Mo 6 years ago6 years ago\n\nWe totally agree! When children listen to stories they not only hear a wide\nvocabulary but they are also exposed to complex sentence structures that are\ndifferent from the ones used in conversations. Also, most importantly,\nchildren who hear stories will learn to enjoy books and are more likely to\nread for pleasure themselves! Success! Cid and Mo\n\n 7. ## Tracey Needham 6 years ago6 years ago\n\nThis is such an important study. Parents in a lower social class often do not\nknow what to talk to their children about which can also hinder the ability of\nthe child to learn new vocabulary, however reading picture books gives a\nstarting point for conversations. The story and pictures can promote\ndiscussion and further understanding. This study gives further evidence to the\nimportance of reading to young babies and toddlers; each ... Read More\n\nThis is such an important study. Parents in a lower social class often do not\nknow what to talk to their children about which can also hinder the ability of\nthe child to learn new vocabulary, however reading picture books gives a\nstarting point for conversations. The story and pictures can promote\ndiscussion and further understanding. This study gives further evidence to the\nimportance of reading to young babies and toddlers; each new study is just\nadding further weight to the argument.\n\n 8. ## Anne 6 years ago6 years ago\n\nLet's not put down alphabet books with realistic pictures of apples, balls,\nand so on. I recall reading such a book with my child who was not yet walking.\nI read what was written and added my own about the \"crunch\" when you bit into\nan apple and more. There was a large \"A\" and \"a\" on the page. My child then\npointed to the letters and clearly wanted ... Read More\n\nLet’s not put down alphabet books with realistic pictures of apples, balls,\nand so on. I recall reading such a book with my child who was not yet walking.\nI read what was written and added my own about the “crunch” when you bit into\nan apple and more. There was a large “A” and “a” on the page. My child then\npointed to the letters and clearly wanted to know more about them as if why\naren’t you talking about these. Phonics began that day... No one taught my son\nto read though sometimes he emphasized the wrong syllable in foreign names\nfrom the newspaper. I am blessed.\n\n 9. ## Concerned Parent Reporter 6 years ago6 years ago\n\nI believe the money paid,to do,the study was money waisted. Of course all\npeople soak,up info. Better when road to for thousands and thousands of common\nsense reasons. 1. Some do not speakmenglishmwell and itmismtoughmtomstumble\nand stumble over words one can't pronouncemandmthis creates a lack of\nflow,ofmcomprehensionmet. 2. In our electronicmtextmworld, many are in a hurry\nand rush reading, skimming,mane comprehension is,lessened as compared to those\nwho rest while being read to. 3. there is a ... Read More\n\nI believe the money paid,to do,the study was money waisted.\n\nOf course all people soak,up info. Better when road to for thousands and\nthousands of common sense reasons.\n\n1\\. Some do not speakmenglishmwell and itmismtoughmtomstumble and stumble over\nwords one can’t pronouncemandmthis creates a lack of flow,ofmcomprehensionmet.\n\n2\\. In our electronicmtextmworld, many are in a hurry and rush reading,\nskimming,mane comprehension is,lessened as compared to those who rest while\nbeing read to.\n\n3\\. there is a magesty,of,theatre in hearing someone read ,in person, that is\na God effect and captivates people to understand in more depth , not unlike\neye contact.\n\nstupid study, and notmworthmthemarticle\n\n 10. ## AutismMom 6 years ago6 years ago\n\nWhen my daughter was two years old, she was diagnosed with a developmental\ndisability and was not talking and not understanding us. I would check out\nloads of children's picture books from the library to read to her. The\npictures weren't enough for her to understand, so we would take stuffed\nanimals and act out what was happening on each page. . We would read and act\nout about 13 books every evening before bed--plus ... Read More\n\nWhen my daughter was two years old, she was diagnosed with a developmental\ndisability and was not talking and not understanding us. I would check out\nloads of children’s picture books from the library to read to her. The\npictures weren’t enough for her to understand, so we would take stuffed\nanimals and act out what was happening on each page. . We would read and act\nout about 13 books every evening before bed–plus some books during the day.\n(She also had other interventions to help her learn to talk). The repetition\nof familiar books was very helpful. We would always do the same book twice in\na row before moving on to another book. Fred and Ted (Big Dog, Little Dog)\nbooks were the best. She got to the point where she not only understood them\nand could act them out, she could flip the language (Book says: Ted liked\nbeets” she could take her stuffed animal and have it pretend to say, “I like\nbeets.” Years later, she is communicating on grade level and is about a year\nahead of her age group in reading. The repetition, pictures, and\npredictability of children’s books make them ideal for helping kids learn–not\njust literacy but also about the world and how to communicate verbally.\n\nReplies\n\n * ## Parent 6 years ago6 years ago\n\nWhat a wonderful post. I sure wish that some non profit would do some valuable\nstudy on what you presented here to see if the act of reading that way did\npropel an autistic child forward more or not. A study is in order. . . . I ask\nyou consider writing to some non profit that focuses on autism and ask if you\ncan help shape a study to test out what you were doing ... Read More\n\nWhat a wonderful post. I sure wish that some non profit would do some valuable\nstudy on what you presented here to see if the act of reading that way did\npropel an autistic child forward more or not. A study is in order. . . . I ask\nyou consider writing to some non profit that focuses on autism and ask if you\ncan help shape a study to test out what you were doing with your child and to\neducate others if it works or not in a validated study. . . . Please consider\nthat.\n\n. . . Parent\n\n * ## Susan Frey 6 years ago6 years ago\n\nThanks for your comment. I forwarded it to Professor Massaro, who is more in\ntouch with the research community. I simply report on studies that I see. I\ndon’t conduct them. It sounds like a terrific idea.\n\n * ## Dom Massaro 6 years ago6 years ago\n\nThanks much for sharing your success story with your child. I would suggest\ncontacting Autism Speaks (https://www.autismspeaks.org/) about your\nexperiences.\n\n * ## Parent News Opinion 6 years ago6 years ago\n\nHow about facial ting more with parent, and , ask parent if someone from\nautism speaks can call her.\n\nParents often work two jobs and large non profits and others need to better\nreach out to facilitate in stronger ways.\n\n * ## Parent News Opinion 6 years ago6 years ago\n\nI meant to write\n\nhow about facilitating more with parent\n\n 11. ## Eileen 6 years ago6 years ago\n\nWhile I see NO downside to reading aloud to/from any age group, I also want to\nstate that the right type of verbal discussion can be as valuable or more\nvaluable depending upon the topic. I cannot begin to explain all that I\nlearned listening to adult conversations at the dinner table. Controversial\ncurrent event topics began to make sense. I certainly learned my parents'\npreferences regarding the world order. Civics ... Read More\n\nWhile I see NO downside to reading aloud to/from any age group, I also want to\nstate that the right type of verbal discussion can be as valuable or more\nvaluable depending upon the topic. I cannot begin to explain all that I\nlearned listening to adult conversations at the dinner table. Controversial\ncurrent event topics began to make sense. I certainly learned my parents’\npreferences regarding the world order. Civics was stressed beyond most\nmeasures of exposure in school. What has happened to the informed\nconversation? Obviously, the listener/learner will hear many biased opinions,\nhowever, the defense of those opinions can be a very valuable learning\nexperience too.\n\n 12. ## Frances O'Neill Zimmerman 6 years ago6 years ago\n\nStudies are always interesting, but do we really want to set up a dichotomy\nbetween talking to kids vs. reading aloud to them? First off, I have to say\nhow important it is to limit screens-time if you want to enhance a kid's love\nof reading. Obviously, both talking and reading aloud are important for both a\nchild's sense of well-being and becoming literate. One aspect of reading aloud\nto young children that is sometimes ... Read More\n\nStudies are always interesting, but do we really want to set up a dichotomy\nbetween talking to kids vs. reading aloud to them? First off, I have to say\nhow important it is to limit screens-time if you want to enhance a kid’s love\nof reading.\n\nObviously, both talking and reading aloud are important for both a child’s\nsense of well-being and becoming literate. One aspect of reading aloud to\nyoung children that is sometimes overlooked is taking time to encourage the\nyoungster’s comments on the story or the illustrations — what feelings does\nthe story elicit, predictions about what might happen, counting numbers,\nnaming animals, identifying colors, appreciating the illustrations and\nwondering how they were made.\n\nAlso, there’s no age limit to the mutual pleasure of reading aloud or being\nread to. I know teenagers who will accept a grandparent’s offer to read aloud\nat bedtime and I know adults who do read-alouds on road-trips. Reading aloud\nis a human interaction and people remember the sound of a reader’s voice –a\nteacher, parent, grandparent, older brother, a friend, forever. One of life’s\njoys is discussing literature with someone who’s read what you’ve read, or who\ntells you about a book that’s unknown to you — and that someone can be a\nlittle kid or another adult.\n\n 13. ## Bill Jenkins 6 years ago6 years ago\n\nOur brains are designed to pay attention to the novel and gloss over the\nfamiliar. This goes all the way back to basic survival awareness where the\nunexpected and new are either threats or opportunities, but it can be\nharnessed for learning and complex cognitive processing. Combining that with\nthe power of storytelling and its ability to touch our thoughts and emotions\nat the same time and you have a powerful teaching tool. ... Read More\n\nOur brains are designed to pay attention to the novel and gloss over the\nfamiliar. This goes all the way back to basic survival awareness where the\nunexpected and new are either threats or opportunities, but it can be\nharnessed for learning and complex cognitive processing. Combining that with\nthe power of storytelling and its ability to touch our thoughts and emotions\nat the same time and you have a powerful teaching tool. Being exposed to novel\nwords in a familiar and stimulating context is important to a child’s brain\ndevelopment and learning ability. Conditioning them that not everything is\nfamiliar will serve to keep them on their toes and alert for new stimuli,\nterms, and concepts. Their internal reward is the feeling of accomplishment\nand approval that comes with learning something new — aspiring and achieving.\nStimulation is vital to the health of our brains, especially children’s\nbrains. Attaching the learning moment to an emotion (preferably a positive one\nsuch as joy, excitement, or delight) solidifies the memory as significant and\naids in placing it in long-term storage. Let’s not squander a mind that is\nopen to the world by boring it into a stupor.\n\n 14. ## Mdw 6 years ago6 years ago\n\nAt what age do the benefits of reading aloud begin to taper off? I’m still\nreading aloud to my 8 year old, does it continue thru the tween years? Any\nstudies done on that?\n\nReplies\n\n * ## Dom Massaro 6 years ago6 years ago\n\nThere is no reason to stop reading to your child if you both are enjoying it.\nMore importantly, the finding that the earlier you learn a word the better you\nmaster it holds well into adulthood. A particularly positive influence would\noccur if your shared reading stretches your child’s vocabulary beyond what he\nor she would normally read alone.\n\nDom Massaro\n\n * ## Shannon 6 years ago6 years ago\n\nI loved reading this article. I am a veteran teacher, starting my 27th year,\nand have been reading aloud to students (no matter what grade level I\ntaught...6th graders seemed to love it more than most other grade levels\nironically) . How can I convey this to my parents or colleagues how vital this\nis for our children?\n\n * ## Gary Ravani 6 years ago6 years ago\n\nMdw: I'm not familiar with studies indicating increased reading comprehension\n(measured) via being read to aloud for older students. I will say, from\nexperience, that students through 9th grade seem to appreciate it. Certainly\njunior high kids do, caught as they are in that \"tweener\" stage. Reading\naloud, if done well, can allow a teacher to provide access to more\nsophisticated reading materials than student's current reading fluency levels\nmight otherwise allow. Though a reading disability ... Read More\n\nMdw:\n\nI’m not familiar with studies indicating increased reading comprehension\n(measured) via being read to aloud for older students. I will say, from\nexperience, that students through 9th grade seem to appreciate it. Certainly\njunior high kids do, caught as they are in that “tweener” stage. Reading\naloud, if done well, can allow a teacher to provide access to more\nsophisticated reading materials than student’s current reading fluency levels\nmight otherwise allow. Though a reading disability or lack of experience with\nEnglish might not allow students to tackle more difficult text materials, they\ncan frequently work with more sophisticated ideas. Which, in the long run,\ntypically adds to comprehension levels as it develops increased context. Other\nsimilar strategies, readers’ theater, choral reading, and “jig-sawing” can\nalso work well in the classroom.\n\n * ## Don 6 years ago6 years ago\n\nI guess it depends because at some point you may be reading to your child in\nlieu of your child reading alone. If your child wants you to read past the age\nwhen s/he should be reading alone then it is becoming a crutch.\n\n * ## FloydThursby1941 6 years ago6 years ago\n\nI think reading with your kids makes it fun and teachers them it’s important.\nThey associate fun time with parents and approval with being able to read. 60%\nof Asians teach their kids to read before Kindergarten vs. 16% of whites, the\nmain cause of the gap between these two groups in California. Reading is\nalways better than talking.\n\n * ## Luis Carbajal 6 years ago6 years ago\n\nYou are absolutely right Floyd. Reading to children is as much a pleasurable\nbonding experience as it is a learning experience. If a child or any human\nbeing for that matter, associates an activity with pleasure, he will be more\nlikely to continue doing it.\n\nChildren enjoy being with their parents and doing something that is intimate.\nReading is one of those activities.\n\n 15. ## Karen Mitcham 6 years ago6 years ago\n\nGreat article So true!\n\n 16. ## Jamie Hogan 6 years ago6 years ago\n\nAs both a mom and illustrator of picture books this Is concrete validation of\nnot only the word wealth but also visual literacy benefits of a child and a\nstory in your lap. Amen!\n\n 17. ## Don 6 years ago6 years ago\n\nThere's some very conflicting ideas in this article concerning reading more\nand talking more. Massaro says, \"....encouraging parents to talk more to their\nchildren to increase their vocabularies – has its drawbacks.\" Frey goes on in\nthe next paragraph too cite Hart and Risley who \"concluded that the more\nparents talked to their children, the faster the children’s vocabularies grew\nand the higher the children’s I.Q. test scores were at age 3...\" Is the author\n... Read More\n\nThere’s some very conflicting ideas in this article concerning reading more\nand talking more. Massaro says, “....encouraging parents to talk more to their\nchildren to increase their vocabularies – has its drawbacks.” Frey goes on in\nthe next paragraph too cite Hart and Risley who “concluded that the more\nparents talked to their children, the faster the children’s vocabularies grew\nand the higher the children’s I.Q. test scores were at age 3...” Is the author\nconflating reading and talking (conversation)? Then there’s some explicit\nadvice given by Massaro for everyone to read more, which is fine except for\nthe fact that it is couched in the notion that doing so, ” would not only\nexpose them to more words, he said, but it also would have a leveling effect\nfor families with less education and a more limited vocabulary.” This totally\nomits what is being read and what is being discussed as factors. Which brings\nme to the next point.\n\nThe theory espoused here is that Moby Dick is better than The Old Man and the\nSea – that reading is more like the first and talking is more like the second.\nI can imagine these researchers with their abacuses counting the words and\nseparating them into big and small. There’s no discussion of storyline,\ncharacter development, motif, meaning, etc. It’s all about some quantitative\nword uptake. Here’s a excerpt of a Carol Burris article about Common Core and\nthe opt out movement:\n\n“Here is a sample from the Grade 6 Reading test that was given in Virginia\nlast year to measure the state’s Standards of Learning (SOL):\n\n“Julia raced down the hallway, sliding the last few feet to her next class.\nThe bell had already rung, so she slipped through the door and quickly sat\ndown, hoping the teacher would not notice.\n\nMr. Malone turned from the piano and said, “Julia, I’m happy you could join\nus.” He continued teaching, explaining the new music they were preparing to\nlearn. Julia relaxed, thinking Mr. Malone would let another tardy slide by.\nUnfortunately, she realized at the end of class that she was incorrect.”\n\nThat is certainly a reasonable passage to expect sixth-graders to read. You\ncan find the complete passage and other released items from the Virginia tests\nhere.\n\nContrast the above with a paragraph from a passage on the sixth-grade New York\nCommon Core test given this spring.\n\nThe artist focuses on the ephemerality of his subject. “It’s there for a brief\nmoment and the clouds fall apart,” he says. Since clouds are something that\npeople tend to have strong connections to, there are a lot of preconceived\nnotions and emotions tied to them. For him though, his work presents “a\ntransitory moment of presence in a distinct location.” End\n\nIn the first passage there’s a tangible meaning and interaction relative to\nthe child doing the reading. The second passage is abstract and evocative, and\nclearly beyond the average 6th grade mentality. But, gee whiz, its got a lot\nof big words. Well , no need to go off topic and trash Common Core. It does a\npretty good job of trashing itself or as Burris noted – “I will let readers\ndraw their own conclusions.”\n\n“You are stretching them in vocabulary and grammar at an early age,” Massaro\nsaid. “You are preparing them to be expert language users, and indirectly you\nare going to facilitate their learning to read.”\n\nMassaro wants to teach his 36 month old toddler grammar. I read to my kids so\nthey would love a good story and develop an appreciation for writing and the\naspirations of humanity. (drum roll)\n\nThe stuff of this article comes straight out of the Common Core slice and dice\nplaybook which is not surprising given the big money donated by Gates to Ed\nSource.\n\nAs its main author, David Coleman said about writing in school, “They (\nsociety/employers) don’t give a sh*t what you think or what you feel.” Maybe\nhis mother talked too much and read too little.\n\nReplies\n\n * ## Dana 3 years ago3 years ago\n\nReading aloud is the best investment in the future of the child\n\n### What’s the latest?\n\n * #### Friday, December 3, 2021 — 9:33 am\n\n## UC San Diego requests Covid-19 tests after Thanksgiving break\n\n * #### Friday, December 3, 2021 — 9:32 am\n\n## Alpine Union to allow in-person learning off campus for unvaccinated\nstudents\n\n * #### Thursday, December 2, 2021 — 9:51 am\n\n## San Diego analysis ties chances of Covid-19 death to education level\n\nTemplate last modified:\n\n436 14th St. Suite 1005 Oakland, CA 94612\n\nPHONE 510-433-0421 | FAX 510-433-0422\n\nedsource@edsource.org\n\nPrivacy Policy 2021 EdSource. All Rights Reserved.\n\nThanks for signing up!\n\n## Stay informed with our daily newsletter\n\n"},{"original_url":"http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/reading/genius-ways-to-make-kids-love-reading/","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20171130053307/http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/reading/genius-ways-to-make-kids-love-reading/","parsed_text":{"title":"18 Genius Ways to Make Kids Love Reading","passages":["In addition to picturing my children being impeccably mannered, perfectly behaved angels, I also envisioned them devouring books the way I did as a child. My son would tear through the Hardy Boys and Harry Potter while my daughters fell in love with Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, and The Baby-Sitters Club series. But like most of my parenting fantasies, this one hasn’t quite come true yet.","Apparently this is not uncommon. “We want to get kids reading, but they are under increasing pressure to do so, and it can overshadow the joy of this wonderful shared activity,” says Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Ed.D., a professor emerita at Lesley University, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the author of Taking Back Childhood. Of course, part of what makes reading enjoyable is being able to do it confidently. However, “parents shouldn’t be the ones reinforcing lessons or obsessing about fundamentals,” Dr. Carlsson-Paige notes. “They should simply be reading with their kids—that’s it.” In other words, keep it light and fun. Books should make you laugh and smile, transport you to faraway lands, and transform you into dragon-slaying sleuths, making you feel all the feels along the way. “If we treat books like they’re magical, kids will grow up believing that too,” says Shanna Schwartz, lead senior staff developer at Columbia University Teachers College Reading and Writing Project in New York City.","Yes, audiobooks count as reading—and they can help children do it better. “Hearing someone reading a book confidently is a great way to experience fluency, which is the ability to read a text accurately, quickly, and with good expression,” says Elissa Mostransky, a grade-school reading teacher and mother of four. Her favorites: E. B. White reading Charlotte’s Web and The Magic Tree House series, which her boys listen to in the car on the way to and from soccer practice. Borrow them at your library, or get a free listening app at Audible.com.","“Children take cues from adults,” says Schwartz. “When you grow up surrounded by junk food, you like junk food. When you grow up surrounded by books, you like books.” Annette Uvena, a mom of two reluctant readers, shares her excitement often: “I make sure they see me reading, but I also talk to them about the book. I’ll excitedly point out something that reminds me of the story, because I want them to see that books bring me joy and will bring them joy too.”","A quiet, cozy, full-of-books nook is a must. “Kids love forts, so just draping two chairs with a blanket can do the trick,” says Christina Droskoski, a grade-school reading specialist and mother of three. “But working with your child to make it an area where she’d want to hang out makes reading time even more appealing.” Consider a beach theme: towels on the floor, a beach umbrella propped against the wall, a poster of the ocean, and sand buckets to house the books. Other possibilities: a pirate's cove, rain forest, or spaceship.","Finding book-inspired activities to do IRL extends the experience, says Dr. Carlsson-Paige. If your 3-year-old loves The Three Little Pigs, take him to see some piggies in person. Reading about the stars? Head to the planetarium. Or take a bookcation—to London after reading Harry Potter, say, or New York City after reading Stuart Little.","Start with Dr. Seuss—March 2 is his birthday. (He’d be 113!) To commemorate the occasion, the National Education Association instituted Read Across America Day for schools to participate in reading competitions, games, and parties. Celebrate at home by introducing your kids to one of the good doctor’s lesser-known works. Some possibilities:","Pick a classic that’s been turned into a movie—Bridge to Terabithia; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory—and read it together, a few chapters at a time. When you’re finished, host a family movie night to watch the film version. “It’s a great way to motivate reluctant readers,” says Katie Vaccaro, a grade-school teacher and mother of two.","“Surrounding kids with books at an early age gets them hooked,” says Alice Sterling Honig, Ph.D., a child development expert at Syracuse University, in New York. Curate a basket to reflect the current season—they’ll be excited to see new titles, and tying them to what’s going on that month will bolster their interest. No holiday on the horizon? Hit the library for topics your kid is currently digging. Leave them out (even on the floor of the car!) and they will pick them up. “Don’t keep books up on shelves,” says Dr. Honig. “Let little kids touch them, carry them around, even take waterproof ones into the bath.”","“Reading aloud is both educational and social, so there are layers of value there,” says Dr. Carlsson-Paige. Plus, children learn to read best—and to love it most—when they hear countless stories over many years in a meaningful context (think cuddling on a parent’s lap). Listening also gives tired readers a break. Dr. Carlsson-Paige loves C. S. Lewis, E. B. White, and Roald Dahl for read-alouds. GuysRead.com, specifically for boys, and ReadingRockets.org are excellent sites for book ideas broken down by age and interests.","Lean on librarians—they’re paid to make reading magical for kids. Check in at the front desk before hitting the stacks to see what kind of activities might be going on. Bookmark the website, too, so you can see upcoming events. “Even if you take your kid there for, say, a building project, he’s going to associate the library with fun, and that’s a good thing,” says Droskoski. And be sure to get each of your children a library card. “It will help them take ownership of the reading experience,” she adds.","Books advance early language development. At first, kids notice the pictures; then they learn to turn the pages; then they realize the story is the same each time—all key pre-reading skills. Books with rhymes are especially beneficial: “Rhyming helps with phonemic awareness—recognizing repetition and sounds,” Dr. Carlsson-Paige says. “Kids love rhymes because they learn what comes next and can chime in.” Titles to try:","Mostransky has her three older kids gather on the couch Sunday mornings, and they read together in their pajamas for about an hour. Then, when the craziness of the week comes, no one has to stress about cramming in 20 minutes of reading on top of all the other homework. “Once you start forcing kids to read, you’re taking the fun right out of it,” says Mostransky. If the kids can’t get it done—or they fall asleep, as often happens—they can list one of the books they read on Sunday on their reading log!","“When ingredients and instructions are read slowly many times, it improves comprehension,” notes Droskoski. Get a cookbook at the library (Cooking Class and Kid Chef are both great) and let your child pick a meal to make with you. “Ask her to read the recipe out loud while you chop,” says Droskoski. “Then switch roles.” Have her write out a menu too—incorporating writing in play also bolsters reading skills.","All it takes is two people reading the same book. Have your child ask a friend, or make it a mother-child endeavor. Pick a deadline and a meeting place, and bring a few discussion questions to get things going (best part, favorite character, ideas for an alternate ending). “Reading is a social activity, and book clubs are a great way to share the experience with friends or family,” says Dr. Carlsson-Paige, who is in a book club with her granddaughter. (They have meetings over Skype!)","This enhances comprehension—and enjoyment. (It’s no fun if they don’t get what’s going on.) “It’s not about grilling, it’s about checking in,” says Dr. Carlsson-Paige. Ask which characters he likes best, what he thinks will happen next, what he would do in that situation. “If you over-focus on letters and sounds at the expense of the story, children aren’t as likely to become good readers,” she explains. “If you’re a good reader, you read fast—you’re not looking at every letter, you’re reading for meaning, which is what fuels the reading process.”","“Add books to any passion in a child’s life—or to any struggle,” says Schwartz. Getting a puppy? Add a book. Starting a new school? Add a book. “You’re saying that books can help when they’re feeling sad, or excited, or anything,” she notes. Have the “book fairy” drop it off: “Wrap the book and leave it with a note—‘I heard you’re going to be a big sister. This will help you learn about your new role. Love, the Book Fairy.’” Some scenario-specific suggestions:","Buy your older readers a headlamp so they can stay up “past bedtime.” It helps remind them that reading is a treat and a privilege—and they’ll feel grown-up. Bonus: You can borrow the headlamp for winter grilling!","“Magazines help teach kids that current information is valuable,” says Schwartz. “They give us the opportunity to become interested in things we didn’t know we cared about.” Getting a new issue is exciting, and it’s important to build a ritual around that for your child, Schwartz suggests. If your child gets Highlights, for example, maybe he’ll always go first to the hidden-picture page. Or perhaps he’ll like reading National Geographic Kids while sitting by the big window overlooking the yard.","When your MIL asks about birthday presents, suggest books! Have your kids give them to their friends too, with an inscription that tells the recipient why this book is special for her. “You’re teaching your child that books are a way to connect with others,” says Schwartz."]},"parsed_md":"18 Genius Ways to Make Kids Love Reading | Parents\n\n * Facebook\n * Pinterest\n * Twitter\n * Instagram\n\nCancel\n\nJoin/Login\n\n * Home\n * Toddlers & Preschoolers\n * Development\n * Reading\n * 18 Genius Ways to Make Kids Love Reading\n\n# 18 Genius Ways to Make Kids Love Reading\n\nThese tricks should get your kids reading on their own in no time!\n\nBy Erin Zammett Ruddy from Family Fun\n\n * Facebook\n * Pinterest\n * Twitter\n * Text\n * Email\n * Print\n * Comments\n\nJohn M. Herr\n\nIn addition to picturing my children being impeccably mannered, perfectly\nbehaved angels, I also envisioned them devouring books the way I did as a\nchild. My son would tear through the Hardy Boys and Harry Potter while my\ndaughters fell in love with Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, and The Baby-Sitters\nClub series. But like most of my parenting fantasies, this one hasn’t quite\ncome true yet.\n\nApparently this is not uncommon. “We want to get kids reading, but they are\nunder increasing pressure to do so, and it can overshadow the joy of this\nwonderful shared activity,” says Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Ed.D., a professor\nemerita at Lesley University, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the author of\nTaking Back Childhood. Of course, part of what makes reading enjoyable is\nbeing able to do it confidently. However, “parents shouldn’t be the ones\nreinforcing lessons or obsessing about fundamentals,” Dr. Carlsson-Paige\nnotes. “They should simply be reading with their kids—that’s it.” In other\nwords, keep it light and fun. Books should make you laugh and smile, transport\nyou to faraway lands, and transform you into dragon-slaying sleuths, making\nyou feel all the feels along the way. “If we treat books like they’re magical,\nkids will grow up believing that too,” says Shanna Schwartz, lead senior staff\ndeveloper at Columbia University Teachers College Reading and Writing Project\nin New York City.\n\nStart with these expert- and mom-approved ideas and the magic will follow.\n\n## 1\\. Swap Ariana Grande for an audiobook.\n\nYes, audiobooks count as reading—and they can help children do it better.\n“Hearing someone reading a book confidently is a great way to experience\nfluency, which is the ability to read a text accurately, quickly, and with\ngood expression,” says Elissa Mostransky, a grade-school reading teacher and\nmother of four. Her favorites: E. B. White reading Charlotte’s Web and The\nMagic Tree House series, which her boys listen to in the car on the way to and\nfrom soccer practice. Borrow them at your library, or get a free listening app\nat Audible.com.\n\n## 2\\. Model reading love.\n\n“Children take cues from adults,” says Schwartz. “When you grow up surrounded\nby junk food, you like junk food. When you grow up surrounded by books, you\nlike books.” Annette Uvena, a mom of two reluctant readers, shares her\nexcitement often: “I make sure they see me reading, but I also talk to them\nabout the book. I’ll excitedly point out something that reminds me of the\nstory, because I want them to see that books bring me joy and will bring them\njoy too.”\n\n * RELATED: Here's Another REALLY Good Reason to Read Books to Your Kids\n\n## 3\\. Theme your nook.\n\nA quiet, cozy, full-of-books nook is a must. “Kids love forts, so just draping\ntwo chairs with a blanket can do the trick,” says Christina Droskoski, a\ngrade-school reading specialist and mother of three. “But working with your\nchild to make it an area where she’d want to hang out makes reading time even\nmore appealing.” Consider a beach theme: towels on the floor, a beach umbrella\npropped against the wall, a poster of the ocean, and sand buckets to house the\nbooks. Other possibilities: a pirate's cove, rain forest, or spaceship.\n\n## 4\\. Help bring books to life.\n\nFinding book-inspired activities to do IRL extends the experience, says Dr.\nCarlsson-Paige. If your 3-year-old loves The Three Little Pigs, take him to\nsee some piggies in person. Reading about the stars? Head to the planetarium.\nOr take a bookcation—to London after reading Harry Potter, say, or New York\nCity after reading Stuart Little.\n\n## 5\\. Celebrate writers.\n\nStart with Dr. Seuss—March 2 is his birthday. (He’d be 113!) To commemorate\nthe occasion, the National Education Association instituted Read Across\nAmerica Day for schools to participate in reading competitions, games, and\nparties. Celebrate at home by introducing your kids to one of the good\ndoctor’s lesser-known works. Some possibilities:\n\n 1. And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street (his first book)\n 2. The King’s Stilts\n 3. I Wish That I Had Duck Feet\n\n## 6\\. Read the book, then watch the movie.\n\nPick a classic that’s been turned into a movie—Bridge to Terabithia; The Lion,\nthe Witch, and the Wardrobe; or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory—and read it\ntogether, a few chapters at a time. When you’re finished, host a family movie\nnight to watch the film version. “It’s a great way to motivate reluctant\nreaders,” says Katie Vaccaro, a grade-school teacher and mother of two.\n\n## 7\\. Stash books all over.\n\n“Surrounding kids with books at an early age gets them hooked,” says Alice\nSterling Honig, Ph.D., a child development expert at Syracuse University, in\nNew York. Curate a basket to reflect the current season—they’ll be excited to\nsee new titles, and tying them to what’s going on that month will bolster\ntheir interest. No holiday on the horizon? Hit the library for topics your kid\nis currently digging. Leave them out (even on the floor of the car!) and they\nwill pick them up. “Don’t keep books up on shelves,” says Dr. Honig. “Let\nlittle kids touch them, carry them around, even take waterproof ones into the\nbath.”\n\n## 8\\. Read aloud—even when they don’t need it.\n\n“Reading aloud is both educational and social, so there are layers of value\nthere,” says Dr. Carlsson-Paige. Plus, children learn to read best—and to love\nit most—when they hear countless stories over many years in a meaningful\ncontext (think cuddling on a parent’s lap). Listening also gives tired readers\na break. Dr. Carlsson-Paige loves C. S. Lewis, E. B. White, and Roald Dahl for\nread-alouds. GuysRead.com, specifically for boys, and ReadingRockets.org are\nexcellent sites for book ideas broken down by age and interests.\n\n## 9\\. Turn your library visits into adventures.\n\nLean on librarians—they’re paid to make reading magical for kids. Check in at\nthe front desk before hitting the stacks to see what kind of activities might\nbe going on. Bookmark the website, too, so you can see upcoming events. “Even\nif you take your kid there for, say, a building project, he’s going to\nassociate the library with fun, and that’s a good thing,” says Droskoski. And\nbe sure to get each of your children a library card. “It will help them take\nownership of the reading experience,” she adds.\n\n## 10\\. Reread the same books to little ones.\n\nBooks advance early language development. At first, kids notice the pictures;\nthen they learn to turn the pages; then they realize the story is the same\neach time—all key pre-reading skills. Books with rhymes are especially\nbeneficial: “Rhyming helps with phonemic awareness—recognizing repetition and\nsounds,” Dr. Carlsson-Paige says. “Kids love rhymes because they learn what\ncomes next and can chime in.” Titles to try:\n\n 1. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr.\n 2. The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen\n 3. Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino\n 4. How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen\n\n## 11\\. Conquer the log.\n\nMostransky has her three older kids gather on the couch Sunday mornings, and\nthey read together in their pajamas for about an hour. Then, when the\ncraziness of the week comes, no one has to stress about cramming in 20 minutes\nof reading on top of all the other homework. “Once you start forcing kids to\nread, you’re taking the fun right out of it,” says Mostransky. If the kids\ncan’t get it done—or they fall asleep, as often happens—they can list one of\nthe books they read on Sunday on their reading log!\n\n## 12\\. Get cooking.\n\n“When ingredients and instructions are read slowly many times, it improves\ncomprehension,” notes Droskoski. Get a cookbook at the library (Cooking Class\nand Kid Chef are both great) and let your child pick a meal to make with you.\n“Ask her to read the recipe out loud while you chop,” says Droskoski. “Then\nswitch roles.” Have her write out a menu too—incorporating writing in play\nalso bolsters reading skills.\n\n## 13\\. Start a club.\n\nAll it takes is two people reading the same book. Have your child ask a\nfriend, or make it a mother-child endeavor. Pick a deadline and a meeting\nplace, and bring a few discussion questions to get things going (best part,\nfavorite character, ideas for an alternate ending). “Reading is a social\nactivity, and book clubs are a great way to share the experience with friends\nor family,” says Dr. Carlsson-Paige, who is in a book club with her\ngranddaughter. (They have meetings over Skype!)\n\n## 14\\. Ask questions.\n\nThis enhances comprehension—and enjoyment. (It’s no fun if they don’t get\nwhat’s going on.) “It’s not about grilling, it’s about checking in,” says Dr.\nCarlsson-Paige. Ask which characters he likes best, what he thinks will happen\nnext, what he would do in that situation. “If you over-focus on letters and\nsounds at the expense of the story, children aren’t as likely to become good\nreaders,” she explains. “If you’re a good reader, you read fast—you’re not\nlooking at every letter, you’re reading for meaning, which is what fuels the\nreading process.”\n\n## 15\\. Turn to books at tough times.\n\n“Add books to any passion in a child’s life—or to any struggle,” says\nSchwartz. Getting a puppy? Add a book. Starting a new school? Add a book.\n“You’re saying that books can help when they’re feeling sad, or excited, or\nanything,” she notes. Have the “book fairy” drop it off: “Wrap the book and\nleave it with a note—‘I heard you’re going to be a big sister. This will help\nyou learn about your new role. Love, the Book Fairy.’” Some scenario-specific\nsuggestions:\n\n 1. Much Bigger Than Martin, by Steven Kellogg, for sibling rivalry\n 2. Penguin Problems, by Jory John, for a grumpy, negative attitude\n 3. Swimmy, by Leo Lionni, for dealing with adversity and bullies\n 4. The Tenth Good Thing About Barney, by Judith Viorst, for the loss of a pet\n 5. Where Do They Go? by Julia Alvarez, for coping with death\n\n## 16\\. Get a little goofy.\n\nBuy your older readers a headlamp so they can stay up “past bedtime.” It helps\nremind them that reading is a treat and a privilege—and they’ll feel grown-up.\nBonus: You can borrow the headlamp for winter grilling!\n\n## 17\\. Count on magazines.\n\n“Magazines help teach kids that current information is valuable,” says\nSchwartz. “They give us the opportunity to become interested in things we\ndidn’t know we cared about.” Getting a new issue is exciting, and it’s\nimportant to build a ritual around that for your child, Schwartz suggests. If\nyour child gets Highlights, for example, maybe he’ll always go first to the\nhidden-picture page. Or perhaps he’ll like reading National Geographic Kids\nwhile sitting by the big window overlooking the yard.\n\n * RELATED: 3 Things to Help Kids Read\n\n## 18\\. Give the gift that keeps them reading.\n\nWhen your MIL asks about birthday presents, suggest books! Have your kids give\nthem to their friends too, with an inscription that tells the recipient why\nthis book is special for her. “You’re teaching your child that books are a way\nto connect with others,” says Schwartz.\n\n## More in Development\n\n10 Books to Read By Kindergarten\n\nYour Baby from 28 to 30 Months: Reading & Writing\n\nHow to Raise a Reader\n\nBye-Bye Binky: Ending the Pacifier Habit\n\n3-Year-Old Birthday Gift Ideas\n\nThe Return of Respect!\n\n## Comments\n\nAdd a comment\n\nShop Parents\n\n * kids rooms\n * lightweight strollers\n * maternity dresses\n * pregnancy pillows\n * sports and activities\n * strategy games\n * stroller travel systems\n * strollers\n * toys and games\n * video monitor\n * baby girls clothes\n * board games\n * boys clothes\n * boys clothing\n * car seats\n * childrens clothing\n * convertible car seats\n * educational toys\n\nShop More\n\n * Help\n * Update Your Account\n * Member Benefits\n * Newsletter\n * Customer Service\n * Log in\n * Join now!\n * Log out\n\n * About Us\n * Baby Names\n * Pregnancy Tracker\n * Baby Development\n * Recalls\n * Video\n * Sitemap\n * Shop Sitemap\n\n * Subscribe\n * Digital Editions\n * Gift Subscriptions\n * Renew Subscriptions\n * Customer Service\n * Advertise with Us\n * From Our Sponsors\n * Affiliate Program\n\n * Parents\n * Parenting\n * Family Circle\n * Ser Padres\n * Fit Pregnancy\n\n##### Follow Parents.com\n\n * Facebook\n * Pinterest\n * Twitter\n * Instagram\n\nMeredith Women's Network | © Copyright 2017 Meredith Corporation. All Rights\nReserved Privacy Policy - Your California Rights Data Policy Terms of Service\nAdChoices\n\nclose\n\n"},{"original_url":"https://www.ahaparenting.com/parenting-tools/intelligent-creative-child/child-loves-read","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20210712130848/https://www.ahaparenting.com/parenting-tools/intelligent-creative-child/child-loves-read","parsed_text":{"title":"How can you inspire a lasting love of reading in your child?","passages":["Forget Baby Einstein. Research shows that reading to children and discussing the book as you read is the single best way to increase your child’s IQ.","That's not just because you're helping your child develop reading comprehension. You're also nurturing a deep love of reading. And when children love to read, they choose to read independently, become better readers, score higher on achievement tests in all subject areas, and have greater content knowledge than those who don't.* School performance correlates more directly with children's reading scores than any other single indicator.","Does your child read every day, not because it’s assigned, but just for fun? Most parents buy board books for their babies and say they hope they'll love reading. And yet, by middle school, most kids stop reading books that aren't assigned in school. In the USA, by the end of middle school, two-thirds of all students do not attain proficiency in literacy and comprehension skills.","What happens? The habit of reading never really gets ingrained in childhood. Our kids love leafing through books as toddlers, looking at the pictures. They may even enjoy reading as early elementary schoolers. But reading is hard work, and life offers so many other ways to entertain themselves that early reading often seems more like work than play. They never get to that delicious place where reading a good book is more fun than almost anything.","And not just at bedtime. Buy board books and cloth books as some of your child's first toys. Carry them around with snacks in the diaper bag. Create \"cozy time,\" a ritual of connection in which you both associate love and cuddling with reading. Any time either of you needs a break, grab a book and read to your child. Post tantrum, during lunch, after school, while you have your coffee, any time can be cozy time.","...by the time your child is two and she may well prefer reading to any other activity. Use the time in the library to read to your child as well as to select books. My kids would never sit still at library \"story times,\" but if your child likes them, by all means go. Write down the names of the books you check out if your library can't give you a printout, so you can keep track of returning them on time. Keep library books on a separate shelf in the living room or kitchen so you don't lose them, and so you can always easily find something new to read. (If you don't take them out of the house, you won't lose them.)","Supervising a toddler and perusing bookshelves is always a challenge; it helps if you can develop a list of authors and books so you can find good ones easily. Librarians usually have a list of favorite books for various ages, and other parents and kids are always a good source of suggestions. Find some series you like and share your child's excitement when you find another book by a beloved author. (See Recommended Children's Books).","Most children learn to read naturally once they develop the preliminary skills. Your goal is not to help him sound out words, but to encourage a love of books, both pictures and stories. Teaching him to read may take all the fun out of reading. If you push him, he'll feel put on the spot, and he'll feel dumb. That feeling will last his whole life, and it won't help him like reading.","Some very smart children don't learn to read until they're over seven years old. Don't worry. They'll quickly catch up with those who started at four or five. I know two children who were reading at 3 years old and at 6 years old, respectively. They are both now 9, and in the fourth grade. They both read at about an eighth grade reading level. The only difference is that the early reader feels insecure about no longer being “special,” and often acts obnoxiously superior to other kids. There is absolutely no benefit to pushing your child to read \"early,\" and there are many drawbacks. (Should you stop her from teaching herself to read? Of course not. I'm just saying not to push it and not to make it your child's claim to fame, because sooner or later everyone else will catch up. It's a bit like whether a child learns to walk at nine months or 16 months. Who cares?)","If you notice that your child seems to have a hard time recognizing letters, or confuses letters, or can't sound out words, or can't recognize words that she has seen many times before, it is possible that she has a learning difference such as dyslexia. Discuss your concern with your child's school and ask to speak to their learning specialist, who should be experienced in diagnosis and early intervention.","I found that before my children could really participate in meals, reading to them during lunch or an early dinner (when the other parent isn't yet home from work) entertained them enough to keep them sitting. They were much more likely to try the foods I put in front of them with my company and the diversion of a book, than if I let them sit in the high chair or at the kitchen table to eat while I cooked. This is very different from putting kids in front of a screen while they eat. Then, they stare at the screen as they unconsciously put things in their mouth. Being read to is more like listening to the radio; they can look at their food and savor it as they listen, glancing back and forth at the pictures you hold up.","This is a critical tip. Read to him every step of the way, for as long as he'll let you. Continuing to read to your child will keep him interested in reading to himself and developing his skills. And it gives you lots of fodder for great conversations about values and choices.","Parents often complain that their early readers CAN read, but just don't seem interested in doing so. Most kids go through this stage, but you can help to keep it a brief one. The child's problem, of course, is that he can read simple books, but his imagination craves more developed plots and characters. Those books are agonizing work, with too many words he doesn’t know. The labor distracts him from the story. The solution? He needs his parents to keep reading to him, to keep him fascinated with the secrets of books. That's what will motivate him to do the hard work to become a proficient reader.","At this vulnerable stage, it is well worth the extra time to track down books he can read and will find exciting. Picture books with lots of words work well, since he can use the pictures to help him stay interested and figure out the words. Soon, through his work in school, as well as the books he picks up at home, his reading skills will catch up with his appetite for books. Within a few months, he'll be able to handle simple chapter books. At that point, look for series books, which often lure kids on to the next book and the next.","Set up a “cozy reading time” every day. This can be a perfect chill-out time after school, or after lunch in the summer, or a wind-down time at the end of the evening. It’s amazing how motivated kids are to read if this allows them to stay up a little later. We negotiated a half hour later bedtime that our first graders were ready for anyway, as long as it was spent in bed reading a book.","Some six year olds are just so tired by the end of the day, however, that reading is simply too much work for them then. Until your child is ready for bedtime reading, try setting up his cozy reading time while you make dinner, after homework is done. The only downside to this is that you’ll need to scrape out 15 minutes to start him off at what is probably your busiest time of the day.","Pick a book she can read, but that is a bit harder than she might choose on her own -- a simple chapter book, rather than a picture book, for example. Read together until you have to answer the phone or start dinner, but a minimum of a quarter of the book, so your child is hooked. Then tell her it's time for her read-alone time. It’s her choice. Does she want to keep reading the book you've just gotten her into, or read something else? Most kids grab the book and finish it themselves. (If she doesn't, you may need to drop back a level to a slightly simpler book.) Keep choosing engrossing, slightly harder books.","... during your read-aloud time. But if he stumbles, supply the word. Don't make him stop and sound things out; your goal is to keep him excited about the book by moving forward with the story. I recommend this only for limited periods of time – it tires kids out – and I recommend that you not be rigid about enforcing your child's participation (in other words, have them do every third page, or fourth). If you take the fun out of reading with him, you've done more harm than good.","Some kids get a terrific jump start from comics, which are less intimidating to them than chapter books. Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes books, for instance, are kid pleasers with sophisticated vocabulary and concepts.","I know she can read anything herself now. But why give up such an important time to connect with each other emotionally? Why give up the chance to read books that trigger good discussions about values and choices and hardships and hope? Don’t stop till she fires you. My fourteen year old can read physics books I can't fathom, but he still lets me read history or politics to him occasionally. The best part for both of us is then talking about what we're reading.","Role model. If they don't see you read, why should they? Discuss what you're all reading at the dinner table. Institutionalize family reading time, when a parent reads to the whole family. As kids get older, they can take over the role of reader, or the book can be passed around the circle.","There is no way a book can compete with a screen. Most kids, given the choice, just won't choose the book often enough to make it a habit. Before you know it, they'll have developed other habits for relaxing, and reading will be something other people do. Limiting or even banning screen usage until reading is well-established may be the most important thing you can do to encourage reading. Click here for more on why TV compromises reading and academics.","Cunningham, A. E., and K. E. Stanovich. 1991. Tracking the unique effects of print exposure in children: Associations with vocabulary, general knowledge, and spelling. Journal of Educational Psychology 83(2): 264–274.","Stanovich, K. E., and A. E. Cunningham. 1993. Where does knowledge come from? Specific associations between print exposure and information acquisition. Journal of Educational Psychology 85(2): 211–29.","Today I say thank you, tears streaming from my face, so proud of my little boy and all he will become. Thank you. - Jennifer B.","\"I always feel happy when I see your newsletter show up in my email, because I know I'll feel better once I read it!\" - Naomi","\"All I can say is, the proof is in the pudding. It really, really works. Try for one day, then just one more day.\"","\"Using Dr. Laura's approach, I’ve managed to stop things tipping into a tantrum and my two year old happily doing what I’ve asked!\"","Aha! Parenting helps you create a more peaceful home - and happy, responsible, considerate kids! Learn more about the Aha! Parenting philosophy and Dr. Laura Markham. Read More »"]},"parsed_md":"How can you inspire a lasting love of reading in your child?\n\n * Articles\n\n * Blog\n * Parenting Tips\n * Ages & Stages\n\n * Pregnancy & Birth\n * Newborns & Infants\n * Babies\n * Toddlers\n * Preschoolers\n * School Age\n * Preteens & Tweens\n * Early Teen\n * Teenagers\n * My Account\n * Ask the Doctor: Q&A\n * My Account\n * Books\n\n * Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids\n * Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids Workbook\n * Peaceful Parent, Happy SIblings\n * All Books\n * Workbook Resources - Audios\n * Workbook Resources - Example Limits\n * Workbook Resources - Feelings Wheel\n * Workbook Resources - Respectful Voice\n * My Account\n * Audio/Video\n\n * Dr. Laura's Podcast\n * Videos\n * Audios to Download\n * My Account\n * Shop\n\n * Online Course\n * Books\n * Audios\n * Gift Guide\n * My Account\n * About\n\n * About Aha! Parenting\n * Parent Testimonials\n * Parenting Coaches\n * Newsletter\n * My Account\n * Press\n * Speaking\n * Contact\n * Search\n * Cart\n * My Account\n\n 1. My Account\n\nAges & Stages\n\n * Pregnancy & Birth\n * Newborns & Infants\n * Babies\n * Toddlers\n * Preschoolers\n * School Age\n * Tweens\n * Early Teen\n * Teenagers\n\n# Raise a Child Who Loves to Read\n\nForget Baby Einstein. Research shows that reading to children and discussing\nthe book as you read is the single best way to increase your child’s IQ.\n\nThat's not just because you're helping your child develop reading\ncomprehension. You're also nurturing a deep love of reading. And when children\nlove to read, they choose to read independently, become better readers, score\nhigher on achievement tests in all subject areas, and have greater content\nknowledge than those who don't.* School performance correlates more directly\nwith children's reading scores than any other single indicator.\n\nDoes your child read every day, not because it’s assigned, but just for fun?\nMost parents buy board books for their babies and say they hope they'll love\nreading. And yet, by middle school, most kids stop reading books that aren't\nassigned in school. In the USA, by the end of middle school, two-thirds of all\nstudents do not attain proficiency in literacy and comprehension skills.\n\nWhat happens? The habit of reading never really gets ingrained in childhood.\nOur kids love leafing through books as toddlers, looking at the pictures. They\nmay even enjoy reading as early elementary schoolers. But reading is hard\nwork, and life offers so many other ways to entertain themselves that early\nreading often seems more like work than play. They never get to that delicious\nplace where reading a good book is more fun than almost anything.\n\nSo how can you inspire a lasting love of reading?\n\n### 1\\. Read to your child from the earliest age.\n\nAnd not just at bedtime. Buy board books and cloth books as some of your\nchild's first toys. Carry them around with snacks in the diaper bag. Create\n\"cozy time,\" a ritual of connection in which you both associate love and\ncuddling with reading. Any time either of you needs a break, grab a book and\nread to your child. Post tantrum, during lunch, after school, while you have\nyour coffee, any time can be cozy time.\n\n### 2\\. Begin visiting the library regularly\n\n...by the time your child is two and she may well prefer reading to any other\nactivity. Use the time in the library to read to your child as well as to\nselect books. My kids would never sit still at library \"story times,\" but if\nyour child likes them, by all means go. Write down the names of the books you\ncheck out if your library can't give you a printout, so you can keep track of\nreturning them on time. Keep library books on a separate shelf in the living\nroom or kitchen so you don't lose them, and so you can always easily find\nsomething new to read. (If you don't take them out of the house, you won't\nlose them.)\n\nSupervising a toddler and perusing bookshelves is always a challenge; it helps\nif you can develop a list of authors and books so you can find good ones\neasily. Librarians usually have a list of favorite books for various ages, and\nother parents and kids are always a good source of suggestions. Find some\nseries you like and share your child's excitement when you find another book\nby a beloved author. (See Recommended Children's Books).\n\n### 3\\. Don't push your child to learn to read.\n\nMost children learn to read naturally once they develop the preliminary\nskills. Your goal is not to help him sound out words, but to encourage a love\nof books, both pictures and stories. Teaching him to read may take all the fun\nout of reading. If you push him, he'll feel put on the spot, and he'll feel\ndumb. That feeling will last his whole life, and it won't help him like\nreading.\n\nSome very smart children don't learn to read until they're over seven years\nold. Don't worry. They'll quickly catch up with those who started at four or\nfive. I know two children who were reading at 3 years old and at 6 years old,\nrespectively. They are both now 9, and in the fourth grade. They both read at\nabout an eighth grade reading level. The only difference is that the early\nreader feels insecure about no longer being “special,” and often acts\nobnoxiously superior to other kids. There is absolutely no benefit to pushing\nyour child to read \"early,\" and there are many drawbacks. (Should you stop her\nfrom teaching herself to read? Of course not. I'm just saying not to push it\nand not to make it your child's claim to fame, because sooner or later\neveryone else will catch up. It's a bit like whether a child learns to walk at\nnine months or 16 months. Who cares?)\n\nIf you notice that your child seems to have a hard time recognizing letters,\nor confuses letters, or can't sound out words, or can't recognize words that\nshe has seen many times before, it is possible that she has a learning\ndifference such as dyslexia. Discuss your concern with your child's school and\nask to speak to their learning specialist, who should be experienced in\ndiagnosis and early intervention.\n\n### 4\\. Read to your child as often as possible.\n\nI found that before my children could really participate in meals, reading to\nthem during lunch or an early dinner (when the other parent isn't yet home\nfrom work) entertained them enough to keep them sitting. They were much more\nlikely to try the foods I put in front of them with my company and the\ndiversion of a book, than if I let them sit in the high chair or at the\nkitchen table to eat while I cooked. This is very different from putting kids\nin front of a screen while they eat. Then, they stare at the screen as they\nunconsciously put things in their mouth. Being read to is more like listening\nto the radio; they can look at their food and savor it as they listen,\nglancing back and forth at the pictures you hold up.\n\n### 5\\. Don't stop reading to him once he learns to read.\n\nThis is a critical tip. Read to him every step of the way, for as long as\nhe'll let you. Continuing to read to your child will keep him interested in\nreading to himself and developing his skills. And it gives you lots of fodder\nfor great conversations about values and choices.\n\nParents often complain that their early readers CAN read, but just don't seem\ninterested in doing so. Most kids go through this stage, but you can help to\nkeep it a brief one. The child's problem, of course, is that he can read\nsimple books, but his imagination craves more developed plots and characters.\nThose books are agonizing work, with too many words he doesn’t know. The labor\ndistracts him from the story. The solution? He needs his parents to keep\nreading to him, to keep him fascinated with the secrets of books. That's what\nwill motivate him to do the hard work to become a proficient reader.\n\nAt this vulnerable stage, it is well worth the extra time to track down books\nhe can read and will find exciting. Picture books with lots of words work\nwell, since he can use the pictures to help him stay interested and figure out\nthe words. Soon, through his work in school, as well as the books he picks up\nat home, his reading skills will catch up with his appetite for books. Within\na few months, he'll be able to handle simple chapter books. At that point,\nlook for series books, which often lure kids on to the next book and the next.\n\n### 6\\. Ritualize daily reading time.\n\nSet up a “cozy reading time” every day. This can be a perfect chill-out time\nafter school, or after lunch in the summer, or a wind-down time at the end of\nthe evening. It’s amazing how motivated kids are to read if this allows them\nto stay up a little later. We negotiated a half hour later bedtime that our\nfirst graders were ready for anyway, as long as it was spent in bed reading a\nbook.\n\nSome six year olds are just so tired by the end of the day, however, that\nreading is simply too much work for them then. Until your child is ready for\nbedtime reading, try setting up his cozy reading time while you make dinner,\nafter homework is done. The only downside to this is that you’ll need to\nscrape out 15 minutes to start him off at what is probably your busiest time\nof the day.\n\n### 7\\. Help her tackle the next level.\n\nPick a book she can read, but that is a bit harder than she might choose on\nher own -- a simple chapter book, rather than a picture book, for example.\nRead together until you have to answer the phone or start dinner, but a\nminimum of a quarter of the book, so your child is hooked. Then tell her it's\ntime for her read-alone time. It’s her choice. Does she want to keep reading\nthe book you've just gotten her into, or read something else? Most kids grab\nthe book and finish it themselves. (If she doesn't, you may need to drop back\na level to a slightly simpler book.) Keep choosing engrossing, slightly harder\nbooks.\n\n### 8\\. Help him improve his reading by alternating pages with him\n\n... during your read-aloud time. But if he stumbles, supply the word. Don't\nmake him stop and sound things out; your goal is to keep him excited about the\nbook by moving forward with the story. I recommend this only for limited\nperiods of time – it tires kids out – and I recommend that you not be rigid\nabout enforcing your child's participation (in other words, have them do every\nthird page, or fourth). If you take the fun out of reading with him, you've\ndone more harm than good.\n\n### 9\\. Try smart comics for reluctant readers.\n\nSome kids get a terrific jump start from comics, which are less intimidating\nto them than chapter books. Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes books, for\ninstance, are kid pleasers with sophisticated vocabulary and concepts.\n\n### 10\\. Never stop reading to her.\n\nI know she can read anything herself now. But why give up such an important\ntime to connect with each other emotionally? Why give up the chance to read\nbooks that trigger good discussions about values and choices and hardships and\nhope? Don’t stop till she fires you. My fourteen year old can read physics\nbooks I can't fathom, but he still lets me read history or politics to him\noccasionally. The best part for both of us is then talking about what we're\nreading.\n\n### 11\\. Read yourself.\n\nRole model. If they don't see you read, why should they? Discuss what you're\nall reading at the dinner table. Institutionalize family reading time, when a\nparent reads to the whole family. As kids get older, they can take over the\nrole of reader, or the book can be passed around the circle.\n\n### 12\\. Limit screens.\n\nThere is no way a book can compete with a screen. Most kids, given the choice,\njust won't choose the book often enough to make it a habit. Before you know\nit, they'll have developed other habits for relaxing, and reading will be\nsomething other people do. Limiting or even banning screen usage until reading\nis well-established may be the most important thing you can do to encourage\nreading. Click here for more on why TV compromises reading and academics.\n\nCitations:\n\nCullinan, Bernice E. 2000. Independent Reading and School Achievement. School\nLibrary Media Research: Research Journal of the American Association of School\nLibrarians. Volume 3.\n\nCunningham, A. E., and K. E. Stanovich. 1991. Tracking the unique effects of\nprint exposure in children: Associations with vocabulary, general knowledge,\nand spelling. Journal of Educational Psychology 83(2): 264–274.\n\nKrashen, S. D. 1993. The power of reading: Insights from the research.\nEnglewood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited.\n\nReardon, S., Valentino, R. and Shores, K. 2012.“Patterns of Literacy among\nU.S. Students” in “Literacy Challenges for the Twenty-First Century,” The\nFuture of Children, Volume 22, Number 2, Fall 2012.\n\nStanovich, K. E., and A. E. Cunningham. 1993. Where does knowledge come from?\nSpecific associations between print exposure and information acquisition.\nJournal of Educational Psychology 85(2): 211–29.\n\nFree weekly inspiration in your inbox Dr. Laura's Parenting Tips\n\nYes I Want This Support!\n\nPeaceful Parent Happy Kids Online Course\n\n * 12 weeks of practical support & tools\n * Live Group Call with Dr. Laura\n * 60 audio inspirations & Private FB group\n\nLearn More\n\n## Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids\n\n## Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids Workbook\n\n## Peaceful Parent, Happy Siblings\n\n### How to Raise an Intelligent, Creative Child\n\n * * How to Raise an Intelligent, Creative Child\n * How to Raise a Child Who Loves to Read\n * How to Raise a Smart Kid Who Loves to Learn\n * The Secret That Transforms Learning: Growth Mindset\n * How to Raise a Motivated Student\n * Secrets to Raise a Creative Child\n * How To Help Your Child Develop Mindfulness Practices\n * Why TV Undermines Your Child Academically\n * Why Boredom is Good For Your Child\n * Recommended: 5 Star Children's Books\n\nTweets by DrLauraMarkham\n\n## CONNECT WITH DR.LAURA ON...\n\n## DOES THIS KIND OF PARENTING WORK?\n\nToday I say thank you, tears streaming from my face, so proud of my little boy\nand all he will become. Thank you. - Jennifer B.\n\nWHAT PARENTS SAY\n\n## UPCOMING EVENTS\n\nApril 9, 2021\n\nUnited Services Automobile Association (USAA)\n\nVirtual\n\nFebruary 17, 2022\n\nWellesley Mother's Forum\n\nVIEW ALL EVENTS\n\n## RECENT BLOG POSTS\n\n * Instead of Grounding Your Kid: 12 Steps To Teach a Lesson\n\n * Camping: Family Bonding Time At Its Best\n\n * Aggression from Other Kids: Here's How To Help Your Child Find His Voice\n\n## Parenting Tips in Your In Box\n\n\"I always feel happy when I see your newsletter show up in my email, because I\nknow I'll feel better once I read it!\" - Naomi\n\n## Does this Kind of Parenting Work?\n\n\"Yes. It works. And the more rest I get, the more patience I have. It makes a\ndifference.\"\n\n\"Practicing Dr. Laura's advice on empathizing with your child definitely\ndissipates the conflict.\"\n\n\"All I can say is, the proof is in the pudding. It really, really works. Try\nfor one day, then just one more day.\"\n\n\"Using Dr. Laura's approach, I’ve managed to stop things tipping into a\ntantrum and my two year old happily doing what I’ve asked!\"\n\nRead More »\n\n## About\n\nAha! Parenting helps you create a more peaceful home - and happy, responsible,\nconsiderate kids! Learn more about the Aha! Parenting philosophy and Dr. Laura\nMarkham. Read More »\n\n## Find Dr. Laura Markham On...\n\nCopyright ©2021 Dr. Laura Markham. All rights reserved. | Privacy| Disclaimer\n| Site by Enginate\n\n"}],"string":"[\n {\n \"original_url\": \"https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/62202/10-great-kids-comics-early-readers\",\n \"archive_url\": \"http://web.archive.org/web/20210503105518/https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/62202/10-great-kids-comics-early-readers\",\n \"parsed_text\": {\n \"title\": \"10 Great Kids Comics for Early Readers\",\n \"passages\": [\n \"When a child is just learning to read, comics can be a great supplement to help foster love and enjoyment for books. As detailed in this wonderful handout, “Raising a Reader,” [PDF] from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, comics have a lot to offer young readers. For that crucial first stage of early reading (ages 5-8, grades K-2), though, it can be hard to find appropriate comic book reading material. Many parents will either disregard comic books as a reading option or assume that any old superhero comic will do. The appropriate range of choices for this specific age group and reading level is actually pretty narrow, but it contains some fabulous picks.\",\n \"I’ve put together a list of 10 great choices to consider giving your early reader. I’ve tried to keep in mind both reading level and content appropriateness. Also, it should be noted that 98 percent of today’s superhero comics are written for a minimum age of at least 13. Both Marvel and DC publish a couple of choices for younger readers based off their animated TV shows, but even those tend to skew older than the reading level we’re talking about here.\",\n \"Without a doubt, the best go-to option for parents looking for quality comics for early readers is the many graphic novels from Toon Books. Started in 2008 by comics power couple Françoise Mouly (art and comics editor for the New Yorker) and Art Spiegelman (creator of the literary comics masterpiece Maus), Toon Books is the only comics publisher that organizes their publications by reading level. For early readers, they have a number of great offerings spread across two levels: Brand-new readers (ages 3+, grades K-1) and Emerging Readers (ages 4+, grades 1-2). They also publish books for later stages like grades 2-3 and beyond.\",\n \"The best part about Toon Books is the quality of the creative talent that Mouly and Spiegelman have tapped. There are books in these early levels by outstanding cartoonists such as Lilli Carré, Renee French, and Rutu Modan, and children’s book award-winning contributions from Jeff Smith and Eleanor Davis. Most books come in hardcover and softcover format and are pretty readily available in bookstores, but you can browse them all on Toon-Books.com or head to Amazon to browse their selection.\",\n \"Difficulty: The best part about Toon Books is they clearly label each book according to grade level beginning at K-1 up to Grade 3+. Content: Think of these as a bridge between reading picture books and reading comics. The varied offerings include lots of books about cute, anthropomorphic animals learning moral and educational lessons. Where to start: You can’t go wrong with Eleanor Davis’s award-winning Stinky, about a monster who is afraid of people but learns that, once you meet them, they’re really not that scary. Certain volumes are also available on Amazon.\",\n \"For early readers who are still trying to gain their confidence with the written word, there are comics like Andy Runton’s Owly that let the pictures do the talking. These cute, award-winning books are mostly wordless, sometimes using word balloons that contain pictures instead of words. This is a great way of getting new readers into the flow of reading—especially comics reading—without stumbling over word recognition. The stories usually center around friendship, loyalty, and nature and are charmingly innocent. While there may not be any words, Runton’s illustrations will give you and your little reader a lot to look at and talk about.\",\n \"Difficulty: Since there are no words, even pre-readers can pick these up. Content: These are very innocent stories, completely devoid of violence or adult themes. Where to start: You can learn about Owly on Runton's website (he even has a lot of free PDFs you can download to sample). There is a pretty big library of Owly books that are readily available in most comic shops, bookstores, or Amazon.\",\n \"Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani have made a name for themselves by creating all-ages superhero comics in their very recognizable kid-friendly style. They’ve applied this style to everything from their own creations like Patrick the Wolf Boy to “Itty Bitty” versions of horror comic characters like Hellboy and Vampirella. The book that put them on the map, though, is Tiny Titans which ran for 50 issues from 2008 until 2012, twice winning the comics industry's top award for Best Kids Series, and has been collected across eight volumes of trade paperbacks.\",\n \"Difficulty: The books consist of short stories—mostly two-four pages in length—and the storytelling relies a lot on visual gags so the word count is pretty low and non-intimidating. Content: The stories are focused on elementary-school versions of many DC Comics characters (primarily those associated with the Teen Titans like Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Aqualad) and it’s more about being in school than fighting criminals. Some of the jokes may require some familiarity with the DC Universe and other pop culture for kids to fully “get” them, though. Where to start: You may be able to find some random back issues at certain comic shops, but since the series has ended, your best bet will be the trade paperback collections like Tiny Titans Vol. 1: Welcome to the Treehouse.\",\n \"How can you go wrong with nursery rhymes and fairy tales? Especially when they’re drawn by some of the best cartoonists in the business? First Second Books and editor Chris Duffy had the brilliant idea of putting together two separate large collections (there are 50 nursery rhymes in one book and 17 fairy tales in the other) by a dream lineup of primarily indie-comic stars like Roz Chast, Gene Luen Yang, Mike Mignola, Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez, Emily Carroll, Raina Telgemeier, David Mazzucchelli, Eleanor Davis, Stan Sakai, and others.\",\n \"Difficulty: As you might be able to surmise, the Nursery Rhyme collection skews a little younger, but both are perfect choices for this reading level. Content: Kids will recognize most of the stories here, but they do mix things up with a couple of obscure selections in each. The fairy tales are certainly no more disturbing than any Grimm fairy tale you read when you were young. Where to Start: Both books should be pretty easy to find wherever books are sold.\",\n \"Unexpectedly, one of the most enjoyable kids comics to come out in recent years is Scooby-Doo Team-Up which, each month, has the Scooby-Doo gang meet various DC Comics heroes as well as characters from classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons like the Flintstones and the Jetsons. Parents reading along will appreciate writer Sholly Fisch’s inside jokes in relation to these old shows.\",\n \"Difficulty: The vocabulary should be within most early readers' ability. These are written a little more like a standard comic book than the previous entries on this list, with lots of word balloons and pages with many individual panels. This will pretty much be the case with the rest of the items on this list, but I point it out because navigating the architecture of some comic pages can be intimidating for some readers. Content: These are fun stories and actually a better kid-friendly introduction to superheroes like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman than you’ll find in 95 percent of all other superhero comics today. Where to start: This series is easy to find wherever books are sold.\",\n \"Why not start them with the classics? Carl Barks’s Uncle Scrooge comics from the 1940s, '50s, and '60s are widely considered to be some of the greatest comics ever made. Unlike a lot of comics from that era, though, they hold up really well and will still get laughs out of kids today.\",\n \"Difficulty: There is some complicated wordplay at times and the occasional old-fashioned jokes and plot line that may go over some kids' heads. Content: At a certain point Barks—and later Don Rosa—began to tell stories with Scrooge McDuck and his nephews Donald, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, that took on a globe- trotting bent with archeological digs and explorations of far-off cultures. These would inspire the popular Duck Tales animated series of the 1980s. Huey, Dewey, and Louie’s adventures may inspire a yearning for knowledge in your own little Junior Woodchucks. Where to start: Fantagraphics has put out many collected volumes of the classic Uncle Scrooge comics, which are available on Amazon. They generally run about $30 each but are beautifully put together. Most public libraries are bound to have an Uncle Scrooge book or two on their shelves if you want to sample them that way.\",\n \"Luke Pearson’s Hilda series of graphic novels follows a young elementary- school-age girl who lives in a village called Trolberg, populated by talking birds, giants, black hounds, and, of course, trolls. Otherwise, her world is not much different from our own and Hilda is not much different from any other girl her age. She’s smart and sassy, lives alone with her mom, and loves animals. That realism amidst the fantasy world she exists in is what makes this series so enjoyable for kids (boys and girls alike). Pearson has a wonderful, European sensibility to his cartooning, which matches the vaguely Northern European setting of the stories and makes these books a delight to read.\",\n \"Difficulty: The reading level shouldn’t be a problem for grades 1 and up and the page lengths (the first two books are 44 pages and the third is 64) are long but achievable. Content: Very kid-friendly stories with nice life lessons, but they’re also thoughtful and sophisticated in a way that makes them rise above kiddie fare. Where to start: The very first book, Hildafolk, is a 24-page comic, but Pearson has moved into a longer, more European-style graphic “album” format. He has released several book-length adventures so far, and you can probably find them wherever books are sold.\",\n \"Brad Meltzer and Chris Eliopoulos’s Ordinary People Can Change The World series of picture book/graphic novels about famous people who made a difference in history is an easy-to-read and fun way for a child to learn about important figures like Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks, Albert Einstein, and even (in an upcoming volume) Lucille Ball. Both writer and artist are familiar names in the comics world. Meltzer is more famous as a novelist, but comic fans will know him as the writer of DC’s Identity Crisis, while Eliopoulos has illustrated a number of comics for kids like Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius.\",\n \"Difficulty: There are some lengthy picture book-style text pieces in addition to the comic book-style word balloons, but it’s all written for a Kindergarten-and-up audience. Content: I think some educators and sticklers for facts have questioned the validity of presenting biographies in this way, but it’s certainly a great way to get young kids interested in history. Where to start: There's a whole range of volumes to choose from, including I am Abraham Lincoln, I am Amelia Earhart, I am Rosa Parks, I am Albert Einstein, and I am Jackie Robinson. There are even more available on Amazon.\",\n \"Abigail and the Snowman is published by Boom! Studios and written and drawn by Roger Langridge (most recently known for his spectacular run on the Muppet Show comics). It’s a funny story about friendship in which a 9-year-old girl named Abigail moves to a new town with her single dad and struggles to make friends until she meets Claude, a Yeti who has escaped from a secret government lab and who only Abigail and the other kids at school can see. Kids of all ages – boys and girls alike – will get a kick out of Abigail and Claude’s friendship.\",\n \"Difficulty: Langridge is masterful at character design and physical comedy and that really goes a long way in making this fun to read. Content: There are some government agents chasing Claude but the danger here is not too scary. Where to start: This is a four-issue limited series that you can find online.\",\n \"For kids who enjoy an odd sense of humor, Anouk Ricard’s delightfully weird graphic novel series Anna & Froga is an easy read that will earn some giggles. Each book contains a collection of short stories centered around a young girl named Anna and her animal friends—Froga the frog, Christopher the worm, Bubu the dog, and Ron the cat. Like any group of friends, they tend to bicker and tease each other while also accepting their idiosyncrasies. Ricard’s drawing style is fun and childlike, but her understated, sometimes testy dialogue among the friends is what makes this so fun.\",\n \"Difficulty: This can be easily read by most new readers, but the sense of humor—the books are translated from French—may be too subtle and low-key for some kids. Content: The friends do fun, innocent stuff like go to an amusement park, make their own movie, and take a trip to the lake, but there’s a healthy dose of sarcasm involved. Where to Start: Drawn & Quarterly has published a bunch of Anna & Froga stories: Fore!; Thrills, Chills and Gooseberries; Want a Gumball?; and I Dunno, What Do You Want To Do? They all feature various self- contained stories so you can jump in anywhere.\"\n ]\n },\n \"parsed_md\": \"10 Great Kids Comics for Early Readers | Mental Floss\\n\\nMental Floss\\n\\nMENU\\n\\nCLOSE\\n\\n * BIG QUESTIONS\\n * QUIZZES\\n * BIOGRAPHIES\\n * LISTS\\n * AMAZING FACTS\\n * STORE\\n\\n## SECTIONS\\n\\n * BIG QUESTIONS\\n * JOB SECRETS\\n * HISTORY VS.\\n * KENNECTIONS\\n * LIVE SMARTER\\n * QUIZZES\\n * RETROBITUARIES\\n * SMART SHOPPING\\n * #TBT\\n\\n## BIOGRAPHIES\\n\\n * AUTHORS\\n * SCIENTISTS\\n * ARTISTS\\n * U.S. PRESIDENTS\\n * MILITARY\\n\\n## TOPICS\\n\\n * ANIMALS\\n * ARCHAEOLOGY\\n * ART\\n * CORONAVIRUS\\n * DIY\\n * ENTERTAINMENT\\n * FOOD\\n * HEALTH\\n * HISTORY\\n * LANGUAGE\\n * OLYMPICS\\n * SCIENCE\\n * SPORTS\\n * TECHNOLOGY\\n * TRAVEL\\n\\n## TOPICS\\n\\n * ANIMALS\\n * ARCHAEOLOGY\\n * ART\\n * CORONAVIRUS\\n * DIY\\n * ENTERTAINMENT\\n * FOOD\\n * HEALTH\\n * HISTORY\\n * LANGUAGE\\n * OLYMPICS\\n * SCIENCE\\n * SPORTS\\n * TECHNOLOGY\\n * TRAVEL\\n\\n## TOPICS\\n\\n * ANIMALS\\n * ARCHAEOLOGY\\n * ART\\n * CORONAVIRUS\\n * DIY\\n * ENTERTAINMENT\\n * FOOD\\n * HEALTH\\n * HISTORY\\n * LANGUAGE\\n * OLYMPICS\\n * SCIENCE\\n * SPORTS\\n * TECHNOLOGY\\n * TRAVEL\\n\\n## ABOUT\\n\\n * ABOUT US\\n * AUTHORS\\n * COOKIE POLICY\\n * CONTACT\\n * CUSTOMER SERVICE\\n * PITCH A STORY\\n * PRIVACY\\n * RSS\\n * STORE\\n * TERMS\\n\\nMENTAL FLOSS\\n\\nABOUT RSS CONTACT US PRIVACY POLICY COOKIE POLICY TERMS OF SERVICE\\n\\nFLOOR8 12UP 90MIN\\n\\nMentalFlossVideo on YouTube @mental_floss on Instagram @mental_floss on\\nInstagram @mental_floss on Twitter\\n\\nSubscribe to our Newsletter!\\n\\nSIGN UP NOW\\n\\nFLOOR8 12UP 90MIN\\n\\n×\\n\\nCLOSE\\n\\narrow\\n\\nSmart Shopping\\n\\n# 10 Great Kids Comics for Early Readers\\n\\nBY Rich Barrett\\n\\nMarch 18, 2015\\n\\n(Updated: February 24, 2021)\\n\\nDC Comics/Fly Eye Books/Amazon\\n\\nWhen a child is just learning to read, comics can be a great supplement to\\nhelp foster love and enjoyment for books. As detailed in this wonderful\\nhandout, “Raising a Reader,” [PDF] from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund,\\ncomics have a lot to offer young readers. For that crucial first stage of\\nearly reading (ages 5-8, grades K-2), though, it can be hard to find\\nappropriate comic book reading material. Many parents will either disregard\\ncomic books as a reading option or assume that any old superhero comic will\\ndo. The appropriate range of choices for this specific age group and reading\\nlevel is actually pretty narrow, but it contains some fabulous picks.\\n\\nI’ve put together a list of 10 great choices to consider giving your early\\nreader. I’ve tried to keep in mind both reading level and content\\nappropriateness. Also, it should be noted that 98 percent of today’s superhero\\ncomics are written for a minimum age of at least 13. Both Marvel and DC\\npublish a couple of choices for younger readers based off their animated TV\\nshows, but even those tend to skew older than the reading level we’re talking\\nabout here.\\n\\n## 1\\\\. Toon Books\\n\\nToon Books/Amazon\\n\\nWithout a doubt, the best go-to option for parents looking for quality comics\\nfor early readers is the many graphic novels from Toon Books. Started in 2008\\nby comics power couple Françoise Mouly (art and comics editor for the New\\nYorker) and Art Spiegelman (creator of the literary comics masterpiece Maus),\\nToon Books is the only comics publisher that organizes their publications by\\nreading level. For early readers, they have a number of great offerings spread\\nacross two levels: Brand-new readers (ages 3+, grades K-1) and Emerging\\nReaders (ages 4+, grades 1-2). They also publish books for later stages like\\ngrades 2-3 and beyond.\\n\\nThe best part about Toon Books is the quality of the creative talent that\\nMouly and Spiegelman have tapped. There are books in these early levels by\\noutstanding cartoonists such as Lilli Carré, Renee French, and Rutu Modan, and\\nchildren’s book award-winning contributions from Jeff Smith and Eleanor Davis.\\nMost books come in hardcover and softcover format and are pretty readily\\navailable in bookstores, but you can browse them all on Toon-Books.com or head\\nto Amazon to browse their selection.\\n\\nDifficulty: The best part about Toon Books is they clearly label each book\\naccording to grade level beginning at K-1 up to Grade 3+. Content: Think of\\nthese as a bridge between reading picture books and reading comics. The varied\\nofferings include lots of books about cute, anthropomorphic animals learning\\nmoral and educational lessons. Where to start: You can’t go wrong with Eleanor\\nDavis’s award-winning Stinky, about a monster who is afraid of people but\\nlearns that, once you meet them, they’re really not that scary. Certain\\nvolumes are also available on Amazon.\\n\\n## 2\\\\. Owly\\n\\nTop Shelf Productions/Amazon\\n\\nFor early readers who are still trying to gain their confidence with the\\nwritten word, there are comics like Andy Runton’s Owly that let the pictures\\ndo the talking. These cute, award-winning books are mostly wordless, sometimes\\nusing word balloons that contain pictures instead of words. This is a great\\nway of getting new readers into the flow of reading—especially comics\\nreading—without stumbling over word recognition. The stories usually center\\naround friendship, loyalty, and nature and are charmingly innocent. While\\nthere may not be any words, Runton’s illustrations will give you and your\\nlittle reader a lot to look at and talk about.\\n\\nDifficulty: Since there are no words, even pre-readers can pick these up.\\nContent: These are very innocent stories, completely devoid of violence or\\nadult themes. Where to start: You can learn about Owly on Runton's website (he\\neven has a lot of free PDFs you can download to sample). There is a pretty big\\nlibrary of Owly books that are readily available in most comic shops,\\nbookstores, or Amazon.\\n\\n## 3\\\\. Tiny Titans\\n\\nDC Comics/Amazon\\n\\nArt Baltazar and Franco Aureliani have made a name for themselves by creating\\nall-ages superhero comics in their very recognizable kid-friendly style.\\nThey’ve applied this style to everything from their own creations like Patrick\\nthe Wolf Boy to “Itty Bitty” versions of horror comic characters like Hellboy\\nand Vampirella. The book that put them on the map, though, is Tiny Titans\\nwhich ran for 50 issues from 2008 until 2012, twice winning the comics\\nindustry's top award for Best Kids Series, and has been collected across eight\\nvolumes of trade paperbacks.\\n\\nDifficulty: The books consist of short stories—mostly two-four pages in\\nlength—and the storytelling relies a lot on visual gags so the word count is\\npretty low and non-intimidating. Content: The stories are focused on\\nelementary-school versions of many DC Comics characters (primarily those\\nassociated with the Teen Titans like Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Aqualad)\\nand it’s more about being in school than fighting criminals. Some of the jokes\\nmay require some familiarity with the DC Universe and other pop culture for\\nkids to fully “get” them, though. Where to start: You may be able to find some\\nrandom back issues at certain comic shops, but since the series has ended,\\nyour best bet will be the trade paperback collections like Tiny Titans Vol. 1:\\nWelcome to the Treehouse.\\n\\n## 4\\\\. Nursery Rhyme Comics and Fairy Tale Comics\\n\\nFirst Second/Amazon\\n\\nHow can you go wrong with nursery rhymes and fairy tales? Especially when\\nthey’re drawn by some of the best cartoonists in the business? First Second\\nBooks and editor Chris Duffy had the brilliant idea of putting together two\\nseparate large collections (there are 50 nursery rhymes in one book and 17\\nfairy tales in the other) by a dream lineup of primarily indie-comic stars\\nlike Roz Chast, Gene Luen Yang, Mike Mignola, Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez,\\nEmily Carroll, Raina Telgemeier, David Mazzucchelli, Eleanor Davis, Stan\\nSakai, and others.\\n\\nDifficulty: As you might be able to surmise, the Nursery Rhyme collection\\nskews a little younger, but both are perfect choices for this reading level.\\nContent: Kids will recognize most of the stories here, but they do mix things\\nup with a couple of obscure selections in each. The fairy tales are certainly\\nno more disturbing than any Grimm fairy tale you read when you were young.\\nWhere to Start: Both books should be pretty easy to find wherever books are\\nsold.\\n\\n## 5\\\\. Scooby-Doo Team-Up\\n\\nDC Comics/Amazon\\n\\nUnexpectedly, one of the most enjoyable kids comics to come out in recent\\nyears is Scooby-Doo Team-Up which, each month, has the Scooby-Doo gang meet\\nvarious DC Comics heroes as well as characters from classic Hanna-Barbera\\ncartoons like the Flintstones and the Jetsons. Parents reading along will\\nappreciate writer Sholly Fisch’s inside jokes in relation to these old shows.\\n\\nDifficulty: The vocabulary should be within most early readers' ability. These\\nare written a little more like a standard comic book than the previous entries\\non this list, with lots of word balloons and pages with many individual\\npanels. This will pretty much be the case with the rest of the items on this\\nlist, but I point it out because navigating the architecture of some comic\\npages can be intimidating for some readers. Content: These are fun stories and\\nactually a better kid-friendly introduction to superheroes like Batman,\\nSuperman, and Wonder Woman than you’ll find in 95 percent of all other\\nsuperhero comics today. Where to start: This series is easy to find wherever\\nbooks are sold.\\n\\n## 6\\\\. Uncle Scrooge\\n\\nFantagraphics/Amazon\\n\\nWhy not start them with the classics? Carl Barks’s Uncle Scrooge comics from\\nthe 1940s, '50s, and '60s are widely considered to be some of the greatest\\ncomics ever made. Unlike a lot of comics from that era, though, they hold up\\nreally well and will still get laughs out of kids today.\\n\\nDifficulty: There is some complicated wordplay at times and the occasional\\nold-fashioned jokes and plot line that may go over some kids' heads. Content:\\nAt a certain point Barks—and later Don Rosa—began to tell stories with Scrooge\\nMcDuck and his nephews Donald, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, that took on a globe-\\ntrotting bent with archeological digs and explorations of far-off cultures.\\nThese would inspire the popular Duck Tales animated series of the 1980s. Huey,\\nDewey, and Louie’s adventures may inspire a yearning for knowledge in your own\\nlittle Junior Woodchucks. Where to start: Fantagraphics has put out many\\ncollected volumes of the classic Uncle Scrooge comics, which are available on\\nAmazon. They generally run about $30 each but are beautifully put together.\\nMost public libraries are bound to have an Uncle Scrooge book or two on their\\nshelves if you want to sample them that way.\\n\\n## 7\\\\. Hilda\\n\\nFlying Eye Books/Amazon\\n\\nLuke Pearson’s Hilda series of graphic novels follows a young elementary-\\nschool-age girl who lives in a village called Trolberg, populated by talking\\nbirds, giants, black hounds, and, of course, trolls. Otherwise, her world is\\nnot much different from our own and Hilda is not much different from any other\\ngirl her age. She’s smart and sassy, lives alone with her mom, and loves\\nanimals. That realism amidst the fantasy world she exists in is what makes\\nthis series so enjoyable for kids (boys and girls alike). Pearson has a\\nwonderful, European sensibility to his cartooning, which matches the vaguely\\nNorthern European setting of the stories and makes these books a delight to\\nread.\\n\\nDifficulty: The reading level shouldn’t be a problem for grades 1 and up and\\nthe page lengths (the first two books are 44 pages and the third is 64) are\\nlong but achievable. Content: Very kid-friendly stories with nice life\\nlessons, but they’re also thoughtful and sophisticated in a way that makes\\nthem rise above kiddie fare. Where to start: The very first book, Hildafolk,\\nis a 24-page comic, but Pearson has moved into a longer, more European-style\\ngraphic “album” format. He has released several book-length adventures so far,\\nand you can probably find them wherever books are sold.\\n\\n## 8\\\\. Ordinary People Can Change the World\\n\\nDial Books/Amazon\\n\\nBrad Meltzer and Chris Eliopoulos’s Ordinary People Can Change The World\\nseries of picture book/graphic novels about famous people who made a\\ndifference in history is an easy-to-read and fun way for a child to learn\\nabout important figures like Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks, Albert Einstein, and\\neven (in an upcoming volume) Lucille Ball. Both writer and artist are familiar\\nnames in the comics world. Meltzer is more famous as a novelist, but comic\\nfans will know him as the writer of DC’s Identity Crisis, while Eliopoulos has\\nillustrated a number of comics for kids like Franklin Richards: Son of a\\nGenius.\\n\\nDifficulty: There are some lengthy picture book-style text pieces in addition\\nto the comic book-style word balloons, but it’s all written for a\\nKindergarten-and-up audience. Content: I think some educators and sticklers\\nfor facts have questioned the validity of presenting biographies in this way,\\nbut it’s certainly a great way to get young kids interested in history. Where\\nto start: There's a whole range of volumes to choose from, including I am\\nAbraham Lincoln, I am Amelia Earhart, I am Rosa Parks, I am Albert Einstein,\\nand I am Jackie Robinson. There are even more available on Amazon.\\n\\n## 9\\\\. Abigail and the Snowman\\n\\nkaBOOM!/Amazon\\n\\nAbigail and the Snowman is published by Boom! Studios and written and drawn by\\nRoger Langridge (most recently known for his spectacular run on the Muppet\\nShow comics). It’s a funny story about friendship in which a 9-year-old girl\\nnamed Abigail moves to a new town with her single dad and struggles to make\\nfriends until she meets Claude, a Yeti who has escaped from a secret\\ngovernment lab and who only Abigail and the other kids at school can see. Kids\\nof all ages – boys and girls alike – will get a kick out of Abigail and\\nClaude’s friendship.\\n\\nDifficulty: Langridge is masterful at character design and physical comedy and\\nthat really goes a long way in making this fun to read. Content: There are\\nsome government agents chasing Claude but the danger here is not too scary.\\nWhere to start: This is a four-issue limited series that you can find online.\\n\\n## 10\\\\. Anna & Froga\\n\\nDrawn and Quarterly/Amazon\\n\\nFor kids who enjoy an odd sense of humor, Anouk Ricard’s delightfully weird\\ngraphic novel series Anna & Froga is an easy read that will earn some giggles.\\nEach book contains a collection of short stories centered around a young girl\\nnamed Anna and her animal friends—Froga the frog, Christopher the worm, Bubu\\nthe dog, and Ron the cat. Like any group of friends, they tend to bicker and\\ntease each other while also accepting their idiosyncrasies. Ricard’s drawing\\nstyle is fun and childlike, but her understated, sometimes testy dialogue\\namong the friends is what makes this so fun.\\n\\nDifficulty: This can be easily read by most new readers, but the sense of\\nhumor—the books are translated from French—may be too subtle and low-key for\\nsome kids. Content: The friends do fun, innocent stuff like go to an amusement\\npark, make their own movie, and take a trip to the lake, but there’s a healthy\\ndose of sarcasm involved. Where to Start: Drawn & Quarterly has published a\\nbunch of Anna & Froga stories: Fore!; Thrills, Chills and Gooseberries; Want a\\nGumball?; and I Dunno, What Do You Want To Do? They all feature various self-\\ncontained stories so you can jump in anywhere.\\n\\nSign Up Today: Get exclusive deals, product news, reviews, and more with the\\nMental Floss Smart Shopping newsletter!\\n\\nComics shopping Smart Shopping\\n\\nFACEBOOK 0\\n\\nTWITTER\\n\\nEMAIL\\n\\nSubscribe to our Newsletter!\\n\\nSIGN UP NOW\\n\\nMENTAL FLOSS\\n\\nABOUT RSS CONTACT US PRIVACY POLICY COOKIE POLICY TERMS OF SERVICE\\n\\nFLOOR8 12UP 90MIN\\n\\nMentalFlossVideo on YouTube @mental_floss on Instagram @mental_floss on\\nInstagram @mental_floss on Twitter\\n\\nSubscribe to our Newsletter!\\n\\nSIGN UP NOW\\n\\nFLOOR8 12UP 90MIN\\n\\n\"\n },\n {\n \"original_url\": \"https://www.thebalance.com/places-to-get-free-kindle-books-1357954\",\n \"archive_url\": \"http://web.archive.org/web/20171229232923/https://www.thebalance.com/places-to-get-free-kindle-books-1357954\",\n \"parsed_text\": {\n \"title\": \"26 Places to Get Free Kindle Books\",\n \"passages\": [\n \"There are so many free Kindle books that are available out there that you could go years and years without having to buy a book for your Kindle.\",\n \"It's easier than you think to get free Kindle books, you just need to know where to look. The websites below are great places to visit and each website will walk you through the process of finding and downloading the free Kindle book that you want to start reading.\",\n \"If you're looking for more specific free Kindle books, I also have a list of where you can find free Kindle books for kids and free romance Kindle books. If you have a Kindle Fire, be check to check out this list of free Kindle Fire apps everyone should have.\",\n \"You can also borrow and lend library books to your friends and family. Here's a guide on how to share Kindle books.\",\n \"If you don't have a Kindle, no worries because there is a free Kindle reading app that you can get for your browser, smartphone, or tablet. After you've installed the app then you are all ready to get your free Kindle books.\",\n \"Important: If you see a free Kindle book that you want then get it as soon as you can. Prices often change and it's difficult to tell how long the book will remain free. When downloading a free Kindle book on Amazon verify that the book is still free by making sure the price is $0.00. If it lists a price or says \\\"read for free\\\" or has a price for prime members the book is not free anymore.\",\n \"Are you a Nook owner instead? Get some free Nook books for your e-reader. There are also free audio books out there for those of you who want to listen instead of read. There are lots of other ways to get free books as well, and even free magazine subscriptions that are available.\",\n \"New to Ebooks? Read my How to Get Free Ebooks article for everything you need to know, like what device they'll work on, how to get them transferred, and much more.\",\n \"The first place I suggest going to for free Kindle books is straight to the source—Amazon. Here you'll find hundreds of free eBooks that can be downloaded and sent straight to your Kindle.\",\n \"Amazon's eBooks are listed out in the Top 100 Free section. Within this category are lots of genres to choose from to narrow down the selection, such as Self-Help, Travel, Teen & Young Adult, Foreign Languages, Children's eBooks, and History.\",\n \"You can also browse Amazon's limited-time free Kindle books to find out what books are free right now. You can sort this list by the average customer review rating as well as by the book's publication date.\",\n \"If you're an Amazon Prime member, you can get a free kindle eBook every month through the Amazon First Reads program.\",\n \"If your public library has a subscription to OverDrive then you can borrow free Kindle books from your library just how you'd check out a paper book. Use the Library Search to find out which libraries near you offer OverDrive.\",\n \"Just like with library books, when you check out an eBook from OverDrive it'll only be loaned to you for a few weeks before being automatically taken off your Kindle.\",\n \"You can find out more details about using the public library to get free Kindle books if you'd like more information on how the process works. More\",\n \"If your library doesn't have a subscription to OverDrive or you're looking for some more free Kindle books, then BookLending is a similar service where you can borrow and lend books for your Kindle without going through a library.\",\n \"After you register at BookLending (which is free) you'll have the ability to borrow books that other individuals are loaning or to loan one of your Kindle books. You can search through the titles, browse through the list of recently loaned books, and find eBook by genre.\",\n \"Kindle books can only be loaned once, so if you see a title you want, get it before it's gone.\",\n \"The free Kindle books here can be borrowed for 14 days and then will be automatically returned to the owner at that time. More\",\n \"eReaderIQ may look like your typical free eBook site but they actually have a lot of extra features that makes it a go-to place when you're looking for free Kindle books.\",\n \"At eReaderIQ all the free Kindle books are updated hourly, meaning you won't have to miss out on any of the limited-time offers. In fact, you can even get notified when new books from Amazon are added.\",\n \"Browsing books at eReaderIQ is a breeze because you can look through categories and sort the results by newest, rating, and minimum length. You can even set it to show only new books that have been added since you last visited. More\",\n \"Use the search box to find a specific book or browse through the detailed categories to find your next great read. You can also view the free Kindle books here by top downloads or recently added.\",\n \"You'll be able to download the books at Project Gutenberg as .MOBI, .EPUB, or .PDF files for your Kindle. More\",\n \"Freebooksy is a free eBook blog that lists primarily free Kindle books but also has free Nook books as well.\",\n \"There's a new book listed at least once a day, but often times there are many listed in one day, and you can download one or all of them.\",\n \"ManyBooks.net is another free eBook website that scours the Internet to find the greatest and latest in free Kindle books. Currently, there are over 33,000 free eBooks here.\",\n \"Browse the free eBooks by authors, titles, genres, or languages and then download the book as a Kindle file (.azw) or another file type if you prefer.\",\n \"Open Library is a free Kindle book downloading and lending service that has well over 1 million eBook titles available.\",\n \"They seem to specialize in classic literature and you can search by keyword or browse by subjects, authors, and genre.\",\n \"Each book can be downloaded in a variety of file formats like MOBI, DJVU, EPUB, plain text, and PDF, but you can't go wrong using the Send to Kindle feature. More\",\n \"OHFB.com is free Kindle book website that gathers all the free Kindle books from Amazon and gives you some excellent search features so you can easily find your next great read.\",\n \"You can search category or keyword to quickly sift through the free Kindle books that are available. Finds a free Kindle book you're interested in through categories like horror, fiction, cookbooks, young adult, and several others.\",\n \"Large photos of the Kindle books covers makes it especially easy to quickly scroll through and stop to read the descriptions of books that you're interested in. More\",\n \"FreeBooksHub.com is another website where you can find free Kindle books that are available through Amazon to everyone, plus some that are available only to Amazon Prime members.\",\n \"The blog at FreeBooksHub.com highlights newly available free Kindle books along with the book cover, comments, and description. Having these details right on the blog is what really sets FreeBooksHub.com apart and make it a great place to visit for free Kindle books. More\",\n \"DigiLibraries gathers up free Kindle books from independent authors and publishers. You can download these free Kindle books directly from their website.\",\n \"My favorite part about DigiLibraries is that you can click on any of the categories on the left side of the page to quickly see free Kindle books that only fall into that category. It really speeds up the work of narrowing down the books to find what I'm looking for. More\",\n \"Each day's list of new free Kindle books includes a top recommendation with an author profile and then is followed by more free books that include the genre, title, author, and synopsis. More\",\n \"Freebook Sifter is a no-frills free kindle book website that lists hundreds of thousands of books that link to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Project Gutenberg for download.\",\n \"Beside each of these free eBook titles, you can quickly see the rating of the book along with the number of ratings. This makes it really easy to find the most popular free eBooks. More\",\n \"Daily email subscriptions and social media profiles are also available if you don't want to check their site every day. More\",\n \"Every day, eBookDaily adds three new free Kindle books to several different genres, such as Nonfiction, Business & Investion, Mystery & Thriller, Romance, Teens & Young Adult, Children's Books, and others.\",\n \"Amazon's star rating and its number of reviews are shown below each book, along with the cover image and description.\",\n \"You can browse the past day's free books as well but you must create an account before downloading anything. A free account also gives you access to email alerts in all the genres you choose. More\",\n \"There are specific categories of books no the website that you can pick from, but only the Free category guarantees that you're looking at free books.\",\n \"They also have a Jr. Edition so you can find the latest free eBooks for your children and teens. More\",\n \"eBooks Habit promises to feed your free eBooks addiction with multiple posts every day that summarizes the free kindle books available.\",\n \"The free kindle book listings include a full description of the book as well as a photo of the cover. More\",\n \"Updated every hour with fresh content, Centsless Books provides over 30 genres of free Kindle books to choose from, and the website couldn’t be easier to use.\",\n \"All the books are listed down a single page with thumbnails of the cover image and direct links to Amazon.\",\n \"If you’d rather not check Centsless Books’ website for updates, you can follow them on Twitter and subscribe to email updates. More\",\n \"Click on any book title and you'll get a synopsis and photo of the book cover as well as the date when the book will stop being free. Links to where you can download the book for free are included to make it easy to get your next free eBook. More\",\n \"You can search for free Kindle books at Free-eBooks.net by browsing through fiction and non-fiction categories or by viewing a list of the top 10 free eBooks.\",\n \"Kindle Books and Tips is another source for free Kindle books but discounted books are also mixed in every day.\",\n \"There are plenty of genres available and you can search the website by keyword to find a particular book. Each book has a full description and a direct link to Amazon for the download.\",\n \"To stay up to date with new releases, Kindle Books, and Tips has a free email subscription service you can use as well as an RSS feed and social media accounts. More\",\n \"Free Ebooks Daily posts between 10 and 15 books in genres like non-fiction, romance, mystery, and thriller, and science fiction every single day, and at least four of them are always free. They also have cheap, $0.99 books.\",\n \"You can see every book's cover image and read its description on the website before visiting Amazon to download them.\",\n \"Because some books are free for a limited time, it's best to sign up with Free Ebooks Daily's email service to get these deals sent directly to your inbox when they become available. More\",\n \"BookGoodies has lots of fiction and non-fiction Kindle books in a variety of genres, like Paranormal, Women's Fiction, Humor, and Travel, that are completely free to download from Amazon.\",\n \"The time frame a book is available as a free download is shown on each download page, as well as a full description of the book and sometimes a link to the author's website.\",\n \"Social media pages help you find new eBooks from BookGoodies, but they also have an email service that will send the free Kindle books to you every day.\",\n \"Booktastik has free and discounted books on its website, and you can follow their social media accounts for current updates.\",\n \"There aren't a lot of free Kindle books here because they aren't free for a very long period of time, though there are plenty of genres you can browse through. Look carefully on each download page and you can find when the free deal ends.\",\n \"Bootastik's free Kindle books have links to where you can download them, like on Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble, etc., as well as a full description of the book. More\",\n \"The Kindle Owners' Lending Library has over 800,000 free Kindle books available directly from Amazon. This is a lending process so you will only be able to borrow the book, not keep it.\",\n \"Although this program is free, you'll need to be an Amazon Prime member to take advantage of it. If you're not a member you can sign up for a free trial of Amazon Prime or wait until they offer free subscriptions, which they do from time to time for special groups of people like moms or students.\"\n ]\n },\n \"parsed_md\": \"26 Places to Get Free Kindle Books\\n\\nThe Balance\\n\\n26 Places to Get Free Kindle Books\\n\\nFreebies\\n\\n# 26 Places to Get Free Kindle Books\\n\\n## Best Sites to Download Free Books for Your Kindle\\n\\n * Share\\n * Flip\\n * Pin\\n * Email\\n\\nFreebies\\n\\n * Ebooks\\n * Samples\\n * Food\\n * Home & Garden\\n * Beauty & Health\\n * Movies and TV\\n * Printables\\n * Software\\n * Music\\n * Kid's Stuff\\n * Holidays\\n * For Families\\n\\nView All\\n\\nBy Stacy Fisher\\n\\nUpdated December 01, 2017\\n\\nThere are so many free Kindle books that are available out there that you\\ncould go years and years without having to buy a book for your Kindle.\\n\\nIt's easier than you think to get free Kindle books, you just need to know\\nwhere to look. The websites below are great places to visit and each website\\nwill walk you through the process of finding and downloading the free Kindle\\nbook that you want to start reading.\\n\\nIf you're looking for more specific free Kindle books, I also have a list of\\nwhere you can find free Kindle books for kids and free romance Kindle books.\\nIf you have a Kindle Fire, be check to check out this list of free Kindle Fire\\napps everyone should have.\\n\\nYou can also borrow and lend library books to your friends and family. Here's\\na guide on how to share Kindle books.\\n\\nIf you don't have a Kindle, no worries because there is a free Kindle reading\\napp that you can get for your browser, smartphone, or tablet. After you've\\ninstalled the app then you are all ready to get your free Kindle books.\\n\\nImportant: If you see a free Kindle book that you want then get it as soon as\\nyou can. Prices often change and it's difficult to tell how long the book will\\nremain free. When downloading a free Kindle book on Amazon verify that the\\nbook is still free by making sure the price is $0.00. If it lists a price or\\nsays \\\"read for free\\\" or has a price for prime members the book is not free\\nanymore.\\n\\nAre you a Nook owner instead? Get some free Nook books for your e-reader.\\nThere are also free audio books out there for those of you who want to listen\\ninstead of read. There are lots of other ways to get free books as well, and\\neven free magazine subscriptions that are available.\\n\\nNew to Ebooks? Read my How to Get Free Ebooks article for everything you need\\nto know, like what device they'll work on, how to get them transferred, and\\nmuch more.\\n\\n##\\n\\n1\\n\\nAmazon's Free Kindle Ebooks\\n\\nCindy Prins/Moment Mobile/Getty Images\\n\\nThe first place I suggest going to for free Kindle books is straight to the\\nsource—Amazon. Here you'll find hundreds of free eBooks that can be downloaded\\nand sent straight to your Kindle.\\n\\nAmazon's Free Kindle Ebooks\\n\\nAmazon's eBooks are listed out in the Top 100 Free section. Within this\\ncategory are lots of genres to choose from to narrow down the selection, such\\nas Self-Help, Travel, Teen & Young Adult, Foreign Languages, Children's\\neBooks, and History.\\n\\nYou can also browse Amazon's limited-time free Kindle books to find out what\\nbooks are free right now. You can sort this list by the average customer\\nreview rating as well as by the book's publication date.\\n\\nIf you're an Amazon Prime member, you can get a free kindle eBook every month\\nthrough the Amazon First Reads program.\\n\\n##\\n\\n2\\n\\nOverDrive Through Your Public Library\\n\\n© OverDrive\\n\\nIf your public library has a subscription to OverDrive then you can borrow\\nfree Kindle books from your library just how you'd check out a paper book. Use\\nthe Library Search to find out which libraries near you offer OverDrive.\\n\\nJust like with library books, when you check out an eBook from OverDrive it'll\\nonly be loaned to you for a few weeks before being automatically taken off\\nyour Kindle.\\n\\nYou can even borrow books through their mobile app called Libby.\\n\\nYou can find out more details about using the public library to get free\\nKindle books if you'd like more information on how the process works. More\\n\\n##\\n\\n3\\n\\nBookLending\\n\\n© BookLending.com\\n\\nIf your library doesn't have a subscription to OverDrive or you're looking for\\nsome more free Kindle books, then BookLending is a similar service where you\\ncan borrow and lend books for your Kindle without going through a library.\\n\\nAfter you register at BookLending (which is free) you'll have the ability to\\nborrow books that other individuals are loaning or to loan one of your Kindle\\nbooks. You can search through the titles, browse through the list of recently\\nloaned books, and find eBook by genre.\\n\\nKindle books can only be loaned once, so if you see a title you want, get it\\nbefore it's gone.\\n\\nThe free Kindle books here can be borrowed for 14 days and then will be\\nautomatically returned to the owner at that time. More\\n\\n##\\n\\n4\\n\\neReaderIQ\\n\\n© eReaderIQ\\n\\neReaderIQ may look like your typical free eBook site but they actually have a\\nlot of extra features that makes it a go-to place when you're looking for free\\nKindle books.\\n\\nAt eReaderIQ all the free Kindle books are updated hourly, meaning you won't\\nhave to miss out on any of the limited-time offers. In fact, you can even get\\nnotified when new books from Amazon are added.\\n\\nBrowsing books at eReaderIQ is a breeze because you can look through\\ncategories and sort the results by newest, rating, and minimum length. You can\\neven set it to show only new books that have been added since you last\\nvisited. More\\n\\n##\\n\\n5\\n\\nProject Gutenberg\\n\\n© Project Gutenberg\\n\\nThere are over 54,000 free Kindle books that you can download at Project\\nGutenberg.\\n\\nUse the search box to find a specific book or browse through the detailed\\ncategories to find your next great read. You can also view the free Kindle\\nbooks here by top downloads or recently added.\\n\\nYou'll be able to download the books at Project Gutenberg as .MOBI, .EPUB, or\\n.PDF files for your Kindle. More\\n\\n##\\n\\n6\\n\\nFreebooksy\\n\\n© Written Word Media, Inc.\\n\\nFreebooksy is a free eBook blog that lists primarily free Kindle books but\\nalso has free Nook books as well.\\n\\nThere's a new book listed at least once a day, but often times there are many\\nlisted in one day, and you can download one or all of them.\\n\\nA few genres available in eBooks at Freebooksy include Science Fiction,\\nHorror, Mystery/Thriller, Romance/Chick Lit, and Religion/Spirituality. More\\n\\n##\\n\\n7\\n\\nManyBooks.net\\n\\n© ManyBooks\\n\\nManyBooks.net is another free eBook website that scours the Internet to find\\nthe greatest and latest in free Kindle books. Currently, there are over 33,000\\nfree eBooks here.\\n\\nBrowse the free eBooks by authors, titles, genres, or languages and then\\ndownload the book as a Kindle file (.azw) or another file type if you prefer.\\n\\nYou can also find ManyBooks.net's free eBooks in their popular and recommended\\ncategories. More\\n\\n##\\n\\n8\\n\\nOpen Library\\n\\n© Internet Archive\\n\\nOpen Library is a free Kindle book downloading and lending service that has\\nwell over 1 million eBook titles available.\\n\\nThey seem to specialize in classic literature and you can search by keyword or\\nbrowse by subjects, authors, and genre.\\n\\nEach book can be downloaded in a variety of file formats like MOBI, DJVU,\\nEPUB, plain text, and PDF, but you can't go wrong using the Send to Kindle\\nfeature. More\\n\\n##\\n\\n9\\n\\nOHFB.com (OneHundredFreeBooks)\\n\\n© The Toy Spy Media Group, LLC\\n\\nOHFB.com is free Kindle book website that gathers all the free Kindle books\\nfrom Amazon and gives you some excellent search features so you can easily\\nfind your next great read.\\n\\nYou can search category or keyword to quickly sift through the free Kindle\\nbooks that are available. Finds a free Kindle book you're interested in\\nthrough categories like horror, fiction, cookbooks, young adult, and several\\nothers.\\n\\nLarge photos of the Kindle books covers makes it especially easy to quickly\\nscroll through and stop to read the descriptions of books that you're\\ninterested in. More\\n\\n##\\n\\n10\\n\\nFreeBooksHub.com\\n\\nFreeBooksHub.com is another website where you can find free Kindle books that\\nare available through Amazon to everyone, plus some that are available only to\\nAmazon Prime members.\\n\\nThe blog at FreeBooksHub.com highlights newly available free Kindle books\\nalong with the book cover, comments, and description. Having these details\\nright on the blog is what really sets FreeBooksHub.com apart and make it a\\ngreat place to visit for free Kindle books. More\\n\\n##\\n\\n11\\n\\nDigiLibraries\\n\\nDigiLibraries gathers up free Kindle books from independent authors and\\npublishers. You can download these free Kindle books directly from their\\nwebsite.\\n\\nMy favorite part about DigiLibraries is that you can click on any of the\\ncategories on the left side of the page to quickly see free Kindle books that\\nonly fall into that category. It really speeds up the work of narrowing down\\nthe books to find what I'm looking for. More\\n\\n##\\n\\n12\\n\\nKindle Buffet\\n\\nKindle Buffet is updated each day with the best of the best free Kindle books\\navailable from Amazon.\\n\\nEach day's list of new free Kindle books includes a top recommendation with an\\nauthor profile and then is followed by more free books that include the genre,\\ntitle, author, and synopsis. More\\n\\n##\\n\\n13\\n\\nFreebook Sifter\\n\\nFreebook Sifter is a no-frills free kindle book website that lists hundreds of\\nthousands of books that link to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Project\\nGutenberg for download.\\n\\nBeside each of these free eBook titles, you can quickly see the rating of the\\nbook along with the number of ratings. This makes it really easy to find the\\nmost popular free eBooks. More\\n\\n##\\n\\n14\\n\\nThe eReader Cafe\\n\\nThe eReader Cafe has listings every day for free Kindle books and a few\\nbargain books.\\n\\nDaily email subscriptions and social media profiles are also available if you\\ndon't want to check their site every day. More\\n\\n##\\n\\n15\\n\\neBookDaily\\n\\nEvery day, eBookDaily adds three new free Kindle books to several different\\ngenres, such as Nonfiction, Business & Investion, Mystery & Thriller, Romance,\\nTeens & Young Adult, Children's Books, and others.\\n\\nAmazon's star rating and its number of reviews are shown below each book,\\nalong with the cover image and description.\\n\\nYou can browse the past day's free books as well but you must create an\\naccount before downloading anything. A free account also gives you access to\\nemail alerts in all the genres you choose. More\\n\\n##\\n\\n16\\n\\nDailyCheapReads.com\\n\\nDailyCheapReads.com has daily posts on the latest free Kindle books available\\nfor download at Amazon.\\n\\nThere are specific categories of books no the website that you can pick from,\\nbut only the Free category guarantees that you're looking at free books.\\n\\nThey also have a Jr. Edition so you can find the latest free eBooks for your\\nchildren and teens. More\\n\\n##\\n\\n17\\n\\neBooks Habit\\n\\neBooks Habit promises to feed your free eBooks addiction with multiple posts\\nevery day that summarizes the free kindle books available.\\n\\nThe free kindle book listings include a full description of the book as well\\nas a photo of the cover. More\\n\\n##\\n\\n18\\n\\nCentsless Books\\n\\nUpdated every hour with fresh content, Centsless Books provides over 30 genres\\nof free Kindle books to choose from, and the website couldn’t be easier to\\nuse.\\n\\nAll the books are listed down a single page with thumbnails of the cover image\\nand direct links to Amazon.\\n\\nIf you’d rather not check Centsless Books’ website for updates, you can follow\\nthem on Twitter and subscribe to email updates. More\\n\\n##\\n\\n19\\n\\nPixelScroll\\n\\nPixelScroll lists free Kindle eBooks every day that each include their genre\\nlisting, synopsis, and cover.\\n\\nPixelScroll also lists all kinds of other free goodies like free music,\\nvideos, and apps. More\\n\\n##\\n\\n20\\n\\nBookBub\\n\\nBookBub is another website that will keep you updated on free Kindle books\\nthat are currently available.\\n\\nClick on any book title and you'll get a synopsis and photo of the book cover\\nas well as the date when the book will stop being free. Links to where you can\\ndownload the book for free are included to make it easy to get your next free\\neBook. More\\n\\n##\\n\\n21\\n\\nFree-eBooks.net\\n\\nYou can search for free Kindle books at Free-eBooks.net by browsing through\\nfiction and non-fiction categories or by viewing a list of the top 10 free\\neBooks.\\n\\nYou'll need to be a member of Free-eBooks.net to download the books, but\\nmembership is free. More\\n\\n##\\n\\n22\\n\\nKindle Books and Tips\\n\\nKindle Books and Tips is another source for free Kindle books but discounted\\nbooks are also mixed in every day.\\n\\nThere are plenty of genres available and you can search the website by keyword\\nto find a particular book. Each book has a full description and a direct link\\nto Amazon for the download.\\n\\nTo stay up to date with new releases, Kindle Books, and Tips has a free email\\nsubscription service you can use as well as an RSS feed and social media\\naccounts. More\\n\\n##\\n\\n23\\n\\nFree Ebooks Daily\\n\\nFree Ebooks Daily posts between 10 and 15 books in genres like non-fiction,\\nromance, mystery, and thriller, and science fiction every single day, and at\\nleast four of them are always free. They also have cheap, $0.99 books.\\n\\nYou can see every book's cover image and read its description on the website\\nbefore visiting Amazon to download them.\\n\\nBecause some books are free for a limited time, it's best to sign up with Free\\nEbooks Daily's email service to get these deals sent directly to your inbox\\nwhen they become available. More\\n\\n##\\n\\n24\\n\\nBookGoodies\\n\\nBookGoodies has lots of fiction and non-fiction Kindle books in a variety of\\ngenres, like Paranormal, Women's Fiction, Humor, and Travel, that are\\ncompletely free to download from Amazon.\\n\\nThe time frame a book is available as a free download is shown on each\\ndownload page, as well as a full description of the book and sometimes a link\\nto the author's website.\\n\\nSocial media pages help you find new eBooks from BookGoodies, but they also\\nhave an email service that will send the free Kindle books to you every day.\\n\\nBookGoodies for Kids is a similar website that has free Kindle books for\\nchildren. More\\n\\n##\\n\\n25\\n\\nBooktastik\\n\\nBooktastik has free and discounted books on its website, and you can follow\\ntheir social media accounts for current updates.\\n\\nThere aren't a lot of free Kindle books here because they aren't free for a\\nvery long period of time, though there are plenty of genres you can browse\\nthrough. Look carefully on each download page and you can find when the free\\ndeal ends.\\n\\nBootastik's free Kindle books have links to where you can download them, like\\non Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble, etc., as well as a full description of the\\nbook. More\\n\\n##\\n\\n26\\n\\nKindle Owners' Lending Library\\n\\nThe Kindle Owners' Lending Library has over 800,000 free Kindle books\\navailable directly from Amazon. This is a lending process so you will only be\\nable to borrow the book, not keep it.\\n\\nAlthough this program is free, you'll need to be an Amazon Prime member to\\ntake advantage of it. If you're not a member you can sign up for a free trial\\nof Amazon Prime or wait until they offer free subscriptions, which they do\\nfrom time to time for special groups of people like moms or students.\\n\\n * #### Find out the Best Places Online to Get Free Kindle Books for Kids\\n\\n * #### Where to Find Thousands of Free Ebooks and How to Get Them\\n\\n * #### Places to Get Free Kindle Romance Books\\n\\n * #### Looking for Some Free Books? 16 Options to Choose From\\n\\n * #### Get Free Kindle Books at Hundred Zeros\\n\\n * #### How to Lend, Borrow, and Share Kindle Books With Friends and Family\\n\\n * #### 7 Websites That Have Free Nook Books\\n\\n * #### 15 Essential Free Kindle Fire Apps Everyone Should Have\\n\\n * #### Score 50 Free Comics on Free Comic Book Day 2017\\n\\n * #### 22 Places for Free Stock Photos for Commercial and Personal Use\\n\\n * #### 18 Free Magazine Subscriptions With No Strings Attached\\n\\n * #### 11 Best Websites for Downloading Free Music Legally\\n\\n * #### Find out the Best Websites for Downloading Free Audio Books\\n\\n * #### 6 Things You Should Never Spend Money On\\n\\n * #### 9 Things You Can Get for Free on Amazon\\n\\n * #### 16 of The Best Websites to Find Free PSD Templates for Adobe Photoshop\\n\\nThe Balance\\n\\nGet Daily Money Tips to Your Inbox\\n\\nFollow Us\\n\\n * Facebook\\n * Pinterest\\n * Twitter\\n * Flipboard\\n * LinkedIn\\n\\n * About Us\\n * Advertise\\n * Terms of Use\\n * Privacy Policy\\n * Careers\\n * Contact\\n\\n\"\n },\n {\n \"original_url\": \"https://edsource.org/2015/study-says-reading-aloud-to-children-more-than-talking-builds-literacy/82045\",\n \"archive_url\": \"http://web.archive.org/web/20211204204836/https://edsource.org/2015/study-says-reading-aloud-to-children-more-than-talking-builds-literacy/82045\",\n \"parsed_text\": {\n \"title\": \"Study says reading aloud to children, more than talking, builds literacy\",\n \"passages\": [\n \"Upcoming Roundtable — The future of grading: When failure is not an option — Dec. 8 at 4 p.m. | Register Today!\",\n \"Uriel Torres, 4, counts the windows on a building pictured in the Clifford book he’s reading with his tutor, Lisa Hern, at his home in East Palo Alto.\",\n \"Uriel Torres, 4, counts the windows on a building pictured in the Clifford book he’s reading with his tutor, Lisa Hern, at his home in East Palo Alto.\",\n \"In “The Pout-Pout Fish” children’s picture book, the author weaves words like “aghast” and “grimace” into a story about a fish who thought he was destined to “spread the dreary-wearies all over the place” until...well, no need to spoil the ending.\",\n \"Finding such rich language in a picture book is not unusual, and reading those stories aloud will introduce children to an extensive vocabulary, according to new research conducted by Dominic Massaro, a professor emeritus in psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He said although parents can build their children’s vocabularies by talking to them, reading to them is more effective.\",\n \"Reading aloud is the best way to help children develop word mastery and grammatical understanding, which form the basis for learning how to read, said Massaro, who studies language acquisition and literacy. He found that picture books are two to three times as likely as parent-child conversations to include a word that isn’t among the 5,000 most common English words.\",\n \"“We talk with a lazy tongue,” Massaro said. “We tend to point at something or use a pronoun and the context tells you what it is. We talk at a basic level.”\",\n \"Massaro said the limited vocabulary in ordinary, informal speech means what has been dubbed “the talking cure” – encouraging parents to talk more to their children to increase their vocabularies – has its drawbacks. Reading picture books to children would not only expose them to more words, he said, but it also would have a leveling effect for families with less education and a more limited vocabulary.\",\n \"“Given the fact that word mastery in adulthood is correlated with early acquisition of words, shared picture book reading offers a potentially powerful strategy to prepare children for competent literacy skills,” Massaro said in the study.\",\n \"The emphasis on talking more to children to increase their vocabularies is based on research by Betty Hart and Todd Risley at the University of Kansas. They found that parents on welfare spoke about 620 words to their children in an average hour compared with 2,150 words an hour spoken by parents with professional jobs. By age 3, the children with professional parents had heard 30 million more words than the children whose parents were on welfare. Hart and Risley concluded that the more parents talked to their children, the faster the children’s vocabularies grew and the higher the children’s I.Q. test scores were at age 3 and later. Since their research was published, there has been a push to encourage low-income parents to talk more to their children as a way to improve literacy.\",\n \"“Reading takes you beyond the easy way to communicate,” said Dominic Massaro, psychology professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. “It takes you to another world and challenges you.”\",\n \"“Reading takes you beyond the easy way to communicate,” he said. “It takes you to another world and challenges you.”\",\n \"Reading picture books to babies and toddlers is important, he said, because the earlier children acquire language, the more likely they are to master it.\",\n \"“You are stretching them in vocabulary and grammar at an early age,” Massaro said. “You are preparing them to be expert language users, and indirectly you are going to facilitate their learning to read.”\",\n \"Massaro said encouraging older children to sound out words and explaining what a word means if it isn’t clear in the context of the story will help build children’s vocabularies. Allowing children to pick the books they are interested in and turn the pages themselves keeps them active and engaged in learning, he said.\",\n \"Massaro said that 95 percent of the time when adults are reading to children, the children are looking at the pictures, partly because picture books tend to have small or fancy fonts that are hard to read. If picture book publishers would use larger and simpler fonts, then children would be more likely to also focus on the words, helping them to become independent readers, he said.\",\n \"In the study, Massaro compared the words in 112 popular picture books to adult-to-child conversations and adult-to-adult conversations. The picture books, which were recommended by librarians and chosen by him, included such favorites as “Goodnight Moon” and “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.”\",\n \"Most of the books Massaro used were fiction, but children’s picture books can also be nonfiction and discuss topics such as earthquakes or ocean life that would likely include a larger number of uncommon words, he said, giving them an even greater advantage over conversation.\",\n \"To analyze the conversations, Massaro used two databases of words. One database involved 64 conversations with 32 mothers. The mothers had one conversation with their baby, age 2 to 5 months, while interacting with toys, and another “casual conversation” with an adult experimenter. The second database consisted of more than 2.5 million words spoken by parents, caregivers and experimenters in the presence of children with a mean age of 36 months.\",\n \"In his comparison, Massaro identified the number of uncommon words, and he determined that the picture books he analyzed contained more of them than the language used in conversation.\",\n \"Do you count on EdSource’s reporting daily? Make your donation today to our year end fundraising campaign by Dec. 31st to keep us going without a paywall or ads.\",\n \"We welcome your comments. All comments are moderated for civility, relevance and other considerations. Click here for EdSource's Comments Policy.\",\n \"To be honest your article is informative and very helpful. After i saw your site and i read it and it help me a lot. Thanks for share your kind information. You may like this post on https://rokipedia.net/how-to-improve- vocabulary-for-adults/\",\n \"The issue should never be talking to vs reading to children, but interacting with children around language. Talk in a way that signals you expect a response; read as if in a conversation – comment, ask questions, talk about words in the book.\",\n \"A well-known finding in the literacy field: interacting with children around books is more beneficial than simply reading aloud. See for example, Dickinson & Smith 1994; Teale & Martinez 1996; Beck & McKeown 2001)\",\n \"https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326630284_The_impact_of_a_writing_programme_on_reading_acquisition_of_at- risk_first_grade_children here is a fantastic study for those looking for ways to help children gain better reading skills, especially if they are behind their peers. Thank you for this article. While I knew reading was important, I figured the quantity of words was important, not thinking about the quality. This has motivated me to set a 10 book minimum for my children with lots of uncommon words.\",\n \"Reading aloud is the best investment in the future of the child. The basis of literacy and interest in reading is laid in early childhood. Until the child learns to read independently, the influence of parents on his literacy is the most important. The number of home books, daily stories and regular visits to the library has a great influence on the development of the child's reading habits. My colleague conducted studies ... Read More\",\n \"Reading aloud is the best investment in the future of the child. The basis of literacy and interest in reading is laid in early childhood. Until the child learns to read independently, the influence of parents on his literacy is the most important. The number of home books, daily stories and regular visits to the library has a great influence on the development of the child’s reading habits. My colleague conducted studies show that at the age of three children from families where they read books, heard more than 20 million words than children from families where books are not read. If by the time of admission to school a child knows the letters well and has a certain lexicon, the level of his literary literacy remains high in the future. Reading aloud is a more important factor in a child’s success in the future than the socioeconomic status of his parents.\",\n \"Excellent article. Picture books are made for adults to read to children. That less frequent vocabulary found in picture book stories are the very words children probably do not know and will gloss over if the child is reading alone. The adult reading the story aloud to the child helps with unfamiliar vocabulary. This help provides the word knowledge children need to acquire to evetually add the word to his or her lexicon.\",\n \"We totally agree! When children listen to stories they not only hear a wide vocabulary but they are also exposed to complex sentence structures that are different from the ones used in conversations. Also, most importantly, children who hear stories will learn to enjoy books and are more likely to read for pleasure themselves! Success! Cid and Mo\",\n \"This is such an important study. Parents in a lower social class often do not know what to talk to their children about which can also hinder the ability of the child to learn new vocabulary, however reading picture books gives a starting point for conversations. The story and pictures can promote discussion and further understanding. This study gives further evidence to the importance of reading to young babies and toddlers; each ... Read More\",\n \"This is such an important study. Parents in a lower social class often do not know what to talk to their children about which can also hinder the ability of the child to learn new vocabulary, however reading picture books gives a starting point for conversations. The story and pictures can promote discussion and further understanding. This study gives further evidence to the importance of reading to young babies and toddlers; each new study is just adding further weight to the argument.\",\n \"Let's not put down alphabet books with realistic pictures of apples, balls, and so on. I recall reading such a book with my child who was not yet walking. I read what was written and added my own about the \\\"crunch\\\" when you bit into an apple and more. There was a large \\\"A\\\" and \\\"a\\\" on the page. My child then pointed to the letters and clearly wanted ... Read More\",\n \"Let’s not put down alphabet books with realistic pictures of apples, balls, and so on. I recall reading such a book with my child who was not yet walking. I read what was written and added my own about the “crunch” when you bit into an apple and more. There was a large “A” and “a” on the page. My child then pointed to the letters and clearly wanted to know more about them as if why aren’t you talking about these. Phonics began that day... No one taught my son to read though sometimes he emphasized the wrong syllable in foreign names from the newspaper. I am blessed.\",\n \"I believe the money paid,to do,the study was money waisted. Of course all people soak,up info. Better when road to for thousands and thousands of common sense reasons. 1. Some do not speakmenglishmwell and itmismtoughmtomstumble and stumble over words one can't pronouncemandmthis creates a lack of flow,ofmcomprehensionmet. 2. In our electronicmtextmworld, many are in a hurry and rush reading, skimming,mane comprehension is,lessened as compared to those who rest while being read to. 3. there is a ... Read More\",\n \"2. In our electronicmtextmworld, many are in a hurry and rush reading, skimming,mane comprehension is,lessened as compared to those who rest while being read to.\",\n \"3. there is a magesty,of,theatre in hearing someone read ,in person, that is a God effect and captivates people to understand in more depth , not unlike eye contact.\",\n \"When my daughter was two years old, she was diagnosed with a developmental disability and was not talking and not understanding us. I would check out loads of children's picture books from the library to read to her. The pictures weren't enough for her to understand, so we would take stuffed animals and act out what was happening on each page. . We would read and act out about 13 books every evening before bed--plus ... Read More\",\n \"When my daughter was two years old, she was diagnosed with a developmental disability and was not talking and not understanding us. I would check out loads of children’s picture books from the library to read to her. The pictures weren’t enough for her to understand, so we would take stuffed animals and act out what was happening on each page. . We would read and act out about 13 books every evening before bed–plus some books during the day. (She also had other interventions to help her learn to talk). The repetition of familiar books was very helpful. We would always do the same book twice in a row before moving on to another book. Fred and Ted (Big Dog, Little Dog) books were the best. She got to the point where she not only understood them and could act them out, she could flip the language (Book says: Ted liked beets” she could take her stuffed animal and have it pretend to say, “I like beets.” Years later, she is communicating on grade level and is about a year ahead of her age group in reading. The repetition, pictures, and predictability of children’s books make them ideal for helping kids learn–not just literacy but also about the world and how to communicate verbally.\",\n \"* ## Parent 6 years ago6 years ago\\nWhat a wonderful post. I sure wish that some non profit would do some valuable study on what you presented here to see if the act of reading that way did propel an autistic child forward more or not. A study is in order. . . . I ask you consider writing to some non profit that focuses on autism and ask if you can help shape a study to test out what you were doing ... Read More\",\n \"What a wonderful post. I sure wish that some non profit would do some valuable study on what you presented here to see if the act of reading that way did propel an autistic child forward more or not. A study is in order. . . . I ask you consider writing to some non profit that focuses on autism and ask if you can help shape a study to test out what you were doing with your child and to educate others if it works or not in a validated study. . . . Please consider that.\",\n \"* ## Susan Frey 6 years ago6 years ago\\nThanks for your comment. I forwarded it to Professor Massaro, who is more in touch with the research community. I simply report on studies that I see. I don’t conduct them. It sounds like a terrific idea.\",\n \"* ## Dom Massaro 6 years ago6 years ago\\nThanks much for sharing your success story with your child. I would suggest contacting Autism Speaks (https://www.autismspeaks.org/) about your experiences.\",\n \"* ## Parent News Opinion 6 years ago6 years ago\\nHow about facial ting more with parent, and , ask parent if someone from autism speaks can call her.\",\n \"Parents often work two jobs and large non profits and others need to better reach out to facilitate in stronger ways.\",\n \"While I see NO downside to reading aloud to/from any age group, I also want to state that the right type of verbal discussion can be as valuable or more valuable depending upon the topic. I cannot begin to explain all that I learned listening to adult conversations at the dinner table. Controversial current event topics began to make sense. I certainly learned my parents' preferences regarding the world order. Civics ... Read More\",\n \"While I see NO downside to reading aloud to/from any age group, I also want to state that the right type of verbal discussion can be as valuable or more valuable depending upon the topic. I cannot begin to explain all that I learned listening to adult conversations at the dinner table. Controversial current event topics began to make sense. I certainly learned my parents’ preferences regarding the world order. Civics was stressed beyond most measures of exposure in school. What has happened to the informed conversation? Obviously, the listener/learner will hear many biased opinions, however, the defense of those opinions can be a very valuable learning experience too.\",\n \"Studies are always interesting, but do we really want to set up a dichotomy between talking to kids vs. reading aloud to them? First off, I have to say how important it is to limit screens-time if you want to enhance a kid's love of reading. Obviously, both talking and reading aloud are important for both a child's sense of well-being and becoming literate. One aspect of reading aloud to young children that is sometimes ... Read More\",\n \"Studies are always interesting, but do we really want to set up a dichotomy between talking to kids vs. reading aloud to them? First off, I have to say how important it is to limit screens-time if you want to enhance a kid’s love of reading.\",\n \"Obviously, both talking and reading aloud are important for both a child’s sense of well-being and becoming literate. One aspect of reading aloud to young children that is sometimes overlooked is taking time to encourage the youngster’s comments on the story or the illustrations — what feelings does the story elicit, predictions about what might happen, counting numbers, naming animals, identifying colors, appreciating the illustrations and wondering how they were made.\",\n \"Also, there’s no age limit to the mutual pleasure of reading aloud or being read to. I know teenagers who will accept a grandparent’s offer to read aloud at bedtime and I know adults who do read-alouds on road-trips. Reading aloud is a human interaction and people remember the sound of a reader’s voice –a teacher, parent, grandparent, older brother, a friend, forever. One of life’s joys is discussing literature with someone who’s read what you’ve read, or who tells you about a book that’s unknown to you — and that someone can be a little kid or another adult.\",\n \"Our brains are designed to pay attention to the novel and gloss over the familiar. This goes all the way back to basic survival awareness where the unexpected and new are either threats or opportunities, but it can be harnessed for learning and complex cognitive processing. Combining that with the power of storytelling and its ability to touch our thoughts and emotions at the same time and you have a powerful teaching tool. ... Read More\",\n \"Our brains are designed to pay attention to the novel and gloss over the familiar. This goes all the way back to basic survival awareness where the unexpected and new are either threats or opportunities, but it can be harnessed for learning and complex cognitive processing. Combining that with the power of storytelling and its ability to touch our thoughts and emotions at the same time and you have a powerful teaching tool. Being exposed to novel words in a familiar and stimulating context is important to a child’s brain development and learning ability. Conditioning them that not everything is familiar will serve to keep them on their toes and alert for new stimuli, terms, and concepts. Their internal reward is the feeling of accomplishment and approval that comes with learning something new — aspiring and achieving. Stimulation is vital to the health of our brains, especially children’s brains. Attaching the learning moment to an emotion (preferably a positive one such as joy, excitement, or delight) solidifies the memory as significant and aids in placing it in long-term storage. Let’s not squander a mind that is open to the world by boring it into a stupor.\",\n \"At what age do the benefits of reading aloud begin to taper off? I’m still reading aloud to my 8 year old, does it continue thru the tween years? Any studies done on that?\",\n \"* ## Dom Massaro 6 years ago6 years ago\\nThere is no reason to stop reading to your child if you both are enjoying it. More importantly, the finding that the earlier you learn a word the better you master it holds well into adulthood. A particularly positive influence would occur if your shared reading stretches your child’s vocabulary beyond what he or she would normally read alone.\",\n \"* ## Shannon 6 years ago6 years ago\\nI loved reading this article. I am a veteran teacher, starting my 27th year, and have been reading aloud to students (no matter what grade level I taught...6th graders seemed to love it more than most other grade levels ironically) . How can I convey this to my parents or colleagues how vital this is for our children?\",\n \"* ## Gary Ravani 6 years ago6 years ago\\nMdw: I'm not familiar with studies indicating increased reading comprehension (measured) via being read to aloud for older students. I will say, from experience, that students through 9th grade seem to appreciate it. Certainly junior high kids do, caught as they are in that \\\"tweener\\\" stage. Reading aloud, if done well, can allow a teacher to provide access to more sophisticated reading materials than student's current reading fluency levels might otherwise allow. Though a reading disability ... Read More\",\n \"I’m not familiar with studies indicating increased reading comprehension (measured) via being read to aloud for older students. I will say, from experience, that students through 9th grade seem to appreciate it. Certainly junior high kids do, caught as they are in that “tweener” stage. Reading aloud, if done well, can allow a teacher to provide access to more sophisticated reading materials than student’s current reading fluency levels might otherwise allow. Though a reading disability or lack of experience with English might not allow students to tackle more difficult text materials, they can frequently work with more sophisticated ideas. Which, in the long run, typically adds to comprehension levels as it develops increased context. Other similar strategies, readers’ theater, choral reading, and “jig-sawing” can also work well in the classroom.\",\n \"* ## Don 6 years ago6 years ago\\nI guess it depends because at some point you may be reading to your child in lieu of your child reading alone. If your child wants you to read past the age when s/he should be reading alone then it is becoming a crutch.\",\n \"* ## FloydThursby1941 6 years ago6 years ago\\nI think reading with your kids makes it fun and teachers them it’s important. They associate fun time with parents and approval with being able to read. 60% of Asians teach their kids to read before Kindergarten vs. 16% of whites, the main cause of the gap between these two groups in California. Reading is always better than talking.\",\n \"* ## Luis Carbajal 6 years ago6 years ago\\nYou are absolutely right Floyd. Reading to children is as much a pleasurable bonding experience as it is a learning experience. If a child or any human being for that matter, associates an activity with pleasure, he will be more likely to continue doing it.\",\n \"As both a mom and illustrator of picture books this Is concrete validation of not only the word wealth but also visual literacy benefits of a child and a story in your lap. Amen!\",\n \"There's some very conflicting ideas in this article concerning reading more and talking more. Massaro says, \\\"....encouraging parents to talk more to their children to increase their vocabularies – has its drawbacks.\\\" Frey goes on in the next paragraph too cite Hart and Risley who \\\"concluded that the more parents talked to their children, the faster the children’s vocabularies grew and the higher the children’s I.Q. test scores were at age 3...\\\" Is the author ... Read More\",\n \"There’s some very conflicting ideas in this article concerning reading more and talking more. Massaro says, “....encouraging parents to talk more to their children to increase their vocabularies – has its drawbacks.” Frey goes on in the next paragraph too cite Hart and Risley who “concluded that the more parents talked to their children, the faster the children’s vocabularies grew and the higher the children’s I.Q. test scores were at age 3...” Is the author conflating reading and talking (conversation)? Then there’s some explicit advice given by Massaro for everyone to read more, which is fine except for the fact that it is couched in the notion that doing so, ” would not only expose them to more words, he said, but it also would have a leveling effect for families with less education and a more limited vocabulary.” This totally omits what is being read and what is being discussed as factors. Which brings me to the next point.\",\n \"The theory espoused here is that Moby Dick is better than The Old Man and the Sea – that reading is more like the first and talking is more like the second. I can imagine these researchers with their abacuses counting the words and separating them into big and small. There’s no discussion of storyline, character development, motif, meaning, etc. It’s all about some quantitative word uptake. Here’s a excerpt of a Carol Burris article about Common Core and the opt out movement:\",\n \"“Here is a sample from the Grade 6 Reading test that was given in Virginia last year to measure the state’s Standards of Learning (SOL):\",\n \"“Julia raced down the hallway, sliding the last few feet to her next class. The bell had already rung, so she slipped through the door and quickly sat down, hoping the teacher would not notice.\",\n \"Mr. Malone turned from the piano and said, “Julia, I’m happy you could join us.” He continued teaching, explaining the new music they were preparing to learn. Julia relaxed, thinking Mr. Malone would let another tardy slide by. Unfortunately, she realized at the end of class that she was incorrect.”\",\n \"That is certainly a reasonable passage to expect sixth-graders to read. You can find the complete passage and other released items from the Virginia tests here.\",\n \"Contrast the above with a paragraph from a passage on the sixth-grade New York Common Core test given this spring.\",\n \"The artist focuses on the ephemerality of his subject. “It’s there for a brief moment and the clouds fall apart,” he says. Since clouds are something that people tend to have strong connections to, there are a lot of preconceived notions and emotions tied to them. For him though, his work presents “a transitory moment of presence in a distinct location.” End\",\n \"In the first passage there’s a tangible meaning and interaction relative to the child doing the reading. The second passage is abstract and evocative, and clearly beyond the average 6th grade mentality. But, gee whiz, its got a lot of big words. Well , no need to go off topic and trash Common Core. It does a pretty good job of trashing itself or as Burris noted – “I will let readers draw their own conclusions.”\",\n \"“You are stretching them in vocabulary and grammar at an early age,” Massaro said. “You are preparing them to be expert language users, and indirectly you are going to facilitate their learning to read.”\",\n \"Massaro wants to teach his 36 month old toddler grammar. I read to my kids so they would love a good story and develop an appreciation for writing and the aspirations of humanity. (drum roll)\",\n \"The stuff of this article comes straight out of the Common Core slice and dice playbook which is not surprising given the big money donated by Gates to Ed Source.\",\n \"As its main author, David Coleman said about writing in school, “They ( society/employers) don’t give a sh*t what you think or what you feel.” Maybe his mother talked too much and read too little.\",\n \"* ## Dana 3 years ago3 years ago\\nReading aloud is the best investment in the future of the child\"\n ]\n },\n \"parsed_md\": \"Study says reading aloud to children, more than talking, builds literacy |\\nEdSource\\n\\nUpcoming Roundtable — The future of grading: When failure is not an option —\\nDec. 8 at 4 p.m. | Register Today!\\n\\nEXPLORE: REMOTE'S IMPACT ON THE YOUNGESTQuick Guides\\n\\n## Highlighting Strategies for Student Success\\n\\n * Donate\\n * Subscribe\\n\\nQuick search above or Advanced Search\\n\\n### Literacy\\n\\n# Study says reading aloud to children, more than talking, builds literacy\\n\\n### Literacy\\n\\n##### July 8, 2015\\n\\n##### Susan Frey\\n\\n##### 29 Comments\\n\\nCredit: Lillian Mongeau/EdSource Today\\n\\nUriel Torres, 4, counts the windows on a building pictured in the Clifford\\nbook he’s reading with his tutor, Lisa Hern, at his home in East Palo Alto.\\n\\nCredit: Lillian Mongeau/EdSource Today\\n\\nUriel Torres, 4, counts the windows on a building pictured in the Clifford\\nbook he’s reading with his tutor, Lisa Hern, at his home in East Palo Alto.\\n\\n##### Susan Frey\\n\\n##### July 8, 2015\\n\\n##### 29 Comments\\n\\nIn “The Pout-Pout Fish” children’s picture book, the author weaves words like\\n“aghast” and “grimace” into a story about a fish who thought he was destined\\nto “spread the dreary-wearies all over the place” until...well, no need to\\nspoil the ending.\\n\\nFinding such rich language in a picture book is not unusual, and reading those\\nstories aloud will introduce children to an extensive vocabulary, according to\\nnew research conducted by Dominic Massaro, a professor emeritus in psychology\\nat the University of California, Santa Cruz. He said although parents can\\nbuild their children’s vocabularies by talking to them, reading to them is\\nmore effective.\\n\\nReading aloud is the best way to help children develop word mastery and\\ngrammatical understanding, which form the basis for learning how to read, said\\nMassaro, who studies language acquisition and literacy. He found that picture\\nbooks are two to three times as likely as parent-child conversations to\\ninclude a word that isn’t among the 5,000 most common English words.\\n\\nPicture books even include more uncommon words than conversations among\\nadults, he said.\\n\\n“We talk with a lazy tongue,” Massaro said. “We tend to point at something or\\nuse a pronoun and the context tells you what it is. We talk at a basic level.”\\n\\nLiv Ames for EdSource\\n\\nBooks by Dr. Seuss are popular with children.\\n\\nMassaro said the limited vocabulary in ordinary, informal speech means what\\nhas been dubbed “the talking cure” – encouraging parents to talk more to their\\nchildren to increase their vocabularies – has its drawbacks. Reading picture\\nbooks to children would not only expose them to more words, he said, but it\\nalso would have a leveling effect for families with less education and a more\\nlimited vocabulary.\\n\\n“Given the fact that word mastery in adulthood is correlated with early\\nacquisition of words, shared picture book reading offers a potentially\\npowerful strategy to prepare children for competent literacy skills,” Massaro\\nsaid in the study.\\n\\nThe emphasis on talking more to children to increase their vocabularies is\\nbased on research by Betty Hart and Todd Risley at the University of Kansas.\\nThey found that parents on welfare spoke about 620 words to their children in\\nan average hour compared with 2,150 words an hour spoken by parents with\\nprofessional jobs. By age 3, the children with professional parents had heard\\n30 million more words than the children whose parents were on welfare. Hart\\nand Risley concluded that the more parents talked to their children, the\\nfaster the children’s vocabularies grew and the higher the children’s I.Q.\\ntest scores were at age 3 and later. Since their research was published, there\\nhas been a push to encourage low-income parents to talk more to their children\\nas a way to improve literacy.\\n\\n> “Reading takes you beyond the easy way to communicate,” said Dominic\\n> Massaro, psychology professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz.\\n> “It takes you to another world and challenges you.”\\n\\nBut more picture book reading would be beneficial to children from every\\nsocial class, Massaro said. What limits the tongue of even well-educated\\nadults are “certain rules of discourse,” such as responding quickly, he said.\\nThat reduces word choices to those acquired early and used more frequently. In\\nconversation, people also repeat words that have been recently spoken, further\\nrestricting the variety of words used.\\n\\nWriting, on the other hand, is more formal, Massaro said, even in children’s\\nbooks.\\n\\n“Reading takes you beyond the easy way to communicate,” he said. “It takes you\\nto another world and challenges you.”\\n\\nReading picture books to babies and toddlers is important, he said, because\\nthe earlier children acquire language, the more likely they are to master it.\\n\\n“You are stretching them in vocabulary and grammar at an early age,” Massaro\\nsaid. “You are preparing them to be expert language users, and indirectly you\\nare going to facilitate their learning to read.”\\n\\n# Going Deeper\\n\\n“Two Different Communication Genres and Implications for Vocabulary\\nDevelopment and Learning to Read” by Dominic W. Massaro, Department of\\nPsychology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 2015\\n\\n“The Early Catastrophe: The 30 Million Word Gap by Age 3” by Betty Hart and\\nTodd Risley, University of Kansas, 1995\\n\\n“The Talking Cure” by Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, Jan. 12, 2005\\n\\nMassaro said encouraging older children to sound out words and explaining what\\na word means if it isn’t clear in the context of the story will help build\\nchildren’s vocabularies. Allowing children to pick the books they are\\ninterested in and turn the pages themselves keeps them active and engaged in\\nlearning, he said.\\n\\nReading to children also teaches them to listen, and “good listeners are going\\nto be good readers,” Massaro said.\\n\\nMassaro said that 95 percent of the time when adults are reading to children,\\nthe children are looking at the pictures, partly because picture books tend to\\nhave small or fancy fonts that are hard to read. If picture book publishers\\nwould use larger and simpler fonts, then children would be more likely to also\\nfocus on the words, helping them to become independent readers, he said.\\n\\nIn the study, Massaro compared the words in 112 popular picture books to\\nadult-to-child conversations and adult-to-adult conversations. The picture\\nbooks, which were recommended by librarians and chosen by him, included such\\nfavorites as “Goodnight Moon” and “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.”\\n\\nMost of the books Massaro used were fiction, but children’s picture books can\\nalso be nonfiction and discuss topics such as earthquakes or ocean life that\\nwould likely include a larger number of uncommon words, he said, giving them\\nan even greater advantage over conversation.\\n\\nTo analyze the conversations, Massaro used two databases of words. One\\ndatabase involved 64 conversations with 32 mothers. The mothers had one\\nconversation with their baby, age 2 to 5 months, while interacting with toys,\\nand another “casual conversation” with an adult experimenter. The second\\ndatabase consisted of more than 2.5 million words spoken by parents,\\ncaregivers and experimenters in the presence of children with a mean age of 36\\nmonths.\\n\\nIn his comparison, Massaro identified the number of uncommon words, and he\\ndetermined that the picture books he analyzed contained more of them than the\\nlanguage used in conversation.\\n\\nMassaro’s study has been accepted for publication in The Journal of Literacy\\nResearch.\\n\\nDo you count on EdSource’s reporting daily? Make your donation today to our\\nyear end fundraising campaign by Dec. 31st to keep us going without a paywall\\nor ads.\\n\\nRepublish this article\\n\\n### Share Article\\n\\n### Susan Frey covered early learning, expanded learning, foster students and\\nadult education for EdSource until\\n\\n### EXPLORE:\\n\\nLiteracyEarly LearningCurriculumAcademicsEarly LearningFeaturedReadingStudent\\nLiteracy\\n\\n### Comments (29)\\n\\n## Leave a Comment\\n\\n##### Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * *\\n\\nClick here to cancel reply.\\n\\n### Comments Policy\\n\\nWe welcome your comments. All comments are moderated for civility, relevance\\nand other considerations. Click here for EdSource's Comments Policy.\\n\\n 1. ## ROKIPEDIA 1 year ago1 year ago\\n\\nTo be honest your article is informative and very helpful. After i saw your\\nsite and i read it and it help me a lot. Thanks for share your kind\\ninformation. You may like this post on https://rokipedia.net/how-to-improve-\\nvocabulary-for-adults/\\n\\n 2. ## Margaret McKeown 2 years ago2 years ago\\n\\nThe issue should never be talking to vs reading to children, but interacting\\nwith children around language. Talk in a way that signals you expect a\\nresponse; read as if in a conversation – comment, ask questions, talk about\\nwords in the book.\\n\\nA well-known finding in the literacy field: interacting with children around\\nbooks is more beneficial than simply reading aloud. See for example, Dickinson\\n& Smith 1994; Teale & Martinez 1996; Beck & McKeown 2001)\\n\\n 3. ## Charris 3 years ago3 years ago\\n\\nhttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/326630284_The_impact_of_a_writing_programme_on_reading_acquisition_of_at-\\nrisk_first_grade_children here is a fantastic study for those looking for ways\\nto help children gain better reading skills, especially if they are behind\\ntheir peers. Thank you for this article. While I knew reading was important, I\\nfigured the quantity of words was important, not thinking about the quality.\\nThis has motivated me to set a 10 book minimum for my children with lots of\\nuncommon words.\\n\\n 4. ## writingpaper 4 years ago4 years ago\\n\\nReading aloud is the best investment in the future of the child. The basis of\\nliteracy and interest in reading is laid in early childhood. Until the child\\nlearns to read independently, the influence of parents on his literacy is the\\nmost important. The number of home books, daily stories and regular visits to\\nthe library has a great influence on the development of the child's reading\\nhabits. My colleague conducted studies ... Read More\\n\\nReading aloud is the best investment in the future of the child. The basis of\\nliteracy and interest in reading is laid in early childhood. Until the child\\nlearns to read independently, the influence of parents on his literacy is the\\nmost important. The number of home books, daily stories and regular visits to\\nthe library has a great influence on the development of the child’s reading\\nhabits. My colleague conducted studies show that at the age of three children\\nfrom families where they read books, heard more than 20 million words than\\nchildren from families where books are not read. If by the time of admission\\nto school a child knows the letters well and has a certain lexicon, the level\\nof his literary literacy remains high in the future. Reading aloud is a more\\nimportant factor in a child’s success in the future than the socioeconomic\\nstatus of his parents.\\n\\n 5. ## Gigi 4 years ago4 years ago\\n\\nExcellent article. Picture books are made for adults to read to children. That\\nless frequent vocabulary found in picture book stories are the very words\\nchildren probably do not know and will gloss over if the child is reading\\nalone. The adult reading the story aloud to the child helps with unfamiliar\\nvocabulary. This help provides the word knowledge children need to acquire to\\nevetually add the word to his or her lexicon.\\n\\n 6. ## Cid and Mo 6 years ago6 years ago\\n\\nWe totally agree! When children listen to stories they not only hear a wide\\nvocabulary but they are also exposed to complex sentence structures that are\\ndifferent from the ones used in conversations. Also, most importantly,\\nchildren who hear stories will learn to enjoy books and are more likely to\\nread for pleasure themselves! Success! Cid and Mo\\n\\n 7. ## Tracey Needham 6 years ago6 years ago\\n\\nThis is such an important study. Parents in a lower social class often do not\\nknow what to talk to their children about which can also hinder the ability of\\nthe child to learn new vocabulary, however reading picture books gives a\\nstarting point for conversations. The story and pictures can promote\\ndiscussion and further understanding. This study gives further evidence to the\\nimportance of reading to young babies and toddlers; each ... Read More\\n\\nThis is such an important study. Parents in a lower social class often do not\\nknow what to talk to their children about which can also hinder the ability of\\nthe child to learn new vocabulary, however reading picture books gives a\\nstarting point for conversations. The story and pictures can promote\\ndiscussion and further understanding. This study gives further evidence to the\\nimportance of reading to young babies and toddlers; each new study is just\\nadding further weight to the argument.\\n\\n 8. ## Anne 6 years ago6 years ago\\n\\nLet's not put down alphabet books with realistic pictures of apples, balls,\\nand so on. I recall reading such a book with my child who was not yet walking.\\nI read what was written and added my own about the \\\"crunch\\\" when you bit into\\nan apple and more. There was a large \\\"A\\\" and \\\"a\\\" on the page. My child then\\npointed to the letters and clearly wanted ... Read More\\n\\nLet’s not put down alphabet books with realistic pictures of apples, balls,\\nand so on. I recall reading such a book with my child who was not yet walking.\\nI read what was written and added my own about the “crunch” when you bit into\\nan apple and more. There was a large “A” and “a” on the page. My child then\\npointed to the letters and clearly wanted to know more about them as if why\\naren’t you talking about these. Phonics began that day... No one taught my son\\nto read though sometimes he emphasized the wrong syllable in foreign names\\nfrom the newspaper. I am blessed.\\n\\n 9. ## Concerned Parent Reporter 6 years ago6 years ago\\n\\nI believe the money paid,to do,the study was money waisted. Of course all\\npeople soak,up info. Better when road to for thousands and thousands of common\\nsense reasons. 1. Some do not speakmenglishmwell and itmismtoughmtomstumble\\nand stumble over words one can't pronouncemandmthis creates a lack of\\nflow,ofmcomprehensionmet. 2. In our electronicmtextmworld, many are in a hurry\\nand rush reading, skimming,mane comprehension is,lessened as compared to those\\nwho rest while being read to. 3. there is a ... Read More\\n\\nI believe the money paid,to do,the study was money waisted.\\n\\nOf course all people soak,up info. Better when road to for thousands and\\nthousands of common sense reasons.\\n\\n1\\\\. Some do not speakmenglishmwell and itmismtoughmtomstumble and stumble over\\nwords one can’t pronouncemandmthis creates a lack of flow,ofmcomprehensionmet.\\n\\n2\\\\. In our electronicmtextmworld, many are in a hurry and rush reading,\\nskimming,mane comprehension is,lessened as compared to those who rest while\\nbeing read to.\\n\\n3\\\\. there is a magesty,of,theatre in hearing someone read ,in person, that is\\na God effect and captivates people to understand in more depth , not unlike\\neye contact.\\n\\nstupid study, and notmworthmthemarticle\\n\\n 10. ## AutismMom 6 years ago6 years ago\\n\\nWhen my daughter was two years old, she was diagnosed with a developmental\\ndisability and was not talking and not understanding us. I would check out\\nloads of children's picture books from the library to read to her. The\\npictures weren't enough for her to understand, so we would take stuffed\\nanimals and act out what was happening on each page. . We would read and act\\nout about 13 books every evening before bed--plus ... Read More\\n\\nWhen my daughter was two years old, she was diagnosed with a developmental\\ndisability and was not talking and not understanding us. I would check out\\nloads of children’s picture books from the library to read to her. The\\npictures weren’t enough for her to understand, so we would take stuffed\\nanimals and act out what was happening on each page. . We would read and act\\nout about 13 books every evening before bed–plus some books during the day.\\n(She also had other interventions to help her learn to talk). The repetition\\nof familiar books was very helpful. We would always do the same book twice in\\na row before moving on to another book. Fred and Ted (Big Dog, Little Dog)\\nbooks were the best. She got to the point where she not only understood them\\nand could act them out, she could flip the language (Book says: Ted liked\\nbeets” she could take her stuffed animal and have it pretend to say, “I like\\nbeets.” Years later, she is communicating on grade level and is about a year\\nahead of her age group in reading. The repetition, pictures, and\\npredictability of children’s books make them ideal for helping kids learn–not\\njust literacy but also about the world and how to communicate verbally.\\n\\nReplies\\n\\n * ## Parent 6 years ago6 years ago\\n\\nWhat a wonderful post. I sure wish that some non profit would do some valuable\\nstudy on what you presented here to see if the act of reading that way did\\npropel an autistic child forward more or not. A study is in order. . . . I ask\\nyou consider writing to some non profit that focuses on autism and ask if you\\ncan help shape a study to test out what you were doing ... Read More\\n\\nWhat a wonderful post. I sure wish that some non profit would do some valuable\\nstudy on what you presented here to see if the act of reading that way did\\npropel an autistic child forward more or not. A study is in order. . . . I ask\\nyou consider writing to some non profit that focuses on autism and ask if you\\ncan help shape a study to test out what you were doing with your child and to\\neducate others if it works or not in a validated study. . . . Please consider\\nthat.\\n\\n. . . Parent\\n\\n * ## Susan Frey 6 years ago6 years ago\\n\\nThanks for your comment. I forwarded it to Professor Massaro, who is more in\\ntouch with the research community. I simply report on studies that I see. I\\ndon’t conduct them. It sounds like a terrific idea.\\n\\n * ## Dom Massaro 6 years ago6 years ago\\n\\nThanks much for sharing your success story with your child. I would suggest\\ncontacting Autism Speaks (https://www.autismspeaks.org/) about your\\nexperiences.\\n\\n * ## Parent News Opinion 6 years ago6 years ago\\n\\nHow about facial ting more with parent, and , ask parent if someone from\\nautism speaks can call her.\\n\\nParents often work two jobs and large non profits and others need to better\\nreach out to facilitate in stronger ways.\\n\\n * ## Parent News Opinion 6 years ago6 years ago\\n\\nI meant to write\\n\\nhow about facilitating more with parent\\n\\n 11. ## Eileen 6 years ago6 years ago\\n\\nWhile I see NO downside to reading aloud to/from any age group, I also want to\\nstate that the right type of verbal discussion can be as valuable or more\\nvaluable depending upon the topic. I cannot begin to explain all that I\\nlearned listening to adult conversations at the dinner table. Controversial\\ncurrent event topics began to make sense. I certainly learned my parents'\\npreferences regarding the world order. Civics ... Read More\\n\\nWhile I see NO downside to reading aloud to/from any age group, I also want to\\nstate that the right type of verbal discussion can be as valuable or more\\nvaluable depending upon the topic. I cannot begin to explain all that I\\nlearned listening to adult conversations at the dinner table. Controversial\\ncurrent event topics began to make sense. I certainly learned my parents’\\npreferences regarding the world order. Civics was stressed beyond most\\nmeasures of exposure in school. What has happened to the informed\\nconversation? Obviously, the listener/learner will hear many biased opinions,\\nhowever, the defense of those opinions can be a very valuable learning\\nexperience too.\\n\\n 12. ## Frances O'Neill Zimmerman 6 years ago6 years ago\\n\\nStudies are always interesting, but do we really want to set up a dichotomy\\nbetween talking to kids vs. reading aloud to them? First off, I have to say\\nhow important it is to limit screens-time if you want to enhance a kid's love\\nof reading. Obviously, both talking and reading aloud are important for both a\\nchild's sense of well-being and becoming literate. One aspect of reading aloud\\nto young children that is sometimes ... Read More\\n\\nStudies are always interesting, but do we really want to set up a dichotomy\\nbetween talking to kids vs. reading aloud to them? First off, I have to say\\nhow important it is to limit screens-time if you want to enhance a kid’s love\\nof reading.\\n\\nObviously, both talking and reading aloud are important for both a child’s\\nsense of well-being and becoming literate. One aspect of reading aloud to\\nyoung children that is sometimes overlooked is taking time to encourage the\\nyoungster’s comments on the story or the illustrations — what feelings does\\nthe story elicit, predictions about what might happen, counting numbers,\\nnaming animals, identifying colors, appreciating the illustrations and\\nwondering how they were made.\\n\\nAlso, there’s no age limit to the mutual pleasure of reading aloud or being\\nread to. I know teenagers who will accept a grandparent’s offer to read aloud\\nat bedtime and I know adults who do read-alouds on road-trips. Reading aloud\\nis a human interaction and people remember the sound of a reader’s voice –a\\nteacher, parent, grandparent, older brother, a friend, forever. One of life’s\\njoys is discussing literature with someone who’s read what you’ve read, or who\\ntells you about a book that’s unknown to you — and that someone can be a\\nlittle kid or another adult.\\n\\n 13. ## Bill Jenkins 6 years ago6 years ago\\n\\nOur brains are designed to pay attention to the novel and gloss over the\\nfamiliar. This goes all the way back to basic survival awareness where the\\nunexpected and new are either threats or opportunities, but it can be\\nharnessed for learning and complex cognitive processing. Combining that with\\nthe power of storytelling and its ability to touch our thoughts and emotions\\nat the same time and you have a powerful teaching tool. ... Read More\\n\\nOur brains are designed to pay attention to the novel and gloss over the\\nfamiliar. This goes all the way back to basic survival awareness where the\\nunexpected and new are either threats or opportunities, but it can be\\nharnessed for learning and complex cognitive processing. Combining that with\\nthe power of storytelling and its ability to touch our thoughts and emotions\\nat the same time and you have a powerful teaching tool. Being exposed to novel\\nwords in a familiar and stimulating context is important to a child’s brain\\ndevelopment and learning ability. Conditioning them that not everything is\\nfamiliar will serve to keep them on their toes and alert for new stimuli,\\nterms, and concepts. Their internal reward is the feeling of accomplishment\\nand approval that comes with learning something new — aspiring and achieving.\\nStimulation is vital to the health of our brains, especially children’s\\nbrains. Attaching the learning moment to an emotion (preferably a positive one\\nsuch as joy, excitement, or delight) solidifies the memory as significant and\\naids in placing it in long-term storage. Let’s not squander a mind that is\\nopen to the world by boring it into a stupor.\\n\\n 14. ## Mdw 6 years ago6 years ago\\n\\nAt what age do the benefits of reading aloud begin to taper off? I’m still\\nreading aloud to my 8 year old, does it continue thru the tween years? Any\\nstudies done on that?\\n\\nReplies\\n\\n * ## Dom Massaro 6 years ago6 years ago\\n\\nThere is no reason to stop reading to your child if you both are enjoying it.\\nMore importantly, the finding that the earlier you learn a word the better you\\nmaster it holds well into adulthood. A particularly positive influence would\\noccur if your shared reading stretches your child’s vocabulary beyond what he\\nor she would normally read alone.\\n\\nDom Massaro\\n\\n * ## Shannon 6 years ago6 years ago\\n\\nI loved reading this article. I am a veteran teacher, starting my 27th year,\\nand have been reading aloud to students (no matter what grade level I\\ntaught...6th graders seemed to love it more than most other grade levels\\nironically) . How can I convey this to my parents or colleagues how vital this\\nis for our children?\\n\\n * ## Gary Ravani 6 years ago6 years ago\\n\\nMdw: I'm not familiar with studies indicating increased reading comprehension\\n(measured) via being read to aloud for older students. I will say, from\\nexperience, that students through 9th grade seem to appreciate it. Certainly\\njunior high kids do, caught as they are in that \\\"tweener\\\" stage. Reading\\naloud, if done well, can allow a teacher to provide access to more\\nsophisticated reading materials than student's current reading fluency levels\\nmight otherwise allow. Though a reading disability ... Read More\\n\\nMdw:\\n\\nI’m not familiar with studies indicating increased reading comprehension\\n(measured) via being read to aloud for older students. I will say, from\\nexperience, that students through 9th grade seem to appreciate it. Certainly\\njunior high kids do, caught as they are in that “tweener” stage. Reading\\naloud, if done well, can allow a teacher to provide access to more\\nsophisticated reading materials than student’s current reading fluency levels\\nmight otherwise allow. Though a reading disability or lack of experience with\\nEnglish might not allow students to tackle more difficult text materials, they\\ncan frequently work with more sophisticated ideas. Which, in the long run,\\ntypically adds to comprehension levels as it develops increased context. Other\\nsimilar strategies, readers’ theater, choral reading, and “jig-sawing” can\\nalso work well in the classroom.\\n\\n * ## Don 6 years ago6 years ago\\n\\nI guess it depends because at some point you may be reading to your child in\\nlieu of your child reading alone. If your child wants you to read past the age\\nwhen s/he should be reading alone then it is becoming a crutch.\\n\\n * ## FloydThursby1941 6 years ago6 years ago\\n\\nI think reading with your kids makes it fun and teachers them it’s important.\\nThey associate fun time with parents and approval with being able to read. 60%\\nof Asians teach their kids to read before Kindergarten vs. 16% of whites, the\\nmain cause of the gap between these two groups in California. Reading is\\nalways better than talking.\\n\\n * ## Luis Carbajal 6 years ago6 years ago\\n\\nYou are absolutely right Floyd. Reading to children is as much a pleasurable\\nbonding experience as it is a learning experience. If a child or any human\\nbeing for that matter, associates an activity with pleasure, he will be more\\nlikely to continue doing it.\\n\\nChildren enjoy being with their parents and doing something that is intimate.\\nReading is one of those activities.\\n\\n 15. ## Karen Mitcham 6 years ago6 years ago\\n\\nGreat article So true!\\n\\n 16. ## Jamie Hogan 6 years ago6 years ago\\n\\nAs both a mom and illustrator of picture books this Is concrete validation of\\nnot only the word wealth but also visual literacy benefits of a child and a\\nstory in your lap. Amen!\\n\\n 17. ## Don 6 years ago6 years ago\\n\\nThere's some very conflicting ideas in this article concerning reading more\\nand talking more. Massaro says, \\\"....encouraging parents to talk more to their\\nchildren to increase their vocabularies – has its drawbacks.\\\" Frey goes on in\\nthe next paragraph too cite Hart and Risley who \\\"concluded that the more\\nparents talked to their children, the faster the children’s vocabularies grew\\nand the higher the children’s I.Q. test scores were at age 3...\\\" Is the author\\n... Read More\\n\\nThere’s some very conflicting ideas in this article concerning reading more\\nand talking more. Massaro says, “....encouraging parents to talk more to their\\nchildren to increase their vocabularies – has its drawbacks.” Frey goes on in\\nthe next paragraph too cite Hart and Risley who “concluded that the more\\nparents talked to their children, the faster the children’s vocabularies grew\\nand the higher the children’s I.Q. test scores were at age 3...” Is the author\\nconflating reading and talking (conversation)? Then there’s some explicit\\nadvice given by Massaro for everyone to read more, which is fine except for\\nthe fact that it is couched in the notion that doing so, ” would not only\\nexpose them to more words, he said, but it also would have a leveling effect\\nfor families with less education and a more limited vocabulary.” This totally\\nomits what is being read and what is being discussed as factors. Which brings\\nme to the next point.\\n\\nThe theory espoused here is that Moby Dick is better than The Old Man and the\\nSea – that reading is more like the first and talking is more like the second.\\nI can imagine these researchers with their abacuses counting the words and\\nseparating them into big and small. There’s no discussion of storyline,\\ncharacter development, motif, meaning, etc. It’s all about some quantitative\\nword uptake. Here’s a excerpt of a Carol Burris article about Common Core and\\nthe opt out movement:\\n\\n“Here is a sample from the Grade 6 Reading test that was given in Virginia\\nlast year to measure the state’s Standards of Learning (SOL):\\n\\n“Julia raced down the hallway, sliding the last few feet to her next class.\\nThe bell had already rung, so she slipped through the door and quickly sat\\ndown, hoping the teacher would not notice.\\n\\nMr. Malone turned from the piano and said, “Julia, I’m happy you could join\\nus.” He continued teaching, explaining the new music they were preparing to\\nlearn. Julia relaxed, thinking Mr. Malone would let another tardy slide by.\\nUnfortunately, she realized at the end of class that she was incorrect.”\\n\\nThat is certainly a reasonable passage to expect sixth-graders to read. You\\ncan find the complete passage and other released items from the Virginia tests\\nhere.\\n\\nContrast the above with a paragraph from a passage on the sixth-grade New York\\nCommon Core test given this spring.\\n\\nThe artist focuses on the ephemerality of his subject. “It’s there for a brief\\nmoment and the clouds fall apart,” he says. Since clouds are something that\\npeople tend to have strong connections to, there are a lot of preconceived\\nnotions and emotions tied to them. For him though, his work presents “a\\ntransitory moment of presence in a distinct location.” End\\n\\nIn the first passage there’s a tangible meaning and interaction relative to\\nthe child doing the reading. The second passage is abstract and evocative, and\\nclearly beyond the average 6th grade mentality. But, gee whiz, its got a lot\\nof big words. Well , no need to go off topic and trash Common Core. It does a\\npretty good job of trashing itself or as Burris noted – “I will let readers\\ndraw their own conclusions.”\\n\\n“You are stretching them in vocabulary and grammar at an early age,” Massaro\\nsaid. “You are preparing them to be expert language users, and indirectly you\\nare going to facilitate their learning to read.”\\n\\nMassaro wants to teach his 36 month old toddler grammar. I read to my kids so\\nthey would love a good story and develop an appreciation for writing and the\\naspirations of humanity. (drum roll)\\n\\nThe stuff of this article comes straight out of the Common Core slice and dice\\nplaybook which is not surprising given the big money donated by Gates to Ed\\nSource.\\n\\nAs its main author, David Coleman said about writing in school, “They (\\nsociety/employers) don’t give a sh*t what you think or what you feel.” Maybe\\nhis mother talked too much and read too little.\\n\\nReplies\\n\\n * ## Dana 3 years ago3 years ago\\n\\nReading aloud is the best investment in the future of the child\\n\\n### What’s the latest?\\n\\n * #### Friday, December 3, 2021 — 9:33 am\\n\\n## UC San Diego requests Covid-19 tests after Thanksgiving break\\n\\n * #### Friday, December 3, 2021 — 9:32 am\\n\\n## Alpine Union to allow in-person learning off campus for unvaccinated\\nstudents\\n\\n * #### Thursday, December 2, 2021 — 9:51 am\\n\\n## San Diego analysis ties chances of Covid-19 death to education level\\n\\nTemplate last modified:\\n\\n436 14th St. Suite 1005 Oakland, CA 94612\\n\\nPHONE 510-433-0421 | FAX 510-433-0422\\n\\nedsource@edsource.org\\n\\nPrivacy Policy 2021 EdSource. All Rights Reserved.\\n\\nThanks for signing up!\\n\\n## Stay informed with our daily newsletter\\n\\n\"\n },\n {\n \"original_url\": \"http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/reading/genius-ways-to-make-kids-love-reading/\",\n \"archive_url\": \"http://web.archive.org/web/20171130053307/http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/reading/genius-ways-to-make-kids-love-reading/\",\n \"parsed_text\": {\n \"title\": \"18 Genius Ways to Make Kids Love Reading\",\n \"passages\": [\n \"In addition to picturing my children being impeccably mannered, perfectly behaved angels, I also envisioned them devouring books the way I did as a child. My son would tear through the Hardy Boys and Harry Potter while my daughters fell in love with Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, and The Baby-Sitters Club series. But like most of my parenting fantasies, this one hasn’t quite come true yet.\",\n \"Apparently this is not uncommon. “We want to get kids reading, but they are under increasing pressure to do so, and it can overshadow the joy of this wonderful shared activity,” says Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Ed.D., a professor emerita at Lesley University, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the author of Taking Back Childhood. Of course, part of what makes reading enjoyable is being able to do it confidently. However, “parents shouldn’t be the ones reinforcing lessons or obsessing about fundamentals,” Dr. Carlsson-Paige notes. “They should simply be reading with their kids—that’s it.” In other words, keep it light and fun. Books should make you laugh and smile, transport you to faraway lands, and transform you into dragon-slaying sleuths, making you feel all the feels along the way. “If we treat books like they’re magical, kids will grow up believing that too,” says Shanna Schwartz, lead senior staff developer at Columbia University Teachers College Reading and Writing Project in New York City.\",\n \"Yes, audiobooks count as reading—and they can help children do it better. “Hearing someone reading a book confidently is a great way to experience fluency, which is the ability to read a text accurately, quickly, and with good expression,” says Elissa Mostransky, a grade-school reading teacher and mother of four. Her favorites: E. B. White reading Charlotte’s Web and The Magic Tree House series, which her boys listen to in the car on the way to and from soccer practice. Borrow them at your library, or get a free listening app at Audible.com.\",\n \"“Children take cues from adults,” says Schwartz. “When you grow up surrounded by junk food, you like junk food. When you grow up surrounded by books, you like books.” Annette Uvena, a mom of two reluctant readers, shares her excitement often: “I make sure they see me reading, but I also talk to them about the book. I’ll excitedly point out something that reminds me of the story, because I want them to see that books bring me joy and will bring them joy too.”\",\n \"A quiet, cozy, full-of-books nook is a must. “Kids love forts, so just draping two chairs with a blanket can do the trick,” says Christina Droskoski, a grade-school reading specialist and mother of three. “But working with your child to make it an area where she’d want to hang out makes reading time even more appealing.” Consider a beach theme: towels on the floor, a beach umbrella propped against the wall, a poster of the ocean, and sand buckets to house the books. Other possibilities: a pirate's cove, rain forest, or spaceship.\",\n \"Finding book-inspired activities to do IRL extends the experience, says Dr. Carlsson-Paige. If your 3-year-old loves The Three Little Pigs, take him to see some piggies in person. Reading about the stars? Head to the planetarium. Or take a bookcation—to London after reading Harry Potter, say, or New York City after reading Stuart Little.\",\n \"Start with Dr. Seuss—March 2 is his birthday. (He’d be 113!) To commemorate the occasion, the National Education Association instituted Read Across America Day for schools to participate in reading competitions, games, and parties. Celebrate at home by introducing your kids to one of the good doctor’s lesser-known works. Some possibilities:\",\n \"Pick a classic that’s been turned into a movie—Bridge to Terabithia; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory—and read it together, a few chapters at a time. When you’re finished, host a family movie night to watch the film version. “It’s a great way to motivate reluctant readers,” says Katie Vaccaro, a grade-school teacher and mother of two.\",\n \"“Surrounding kids with books at an early age gets them hooked,” says Alice Sterling Honig, Ph.D., a child development expert at Syracuse University, in New York. Curate a basket to reflect the current season—they’ll be excited to see new titles, and tying them to what’s going on that month will bolster their interest. No holiday on the horizon? Hit the library for topics your kid is currently digging. Leave them out (even on the floor of the car!) and they will pick them up. “Don’t keep books up on shelves,” says Dr. Honig. “Let little kids touch them, carry them around, even take waterproof ones into the bath.”\",\n \"“Reading aloud is both educational and social, so there are layers of value there,” says Dr. Carlsson-Paige. Plus, children learn to read best—and to love it most—when they hear countless stories over many years in a meaningful context (think cuddling on a parent’s lap). Listening also gives tired readers a break. Dr. Carlsson-Paige loves C. S. Lewis, E. B. White, and Roald Dahl for read-alouds. GuysRead.com, specifically for boys, and ReadingRockets.org are excellent sites for book ideas broken down by age and interests.\",\n \"Lean on librarians—they’re paid to make reading magical for kids. Check in at the front desk before hitting the stacks to see what kind of activities might be going on. Bookmark the website, too, so you can see upcoming events. “Even if you take your kid there for, say, a building project, he’s going to associate the library with fun, and that’s a good thing,” says Droskoski. And be sure to get each of your children a library card. “It will help them take ownership of the reading experience,” she adds.\",\n \"Books advance early language development. At first, kids notice the pictures; then they learn to turn the pages; then they realize the story is the same each time—all key pre-reading skills. Books with rhymes are especially beneficial: “Rhyming helps with phonemic awareness—recognizing repetition and sounds,” Dr. Carlsson-Paige says. “Kids love rhymes because they learn what comes next and can chime in.” Titles to try:\",\n \"Mostransky has her three older kids gather on the couch Sunday mornings, and they read together in their pajamas for about an hour. Then, when the craziness of the week comes, no one has to stress about cramming in 20 minutes of reading on top of all the other homework. “Once you start forcing kids to read, you’re taking the fun right out of it,” says Mostransky. If the kids can’t get it done—or they fall asleep, as often happens—they can list one of the books they read on Sunday on their reading log!\",\n \"“When ingredients and instructions are read slowly many times, it improves comprehension,” notes Droskoski. Get a cookbook at the library (Cooking Class and Kid Chef are both great) and let your child pick a meal to make with you. “Ask her to read the recipe out loud while you chop,” says Droskoski. “Then switch roles.” Have her write out a menu too—incorporating writing in play also bolsters reading skills.\",\n \"All it takes is two people reading the same book. Have your child ask a friend, or make it a mother-child endeavor. Pick a deadline and a meeting place, and bring a few discussion questions to get things going (best part, favorite character, ideas for an alternate ending). “Reading is a social activity, and book clubs are a great way to share the experience with friends or family,” says Dr. Carlsson-Paige, who is in a book club with her granddaughter. (They have meetings over Skype!)\",\n \"This enhances comprehension—and enjoyment. (It’s no fun if they don’t get what’s going on.) “It’s not about grilling, it’s about checking in,” says Dr. Carlsson-Paige. Ask which characters he likes best, what he thinks will happen next, what he would do in that situation. “If you over-focus on letters and sounds at the expense of the story, children aren’t as likely to become good readers,” she explains. “If you’re a good reader, you read fast—you’re not looking at every letter, you’re reading for meaning, which is what fuels the reading process.”\",\n \"“Add books to any passion in a child’s life—or to any struggle,” says Schwartz. Getting a puppy? Add a book. Starting a new school? Add a book. “You’re saying that books can help when they’re feeling sad, or excited, or anything,” she notes. Have the “book fairy” drop it off: “Wrap the book and leave it with a note—‘I heard you’re going to be a big sister. This will help you learn about your new role. Love, the Book Fairy.’” Some scenario-specific suggestions:\",\n \"Buy your older readers a headlamp so they can stay up “past bedtime.” It helps remind them that reading is a treat and a privilege—and they’ll feel grown-up. Bonus: You can borrow the headlamp for winter grilling!\",\n \"“Magazines help teach kids that current information is valuable,” says Schwartz. “They give us the opportunity to become interested in things we didn’t know we cared about.” Getting a new issue is exciting, and it’s important to build a ritual around that for your child, Schwartz suggests. If your child gets Highlights, for example, maybe he’ll always go first to the hidden-picture page. Or perhaps he’ll like reading National Geographic Kids while sitting by the big window overlooking the yard.\",\n \"When your MIL asks about birthday presents, suggest books! Have your kids give them to their friends too, with an inscription that tells the recipient why this book is special for her. “You’re teaching your child that books are a way to connect with others,” says Schwartz.\"\n ]\n },\n \"parsed_md\": \"18 Genius Ways to Make Kids Love Reading | Parents\\n\\n * Facebook\\n * Pinterest\\n * Twitter\\n * Instagram\\n\\nCancel\\n\\nJoin/Login\\n\\n * Home\\n * Toddlers & Preschoolers\\n * Development\\n * Reading\\n * 18 Genius Ways to Make Kids Love Reading\\n\\n# 18 Genius Ways to Make Kids Love Reading\\n\\nThese tricks should get your kids reading on their own in no time!\\n\\nBy Erin Zammett Ruddy from Family Fun\\n\\n * Facebook\\n * Pinterest\\n * Twitter\\n * Text\\n * Email\\n * Print\\n * Comments\\n\\nJohn M. Herr\\n\\nIn addition to picturing my children being impeccably mannered, perfectly\\nbehaved angels, I also envisioned them devouring books the way I did as a\\nchild. My son would tear through the Hardy Boys and Harry Potter while my\\ndaughters fell in love with Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, and The Baby-Sitters\\nClub series. But like most of my parenting fantasies, this one hasn’t quite\\ncome true yet.\\n\\nApparently this is not uncommon. “We want to get kids reading, but they are\\nunder increasing pressure to do so, and it can overshadow the joy of this\\nwonderful shared activity,” says Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Ed.D., a professor\\nemerita at Lesley University, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the author of\\nTaking Back Childhood. Of course, part of what makes reading enjoyable is\\nbeing able to do it confidently. However, “parents shouldn’t be the ones\\nreinforcing lessons or obsessing about fundamentals,” Dr. Carlsson-Paige\\nnotes. “They should simply be reading with their kids—that’s it.” In other\\nwords, keep it light and fun. Books should make you laugh and smile, transport\\nyou to faraway lands, and transform you into dragon-slaying sleuths, making\\nyou feel all the feels along the way. “If we treat books like they’re magical,\\nkids will grow up believing that too,” says Shanna Schwartz, lead senior staff\\ndeveloper at Columbia University Teachers College Reading and Writing Project\\nin New York City.\\n\\nStart with these expert- and mom-approved ideas and the magic will follow.\\n\\n## 1\\\\. Swap Ariana Grande for an audiobook.\\n\\nYes, audiobooks count as reading—and they can help children do it better.\\n“Hearing someone reading a book confidently is a great way to experience\\nfluency, which is the ability to read a text accurately, quickly, and with\\ngood expression,” says Elissa Mostransky, a grade-school reading teacher and\\nmother of four. Her favorites: E. B. White reading Charlotte’s Web and The\\nMagic Tree House series, which her boys listen to in the car on the way to and\\nfrom soccer practice. Borrow them at your library, or get a free listening app\\nat Audible.com.\\n\\n## 2\\\\. Model reading love.\\n\\n“Children take cues from adults,” says Schwartz. “When you grow up surrounded\\nby junk food, you like junk food. When you grow up surrounded by books, you\\nlike books.” Annette Uvena, a mom of two reluctant readers, shares her\\nexcitement often: “I make sure they see me reading, but I also talk to them\\nabout the book. I’ll excitedly point out something that reminds me of the\\nstory, because I want them to see that books bring me joy and will bring them\\njoy too.”\\n\\n * RELATED: Here's Another REALLY Good Reason to Read Books to Your Kids\\n\\n## 3\\\\. Theme your nook.\\n\\nA quiet, cozy, full-of-books nook is a must. “Kids love forts, so just draping\\ntwo chairs with a blanket can do the trick,” says Christina Droskoski, a\\ngrade-school reading specialist and mother of three. “But working with your\\nchild to make it an area where she’d want to hang out makes reading time even\\nmore appealing.” Consider a beach theme: towels on the floor, a beach umbrella\\npropped against the wall, a poster of the ocean, and sand buckets to house the\\nbooks. Other possibilities: a pirate's cove, rain forest, or spaceship.\\n\\n## 4\\\\. Help bring books to life.\\n\\nFinding book-inspired activities to do IRL extends the experience, says Dr.\\nCarlsson-Paige. If your 3-year-old loves The Three Little Pigs, take him to\\nsee some piggies in person. Reading about the stars? Head to the planetarium.\\nOr take a bookcation—to London after reading Harry Potter, say, or New York\\nCity after reading Stuart Little.\\n\\n## 5\\\\. Celebrate writers.\\n\\nStart with Dr. Seuss—March 2 is his birthday. (He’d be 113!) To commemorate\\nthe occasion, the National Education Association instituted Read Across\\nAmerica Day for schools to participate in reading competitions, games, and\\nparties. Celebrate at home by introducing your kids to one of the good\\ndoctor’s lesser-known works. Some possibilities:\\n\\n 1. And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street (his first book)\\n 2. The King’s Stilts\\n 3. I Wish That I Had Duck Feet\\n\\n## 6\\\\. Read the book, then watch the movie.\\n\\nPick a classic that’s been turned into a movie—Bridge to Terabithia; The Lion,\\nthe Witch, and the Wardrobe; or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory—and read it\\ntogether, a few chapters at a time. When you’re finished, host a family movie\\nnight to watch the film version. “It’s a great way to motivate reluctant\\nreaders,” says Katie Vaccaro, a grade-school teacher and mother of two.\\n\\n## 7\\\\. Stash books all over.\\n\\n“Surrounding kids with books at an early age gets them hooked,” says Alice\\nSterling Honig, Ph.D., a child development expert at Syracuse University, in\\nNew York. Curate a basket to reflect the current season—they’ll be excited to\\nsee new titles, and tying them to what’s going on that month will bolster\\ntheir interest. No holiday on the horizon? Hit the library for topics your kid\\nis currently digging. Leave them out (even on the floor of the car!) and they\\nwill pick them up. “Don’t keep books up on shelves,” says Dr. Honig. “Let\\nlittle kids touch them, carry them around, even take waterproof ones into the\\nbath.”\\n\\n## 8\\\\. Read aloud—even when they don’t need it.\\n\\n“Reading aloud is both educational and social, so there are layers of value\\nthere,” says Dr. Carlsson-Paige. Plus, children learn to read best—and to love\\nit most—when they hear countless stories over many years in a meaningful\\ncontext (think cuddling on a parent’s lap). Listening also gives tired readers\\na break. Dr. Carlsson-Paige loves C. S. Lewis, E. B. White, and Roald Dahl for\\nread-alouds. GuysRead.com, specifically for boys, and ReadingRockets.org are\\nexcellent sites for book ideas broken down by age and interests.\\n\\n## 9\\\\. Turn your library visits into adventures.\\n\\nLean on librarians—they’re paid to make reading magical for kids. Check in at\\nthe front desk before hitting the stacks to see what kind of activities might\\nbe going on. Bookmark the website, too, so you can see upcoming events. “Even\\nif you take your kid there for, say, a building project, he’s going to\\nassociate the library with fun, and that’s a good thing,” says Droskoski. And\\nbe sure to get each of your children a library card. “It will help them take\\nownership of the reading experience,” she adds.\\n\\n## 10\\\\. Reread the same books to little ones.\\n\\nBooks advance early language development. At first, kids notice the pictures;\\nthen they learn to turn the pages; then they realize the story is the same\\neach time—all key pre-reading skills. Books with rhymes are especially\\nbeneficial: “Rhyming helps with phonemic awareness—recognizing repetition and\\nsounds,” Dr. Carlsson-Paige says. “Kids love rhymes because they learn what\\ncomes next and can chime in.” Titles to try:\\n\\n 1. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr.\\n 2. The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen\\n 3. Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino\\n 4. How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen\\n\\n## 11\\\\. Conquer the log.\\n\\nMostransky has her three older kids gather on the couch Sunday mornings, and\\nthey read together in their pajamas for about an hour. Then, when the\\ncraziness of the week comes, no one has to stress about cramming in 20 minutes\\nof reading on top of all the other homework. “Once you start forcing kids to\\nread, you’re taking the fun right out of it,” says Mostransky. If the kids\\ncan’t get it done—or they fall asleep, as often happens—they can list one of\\nthe books they read on Sunday on their reading log!\\n\\n## 12\\\\. Get cooking.\\n\\n“When ingredients and instructions are read slowly many times, it improves\\ncomprehension,” notes Droskoski. Get a cookbook at the library (Cooking Class\\nand Kid Chef are both great) and let your child pick a meal to make with you.\\n“Ask her to read the recipe out loud while you chop,” says Droskoski. “Then\\nswitch roles.” Have her write out a menu too—incorporating writing in play\\nalso bolsters reading skills.\\n\\n## 13\\\\. Start a club.\\n\\nAll it takes is two people reading the same book. Have your child ask a\\nfriend, or make it a mother-child endeavor. Pick a deadline and a meeting\\nplace, and bring a few discussion questions to get things going (best part,\\nfavorite character, ideas for an alternate ending). “Reading is a social\\nactivity, and book clubs are a great way to share the experience with friends\\nor family,” says Dr. Carlsson-Paige, who is in a book club with her\\ngranddaughter. (They have meetings over Skype!)\\n\\n## 14\\\\. Ask questions.\\n\\nThis enhances comprehension—and enjoyment. (It’s no fun if they don’t get\\nwhat’s going on.) “It’s not about grilling, it’s about checking in,” says Dr.\\nCarlsson-Paige. Ask which characters he likes best, what he thinks will happen\\nnext, what he would do in that situation. “If you over-focus on letters and\\nsounds at the expense of the story, children aren’t as likely to become good\\nreaders,” she explains. “If you’re a good reader, you read fast—you’re not\\nlooking at every letter, you’re reading for meaning, which is what fuels the\\nreading process.”\\n\\n## 15\\\\. Turn to books at tough times.\\n\\n“Add books to any passion in a child’s life—or to any struggle,” says\\nSchwartz. Getting a puppy? Add a book. Starting a new school? Add a book.\\n“You’re saying that books can help when they’re feeling sad, or excited, or\\nanything,” she notes. Have the “book fairy” drop it off: “Wrap the book and\\nleave it with a note—‘I heard you’re going to be a big sister. This will help\\nyou learn about your new role. Love, the Book Fairy.’” Some scenario-specific\\nsuggestions:\\n\\n 1. Much Bigger Than Martin, by Steven Kellogg, for sibling rivalry\\n 2. Penguin Problems, by Jory John, for a grumpy, negative attitude\\n 3. Swimmy, by Leo Lionni, for dealing with adversity and bullies\\n 4. The Tenth Good Thing About Barney, by Judith Viorst, for the loss of a pet\\n 5. Where Do They Go? by Julia Alvarez, for coping with death\\n\\n## 16\\\\. Get a little goofy.\\n\\nBuy your older readers a headlamp so they can stay up “past bedtime.” It helps\\nremind them that reading is a treat and a privilege—and they’ll feel grown-up.\\nBonus: You can borrow the headlamp for winter grilling!\\n\\n## 17\\\\. Count on magazines.\\n\\n“Magazines help teach kids that current information is valuable,” says\\nSchwartz. “They give us the opportunity to become interested in things we\\ndidn’t know we cared about.” Getting a new issue is exciting, and it’s\\nimportant to build a ritual around that for your child, Schwartz suggests. If\\nyour child gets Highlights, for example, maybe he’ll always go first to the\\nhidden-picture page. Or perhaps he’ll like reading National Geographic Kids\\nwhile sitting by the big window overlooking the yard.\\n\\n * RELATED: 3 Things to Help Kids Read\\n\\n## 18\\\\. Give the gift that keeps them reading.\\n\\nWhen your MIL asks about birthday presents, suggest books! Have your kids give\\nthem to their friends too, with an inscription that tells the recipient why\\nthis book is special for her. “You’re teaching your child that books are a way\\nto connect with others,” says Schwartz.\\n\\n## More in Development\\n\\n10 Books to Read By Kindergarten\\n\\nYour Baby from 28 to 30 Months: Reading & Writing\\n\\nHow to Raise a Reader\\n\\nBye-Bye Binky: Ending the Pacifier Habit\\n\\n3-Year-Old Birthday Gift Ideas\\n\\nThe Return of Respect!\\n\\n## Comments\\n\\nAdd a comment\\n\\nShop Parents\\n\\n * kids rooms\\n * lightweight strollers\\n * maternity dresses\\n * pregnancy pillows\\n * sports and activities\\n * strategy games\\n * stroller travel systems\\n * strollers\\n * toys and games\\n * video monitor\\n * baby girls clothes\\n * board games\\n * boys clothes\\n * boys clothing\\n * car seats\\n * childrens clothing\\n * convertible car seats\\n * educational toys\\n\\nShop More\\n\\n * Help\\n * Update Your Account\\n * Member Benefits\\n * Newsletter\\n * Customer Service\\n * Log in\\n * Join now!\\n * Log out\\n\\n * About Us\\n * Baby Names\\n * Pregnancy Tracker\\n * Baby Development\\n * Recalls\\n * Video\\n * Sitemap\\n * Shop Sitemap\\n\\n * Subscribe\\n * Digital Editions\\n * Gift Subscriptions\\n * Renew Subscriptions\\n * Customer Service\\n * Advertise with Us\\n * From Our Sponsors\\n * Affiliate Program\\n\\n * Parents\\n * Parenting\\n * Family Circle\\n * Ser Padres\\n * Fit Pregnancy\\n\\n##### Follow Parents.com\\n\\n * Facebook\\n * Pinterest\\n * Twitter\\n * Instagram\\n\\nMeredith Women's Network | © Copyright 2017 Meredith Corporation. All Rights\\nReserved Privacy Policy - Your California Rights Data Policy Terms of Service\\nAdChoices\\n\\nclose\\n\\n\"\n },\n {\n \"original_url\": \"https://www.ahaparenting.com/parenting-tools/intelligent-creative-child/child-loves-read\",\n \"archive_url\": \"http://web.archive.org/web/20210712130848/https://www.ahaparenting.com/parenting-tools/intelligent-creative-child/child-loves-read\",\n \"parsed_text\": {\n \"title\": \"How can you inspire a lasting love of reading in your child?\",\n \"passages\": [\n \"Forget Baby Einstein. Research shows that reading to children and discussing the book as you read is the single best way to increase your child’s IQ.\",\n \"That's not just because you're helping your child develop reading comprehension. You're also nurturing a deep love of reading. And when children love to read, they choose to read independently, become better readers, score higher on achievement tests in all subject areas, and have greater content knowledge than those who don't.* School performance correlates more directly with children's reading scores than any other single indicator.\",\n \"Does your child read every day, not because it’s assigned, but just for fun? Most parents buy board books for their babies and say they hope they'll love reading. And yet, by middle school, most kids stop reading books that aren't assigned in school. In the USA, by the end of middle school, two-thirds of all students do not attain proficiency in literacy and comprehension skills.\",\n \"What happens? The habit of reading never really gets ingrained in childhood. Our kids love leafing through books as toddlers, looking at the pictures. They may even enjoy reading as early elementary schoolers. But reading is hard work, and life offers so many other ways to entertain themselves that early reading often seems more like work than play. They never get to that delicious place where reading a good book is more fun than almost anything.\",\n \"And not just at bedtime. Buy board books and cloth books as some of your child's first toys. Carry them around with snacks in the diaper bag. Create \\\"cozy time,\\\" a ritual of connection in which you both associate love and cuddling with reading. Any time either of you needs a break, grab a book and read to your child. Post tantrum, during lunch, after school, while you have your coffee, any time can be cozy time.\",\n \"...by the time your child is two and she may well prefer reading to any other activity. Use the time in the library to read to your child as well as to select books. My kids would never sit still at library \\\"story times,\\\" but if your child likes them, by all means go. Write down the names of the books you check out if your library can't give you a printout, so you can keep track of returning them on time. Keep library books on a separate shelf in the living room or kitchen so you don't lose them, and so you can always easily find something new to read. (If you don't take them out of the house, you won't lose them.)\",\n \"Supervising a toddler and perusing bookshelves is always a challenge; it helps if you can develop a list of authors and books so you can find good ones easily. Librarians usually have a list of favorite books for various ages, and other parents and kids are always a good source of suggestions. Find some series you like and share your child's excitement when you find another book by a beloved author. (See Recommended Children's Books).\",\n \"Most children learn to read naturally once they develop the preliminary skills. Your goal is not to help him sound out words, but to encourage a love of books, both pictures and stories. Teaching him to read may take all the fun out of reading. If you push him, he'll feel put on the spot, and he'll feel dumb. That feeling will last his whole life, and it won't help him like reading.\",\n \"Some very smart children don't learn to read until they're over seven years old. Don't worry. They'll quickly catch up with those who started at four or five. I know two children who were reading at 3 years old and at 6 years old, respectively. They are both now 9, and in the fourth grade. They both read at about an eighth grade reading level. The only difference is that the early reader feels insecure about no longer being “special,” and often acts obnoxiously superior to other kids. There is absolutely no benefit to pushing your child to read \\\"early,\\\" and there are many drawbacks. (Should you stop her from teaching herself to read? Of course not. I'm just saying not to push it and not to make it your child's claim to fame, because sooner or later everyone else will catch up. It's a bit like whether a child learns to walk at nine months or 16 months. Who cares?)\",\n \"If you notice that your child seems to have a hard time recognizing letters, or confuses letters, or can't sound out words, or can't recognize words that she has seen many times before, it is possible that she has a learning difference such as dyslexia. Discuss your concern with your child's school and ask to speak to their learning specialist, who should be experienced in diagnosis and early intervention.\",\n \"I found that before my children could really participate in meals, reading to them during lunch or an early dinner (when the other parent isn't yet home from work) entertained them enough to keep them sitting. They were much more likely to try the foods I put in front of them with my company and the diversion of a book, than if I let them sit in the high chair or at the kitchen table to eat while I cooked. This is very different from putting kids in front of a screen while they eat. Then, they stare at the screen as they unconsciously put things in their mouth. Being read to is more like listening to the radio; they can look at their food and savor it as they listen, glancing back and forth at the pictures you hold up.\",\n \"This is a critical tip. Read to him every step of the way, for as long as he'll let you. Continuing to read to your child will keep him interested in reading to himself and developing his skills. And it gives you lots of fodder for great conversations about values and choices.\",\n \"Parents often complain that their early readers CAN read, but just don't seem interested in doing so. Most kids go through this stage, but you can help to keep it a brief one. The child's problem, of course, is that he can read simple books, but his imagination craves more developed plots and characters. Those books are agonizing work, with too many words he doesn’t know. The labor distracts him from the story. The solution? He needs his parents to keep reading to him, to keep him fascinated with the secrets of books. That's what will motivate him to do the hard work to become a proficient reader.\",\n \"At this vulnerable stage, it is well worth the extra time to track down books he can read and will find exciting. Picture books with lots of words work well, since he can use the pictures to help him stay interested and figure out the words. Soon, through his work in school, as well as the books he picks up at home, his reading skills will catch up with his appetite for books. Within a few months, he'll be able to handle simple chapter books. At that point, look for series books, which often lure kids on to the next book and the next.\",\n \"Set up a “cozy reading time” every day. This can be a perfect chill-out time after school, or after lunch in the summer, or a wind-down time at the end of the evening. It’s amazing how motivated kids are to read if this allows them to stay up a little later. We negotiated a half hour later bedtime that our first graders were ready for anyway, as long as it was spent in bed reading a book.\",\n \"Some six year olds are just so tired by the end of the day, however, that reading is simply too much work for them then. Until your child is ready for bedtime reading, try setting up his cozy reading time while you make dinner, after homework is done. The only downside to this is that you’ll need to scrape out 15 minutes to start him off at what is probably your busiest time of the day.\",\n \"Pick a book she can read, but that is a bit harder than she might choose on her own -- a simple chapter book, rather than a picture book, for example. Read together until you have to answer the phone or start dinner, but a minimum of a quarter of the book, so your child is hooked. Then tell her it's time for her read-alone time. It’s her choice. Does she want to keep reading the book you've just gotten her into, or read something else? Most kids grab the book and finish it themselves. (If she doesn't, you may need to drop back a level to a slightly simpler book.) Keep choosing engrossing, slightly harder books.\",\n \"... during your read-aloud time. But if he stumbles, supply the word. Don't make him stop and sound things out; your goal is to keep him excited about the book by moving forward with the story. I recommend this only for limited periods of time – it tires kids out – and I recommend that you not be rigid about enforcing your child's participation (in other words, have them do every third page, or fourth). If you take the fun out of reading with him, you've done more harm than good.\",\n \"Some kids get a terrific jump start from comics, which are less intimidating to them than chapter books. Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes books, for instance, are kid pleasers with sophisticated vocabulary and concepts.\",\n \"I know she can read anything herself now. But why give up such an important time to connect with each other emotionally? Why give up the chance to read books that trigger good discussions about values and choices and hardships and hope? Don’t stop till she fires you. My fourteen year old can read physics books I can't fathom, but he still lets me read history or politics to him occasionally. The best part for both of us is then talking about what we're reading.\",\n \"Role model. If they don't see you read, why should they? Discuss what you're all reading at the dinner table. Institutionalize family reading time, when a parent reads to the whole family. As kids get older, they can take over the role of reader, or the book can be passed around the circle.\",\n \"There is no way a book can compete with a screen. Most kids, given the choice, just won't choose the book often enough to make it a habit. Before you know it, they'll have developed other habits for relaxing, and reading will be something other people do. Limiting or even banning screen usage until reading is well-established may be the most important thing you can do to encourage reading. Click here for more on why TV compromises reading and academics.\",\n \"Cunningham, A. E., and K. E. Stanovich. 1991. Tracking the unique effects of print exposure in children: Associations with vocabulary, general knowledge, and spelling. Journal of Educational Psychology 83(2): 264–274.\",\n \"Stanovich, K. E., and A. E. Cunningham. 1993. Where does knowledge come from? Specific associations between print exposure and information acquisition. Journal of Educational Psychology 85(2): 211–29.\",\n \"Today I say thank you, tears streaming from my face, so proud of my little boy and all he will become. Thank you. - Jennifer B.\",\n \"\\\"I always feel happy when I see your newsletter show up in my email, because I know I'll feel better once I read it!\\\" - Naomi\",\n \"\\\"All I can say is, the proof is in the pudding. It really, really works. Try for one day, then just one more day.\\\"\",\n \"\\\"Using Dr. Laura's approach, I’ve managed to stop things tipping into a tantrum and my two year old happily doing what I’ve asked!\\\"\",\n \"Aha! Parenting helps you create a more peaceful home - and happy, responsible, considerate kids! Learn more about the Aha! Parenting philosophy and Dr. Laura Markham. Read More »\"\n ]\n },\n \"parsed_md\": \"How can you inspire a lasting love of reading in your child?\\n\\n * Articles\\n\\n * Blog\\n * Parenting Tips\\n * Ages & Stages\\n\\n * Pregnancy & Birth\\n * Newborns & Infants\\n * Babies\\n * Toddlers\\n * Preschoolers\\n * School Age\\n * Preteens & Tweens\\n * Early Teen\\n * Teenagers\\n * My Account\\n * Ask the Doctor: Q&A\\n * My Account\\n * Books\\n\\n * Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids\\n * Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids Workbook\\n * Peaceful Parent, Happy SIblings\\n * All Books\\n * Workbook Resources - Audios\\n * Workbook Resources - Example Limits\\n * Workbook Resources - Feelings Wheel\\n * Workbook Resources - Respectful Voice\\n * My Account\\n * Audio/Video\\n\\n * Dr. Laura's Podcast\\n * Videos\\n * Audios to Download\\n * My Account\\n * Shop\\n\\n * Online Course\\n * Books\\n * Audios\\n * Gift Guide\\n * My Account\\n * About\\n\\n * About Aha! Parenting\\n * Parent Testimonials\\n * Parenting Coaches\\n * Newsletter\\n * My Account\\n * Press\\n * Speaking\\n * Contact\\n * Search\\n * Cart\\n * My Account\\n\\n 1. My Account\\n\\nAges & Stages\\n\\n * Pregnancy & Birth\\n * Newborns & Infants\\n * Babies\\n * Toddlers\\n * Preschoolers\\n * School Age\\n * Tweens\\n * Early Teen\\n * Teenagers\\n\\n# Raise a Child Who Loves to Read\\n\\nForget Baby Einstein. Research shows that reading to children and discussing\\nthe book as you read is the single best way to increase your child’s IQ.\\n\\nThat's not just because you're helping your child develop reading\\ncomprehension. You're also nurturing a deep love of reading. And when children\\nlove to read, they choose to read independently, become better readers, score\\nhigher on achievement tests in all subject areas, and have greater content\\nknowledge than those who don't.* School performance correlates more directly\\nwith children's reading scores than any other single indicator.\\n\\nDoes your child read every day, not because it’s assigned, but just for fun?\\nMost parents buy board books for their babies and say they hope they'll love\\nreading. And yet, by middle school, most kids stop reading books that aren't\\nassigned in school. In the USA, by the end of middle school, two-thirds of all\\nstudents do not attain proficiency in literacy and comprehension skills.\\n\\nWhat happens? The habit of reading never really gets ingrained in childhood.\\nOur kids love leafing through books as toddlers, looking at the pictures. They\\nmay even enjoy reading as early elementary schoolers. But reading is hard\\nwork, and life offers so many other ways to entertain themselves that early\\nreading often seems more like work than play. They never get to that delicious\\nplace where reading a good book is more fun than almost anything.\\n\\nSo how can you inspire a lasting love of reading?\\n\\n### 1\\\\. Read to your child from the earliest age.\\n\\nAnd not just at bedtime. Buy board books and cloth books as some of your\\nchild's first toys. Carry them around with snacks in the diaper bag. Create\\n\\\"cozy time,\\\" a ritual of connection in which you both associate love and\\ncuddling with reading. Any time either of you needs a break, grab a book and\\nread to your child. Post tantrum, during lunch, after school, while you have\\nyour coffee, any time can be cozy time.\\n\\n### 2\\\\. Begin visiting the library regularly\\n\\n...by the time your child is two and she may well prefer reading to any other\\nactivity. Use the time in the library to read to your child as well as to\\nselect books. My kids would never sit still at library \\\"story times,\\\" but if\\nyour child likes them, by all means go. Write down the names of the books you\\ncheck out if your library can't give you a printout, so you can keep track of\\nreturning them on time. Keep library books on a separate shelf in the living\\nroom or kitchen so you don't lose them, and so you can always easily find\\nsomething new to read. (If you don't take them out of the house, you won't\\nlose them.)\\n\\nSupervising a toddler and perusing bookshelves is always a challenge; it helps\\nif you can develop a list of authors and books so you can find good ones\\neasily. Librarians usually have a list of favorite books for various ages, and\\nother parents and kids are always a good source of suggestions. Find some\\nseries you like and share your child's excitement when you find another book\\nby a beloved author. (See Recommended Children's Books).\\n\\n### 3\\\\. Don't push your child to learn to read.\\n\\nMost children learn to read naturally once they develop the preliminary\\nskills. Your goal is not to help him sound out words, but to encourage a love\\nof books, both pictures and stories. Teaching him to read may take all the fun\\nout of reading. If you push him, he'll feel put on the spot, and he'll feel\\ndumb. That feeling will last his whole life, and it won't help him like\\nreading.\\n\\nSome very smart children don't learn to read until they're over seven years\\nold. Don't worry. They'll quickly catch up with those who started at four or\\nfive. I know two children who were reading at 3 years old and at 6 years old,\\nrespectively. They are both now 9, and in the fourth grade. They both read at\\nabout an eighth grade reading level. The only difference is that the early\\nreader feels insecure about no longer being “special,” and often acts\\nobnoxiously superior to other kids. There is absolutely no benefit to pushing\\nyour child to read \\\"early,\\\" and there are many drawbacks. (Should you stop her\\nfrom teaching herself to read? Of course not. I'm just saying not to push it\\nand not to make it your child's claim to fame, because sooner or later\\neveryone else will catch up. It's a bit like whether a child learns to walk at\\nnine months or 16 months. Who cares?)\\n\\nIf you notice that your child seems to have a hard time recognizing letters,\\nor confuses letters, or can't sound out words, or can't recognize words that\\nshe has seen many times before, it is possible that she has a learning\\ndifference such as dyslexia. Discuss your concern with your child's school and\\nask to speak to their learning specialist, who should be experienced in\\ndiagnosis and early intervention.\\n\\n### 4\\\\. Read to your child as often as possible.\\n\\nI found that before my children could really participate in meals, reading to\\nthem during lunch or an early dinner (when the other parent isn't yet home\\nfrom work) entertained them enough to keep them sitting. They were much more\\nlikely to try the foods I put in front of them with my company and the\\ndiversion of a book, than if I let them sit in the high chair or at the\\nkitchen table to eat while I cooked. This is very different from putting kids\\nin front of a screen while they eat. Then, they stare at the screen as they\\nunconsciously put things in their mouth. Being read to is more like listening\\nto the radio; they can look at their food and savor it as they listen,\\nglancing back and forth at the pictures you hold up.\\n\\n### 5\\\\. Don't stop reading to him once he learns to read.\\n\\nThis is a critical tip. Read to him every step of the way, for as long as\\nhe'll let you. Continuing to read to your child will keep him interested in\\nreading to himself and developing his skills. And it gives you lots of fodder\\nfor great conversations about values and choices.\\n\\nParents often complain that their early readers CAN read, but just don't seem\\ninterested in doing so. Most kids go through this stage, but you can help to\\nkeep it a brief one. The child's problem, of course, is that he can read\\nsimple books, but his imagination craves more developed plots and characters.\\nThose books are agonizing work, with too many words he doesn’t know. The labor\\ndistracts him from the story. The solution? He needs his parents to keep\\nreading to him, to keep him fascinated with the secrets of books. That's what\\nwill motivate him to do the hard work to become a proficient reader.\\n\\nAt this vulnerable stage, it is well worth the extra time to track down books\\nhe can read and will find exciting. Picture books with lots of words work\\nwell, since he can use the pictures to help him stay interested and figure out\\nthe words. Soon, through his work in school, as well as the books he picks up\\nat home, his reading skills will catch up with his appetite for books. Within\\na few months, he'll be able to handle simple chapter books. At that point,\\nlook for series books, which often lure kids on to the next book and the next.\\n\\n### 6\\\\. Ritualize daily reading time.\\n\\nSet up a “cozy reading time” every day. This can be a perfect chill-out time\\nafter school, or after lunch in the summer, or a wind-down time at the end of\\nthe evening. It’s amazing how motivated kids are to read if this allows them\\nto stay up a little later. We negotiated a half hour later bedtime that our\\nfirst graders were ready for anyway, as long as it was spent in bed reading a\\nbook.\\n\\nSome six year olds are just so tired by the end of the day, however, that\\nreading is simply too much work for them then. Until your child is ready for\\nbedtime reading, try setting up his cozy reading time while you make dinner,\\nafter homework is done. The only downside to this is that you’ll need to\\nscrape out 15 minutes to start him off at what is probably your busiest time\\nof the day.\\n\\n### 7\\\\. Help her tackle the next level.\\n\\nPick a book she can read, but that is a bit harder than she might choose on\\nher own -- a simple chapter book, rather than a picture book, for example.\\nRead together until you have to answer the phone or start dinner, but a\\nminimum of a quarter of the book, so your child is hooked. Then tell her it's\\ntime for her read-alone time. It’s her choice. Does she want to keep reading\\nthe book you've just gotten her into, or read something else? Most kids grab\\nthe book and finish it themselves. (If she doesn't, you may need to drop back\\na level to a slightly simpler book.) Keep choosing engrossing, slightly harder\\nbooks.\\n\\n### 8\\\\. Help him improve his reading by alternating pages with him\\n\\n... during your read-aloud time. But if he stumbles, supply the word. Don't\\nmake him stop and sound things out; your goal is to keep him excited about the\\nbook by moving forward with the story. I recommend this only for limited\\nperiods of time – it tires kids out – and I recommend that you not be rigid\\nabout enforcing your child's participation (in other words, have them do every\\nthird page, or fourth). If you take the fun out of reading with him, you've\\ndone more harm than good.\\n\\n### 9\\\\. Try smart comics for reluctant readers.\\n\\nSome kids get a terrific jump start from comics, which are less intimidating\\nto them than chapter books. Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes books, for\\ninstance, are kid pleasers with sophisticated vocabulary and concepts.\\n\\n### 10\\\\. Never stop reading to her.\\n\\nI know she can read anything herself now. But why give up such an important\\ntime to connect with each other emotionally? Why give up the chance to read\\nbooks that trigger good discussions about values and choices and hardships and\\nhope? Don’t stop till she fires you. My fourteen year old can read physics\\nbooks I can't fathom, but he still lets me read history or politics to him\\noccasionally. The best part for both of us is then talking about what we're\\nreading.\\n\\n### 11\\\\. Read yourself.\\n\\nRole model. If they don't see you read, why should they? Discuss what you're\\nall reading at the dinner table. Institutionalize family reading time, when a\\nparent reads to the whole family. As kids get older, they can take over the\\nrole of reader, or the book can be passed around the circle.\\n\\n### 12\\\\. Limit screens.\\n\\nThere is no way a book can compete with a screen. Most kids, given the choice,\\njust won't choose the book often enough to make it a habit. Before you know\\nit, they'll have developed other habits for relaxing, and reading will be\\nsomething other people do. Limiting or even banning screen usage until reading\\nis well-established may be the most important thing you can do to encourage\\nreading. Click here for more on why TV compromises reading and academics.\\n\\nCitations:\\n\\nCullinan, Bernice E. 2000. Independent Reading and School Achievement. School\\nLibrary Media Research: Research Journal of the American Association of School\\nLibrarians. Volume 3.\\n\\nCunningham, A. E., and K. E. Stanovich. 1991. Tracking the unique effects of\\nprint exposure in children: Associations with vocabulary, general knowledge,\\nand spelling. Journal of Educational Psychology 83(2): 264–274.\\n\\nKrashen, S. D. 1993. The power of reading: Insights from the research.\\nEnglewood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited.\\n\\nReardon, S., Valentino, R. and Shores, K. 2012.“Patterns of Literacy among\\nU.S. Students” in “Literacy Challenges for the Twenty-First Century,” The\\nFuture of Children, Volume 22, Number 2, Fall 2012.\\n\\nStanovich, K. E., and A. E. Cunningham. 1993. Where does knowledge come from?\\nSpecific associations between print exposure and information acquisition.\\nJournal of Educational Psychology 85(2): 211–29.\\n\\nFree weekly inspiration in your inbox Dr. Laura's Parenting Tips\\n\\nYes I Want This Support!\\n\\nPeaceful Parent Happy Kids Online Course\\n\\n * 12 weeks of practical support & tools\\n * Live Group Call with Dr. Laura\\n * 60 audio inspirations & Private FB group\\n\\nLearn More\\n\\n## Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids\\n\\n## Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids Workbook\\n\\n## Peaceful Parent, Happy Siblings\\n\\n### How to Raise an Intelligent, Creative Child\\n\\n * * How to Raise an Intelligent, Creative Child\\n * How to Raise a Child Who Loves to Read\\n * How to Raise a Smart Kid Who Loves to Learn\\n * The Secret That Transforms Learning: Growth Mindset\\n * How to Raise a Motivated Student\\n * Secrets to Raise a Creative Child\\n * How To Help Your Child Develop Mindfulness Practices\\n * Why TV Undermines Your Child Academically\\n * Why Boredom is Good For Your Child\\n * Recommended: 5 Star Children's Books\\n\\nTweets by DrLauraMarkham\\n\\n## CONNECT WITH DR.LAURA ON...\\n\\n## DOES THIS KIND OF PARENTING WORK?\\n\\nToday I say thank you, tears streaming from my face, so proud of my little boy\\nand all he will become. Thank you. - Jennifer B.\\n\\nWHAT PARENTS SAY\\n\\n## UPCOMING EVENTS\\n\\nApril 9, 2021\\n\\nUnited Services Automobile Association (USAA)\\n\\nVirtual\\n\\nFebruary 17, 2022\\n\\nWellesley Mother's Forum\\n\\nVIEW ALL EVENTS\\n\\n## RECENT BLOG POSTS\\n\\n * Instead of Grounding Your Kid: 12 Steps To Teach a Lesson\\n\\n * Camping: Family Bonding Time At Its Best\\n\\n * Aggression from Other Kids: Here's How To Help Your Child Find His Voice\\n\\n## Parenting Tips in Your In Box\\n\\n\\\"I always feel happy when I see your newsletter show up in my email, because I\\nknow I'll feel better once I read it!\\\" - Naomi\\n\\n## Does this Kind of Parenting Work?\\n\\n\\\"Yes. It works. And the more rest I get, the more patience I have. It makes a\\ndifference.\\\"\\n\\n\\\"Practicing Dr. Laura's advice on empathizing with your child definitely\\ndissipates the conflict.\\\"\\n\\n\\\"All I can say is, the proof is in the pudding. It really, really works. Try\\nfor one day, then just one more day.\\\"\\n\\n\\\"Using Dr. Laura's approach, I’ve managed to stop things tipping into a\\ntantrum and my two year old happily doing what I’ve asked!\\\"\\n\\nRead More »\\n\\n## About\\n\\nAha! Parenting helps you create a more peaceful home - and happy, responsible,\\nconsiderate kids! Learn more about the Aha! Parenting philosophy and Dr. Laura\\nMarkham. Read More »\\n\\n## Find Dr. Laura Markham On...\\n\\nCopyright ©2021 Dr. Laura Markham. All rights reserved. | Privacy| Disclaimer\\n| Site by Enginate\\n\\n\"\n }\n]"}}},{"rowIdx":151,"cells":{"article_id":{"kind":"number","value":288871,"string":"288,871"},"question":{"kind":"string","value":"How To Learn Chinese"},"answer":{"kind":"string","value":"To learn Chinese, immerse yourself in the language by watching Chinese films and cartoons. Alternatively, listen to Chinese podcasts or CDs while you’re exercising, doing housework, or commuting to work. To improve your tone and pronunciation, look for a local Chinese conversation group, or find a native Chinese speaker to practice with by placing an ad on an online forum."},"related_document_urls_wayback_snapshots":{"kind":"list like","value":["http://web.archive.org/web/20210715234657/http://web.mit.edu/jinzhang/www/pinyin/tones/index.html","http://web.archive.org/web/20200903052742/http://zhongwen.com/shufa/","http://web.archive.org/web/20190915210643/http://tecfaetu.unige.ch:80/staf/staf-e/sun/staf15/cgrammar/cgrammer.html","http://web.archive.org/web/20210422175350/https://omniglot.com/language/phrases/mandarin.php","http://web.archive.org/web/20210516185415/https://www.digmandarin.com/hsk-1-vocabulary-list.html","http://web.archive.org/web/20210510220931/https://www.writtenchinese.com/how-to-read-chinese-characters-a-beginners-guide/","http://web.archive.org/web/20210508155648/https://blog.tutorming.com/mandarin-chinese-learning-tips/what-is-pinyin","http://web.archive.org/web/20210706105215/https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-language/cantonese-vs-mandarin.htm","http://web.archive.org/web/20200301062015/http://saundz.com:80/importance-making-mistakes-language-learning/","http://web.archive.org/web/20210519012156/https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0158409"],"string":"[\n \"http://web.archive.org/web/20210715234657/http://web.mit.edu/jinzhang/www/pinyin/tones/index.html\",\n \"http://web.archive.org/web/20200903052742/http://zhongwen.com/shufa/\",\n \"http://web.archive.org/web/20190915210643/http://tecfaetu.unige.ch:80/staf/staf-e/sun/staf15/cgrammar/cgrammer.html\",\n \"http://web.archive.org/web/20210422175350/https://omniglot.com/language/phrases/mandarin.php\",\n \"http://web.archive.org/web/20210516185415/https://www.digmandarin.com/hsk-1-vocabulary-list.html\",\n \"http://web.archive.org/web/20210510220931/https://www.writtenchinese.com/how-to-read-chinese-characters-a-beginners-guide/\",\n \"http://web.archive.org/web/20210508155648/https://blog.tutorming.com/mandarin-chinese-learning-tips/what-is-pinyin\",\n \"http://web.archive.org/web/20210706105215/https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-language/cantonese-vs-mandarin.htm\",\n \"http://web.archive.org/web/20200301062015/http://saundz.com:80/importance-making-mistakes-language-learning/\",\n \"http://web.archive.org/web/20210519012156/https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0158409\"\n]"},"split":{"kind":"string","value":"train"},"cluster":{"kind":"number","value":1001,"string":"1,001"},"related_documents_content":{"kind":"list like","value":[{"original_url":"http://web.mit.edu/jinzhang/www/pinyin/tones/index.html","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20210715234657/http://web.mit.edu/jinzhang/www/pinyin/tones/index.html","parsed_text":{"title":"Hanyu Pinyin for Mandarin Speakers: Tones","passages":["Some Mandarin speakers may have problems discerning tones: I know how to say \"來\" (come) perfectly well, but which tone is it in after all, and is it just me or \"不\" does sound different in \"不對\" (not correct) and \"不難\" (not difficult), for example. If this is the case with you, read the following closely. Some of the most commonly heard tonal changes in speech are discussed here.","Tones in Combination 11 - The Neutral Tone 11 - The Full 3rd Tone and the Half 3rd Tone 11 - 3rd + non-3rd Combination 11 - 3rd + 3rd Combination 11 - A String of 3rd Tones 11 - 4th + 4th Combination 11 - \"一\" (yī; one) and \"不\" (bù; no/not)","Play audios to the right to listen to each row of four tones of the same syllable pronounced one by one from left to right, and play audios at the bottom to listen to each column.","The tone mark is usually omitted to indicate that a certain syllable has a neutral tone. Many dictionaries and textbooks also put a dot before a syllable in the neutral tone -- in this web site, we will follow this convention.","As is shown in the Chart of Pitch Contours of Mandarin Tones, a full third tone should begin from mid-low to low and then rise to mid-high pitch. But in spontaneous speech, the third tone is rarely pronounced in full. Say the following phrases/words as naturally as you can.","You will probably find that \"hǎo\", \"bǎi\", and \"běn\" did not rise at all when you said them. Instead, they started and stopped low. A third tone pronounced in this fashion is called a half third tone, because only the 2-1 part of the 2-1-4 full third tone contour is produced. Nevertheless, the tone mark remains the same in writing.","好人 (3rd + 2nd) (nice person; hǎorén) 好看 (3rd + 4th) (pretty; hǎokàn) 好吧 (3rd + neutral) (all right; hǎo.ba)","The \"很\" and \"老\" are neither pronounced in a full third tone, nor in a half third tone. Instead, their tonal pitch contour is the same as that of a second tone, like \"來\" (lái; come). And notice that 好 (hǎo) and 虎.(hǔ) are both in the half third tone.","Consider this: 我只有兩本法語書. (Wǒ zhǐ yǒu liǎng běn Fǎyǔ shū; I only have two French books.) Which of the following is how you will say the sentence?","Things may seem a bit complex, but don't worry about this as long as you know the actual tone of a character when it is by itself, because you already have the phonologic knowledge.","When one 4th tone is followed by another in a word, the first has a 5-3 pitch contour instead of a 5-5 one. Again, the tone mark does not change in writing.","一塊 (yíkuài) (one dollar) 一半 (yíbàn) ( a half) 不貴 (búguì) (not expensive) 不對 (búduì) (not correct) 不慢 (búmàn) (not slow)","一生 (yìshēng) (one's whole life) 不多 (bùduō) (not many/much) 不吃 (bùchī) (not eat) 一年 (yìnián) (a year) 一群 (yíqún) (a group of) 不難 (bùnán) (not difficult) 不忙 (bùmáng) (not busy) 一晚 (yìwǎn) *** (one night) 一早 (yìzǎo) (early in the morning) 不晚 (bùwǎn) (not late) 不早 (bùzǎo) (not early)","If you have problems telling the tone of a character, apart from remembering the first tone is high and flat, the second rising, the third low (consider the half third tone), and the fourth falling, the most practical advice is perhaps to memorize four characters representing the four basic Mandarin tones as \"model\" characters. For example:"]},"parsed_md":"Hanyu Pinyin for Mandarin Speakers: Tones\n\nMandarin Tones\n\nSome Mandarin speakers may have problems discerning tones: I know how to say\n\"來\" (come) perfectly well, but which tone is it in after all, and is it just\nme or \"不\" does sound different in \"不對\" (not correct) and \"不難\" (not difficult),\nfor example. If this is the case with you, read the following closely. Some of\nthe most commonly heard tonal changes in speech are discussed here.\n\n###\n\nSingle Tones 11 - Pitch Contours of Mandarin Tones 11 - Tone Marks 11 -\nExamples\n\nTones in Combination 11 - The Neutral Tone 11 - The Full 3rd Tone and the Half\n3rd Tone 11 - 3rd + non-3rd Combination 11 - 3rd + 3rd Combination 11 - A\nString of 3rd Tones 11 - 4th + 4th Combination 11 - \"一\" (yī; one) and \"不\" (bù;\nno/not)\n\nHow to Discern Tones 11 - Compare and contrast\n\nSingle Tones\n\nPitch Contours of Mandarin Tones\n\n> Mandarin has four basic tones* , the pitch contours of which are shown\n> below.\n\n* The Chinese for the four tones are 一聲, 二聲, 三聲, and 四聲. (聲: shēng)\n\nBack to Top\n\nTone Marks\n\nBack to Top\n\nExamples of Single Tones\n\nPlay audios to the right to listen to each row of four tones of the same\nsyllable pronounced one by one from left to right, and play audios at the\nbottom to listen to each column.\n\n| mā| má| mǎ| mà \n---|---|---|--- \ndā| dá| dǎ| dà \nbāo| báo| bǎo| bào \npēng| péng| pěng| pèng \noo \n \nBack to Top\n\nTones in Combination\n\nThe Neutral Tone\n\n * The second characters in the word below are all pronounced in the neutral tone -- \"輕聲\" (qīngshēng) in Chinese.\n\n桌子 (zhuō.zi; desk) \n--- \n誰的 (shéi.de; whose) \n耳朵 (ěr.duo; ear) \n記得 (jì.de; remember) \n * The tone mark is usually omitted to indicate that a certain syllable has a neutral tone. Many dictionaries and textbooks also put a dot before a syllable in the neutral tone -- in this web site, we will follow this convention.\n\nBack to Top\n\nThe Full 3rd Tone and the Half 3rd Tone\n\n> As is shown in the Chart of Pitch Contours of Mandarin Tones, a full third\n> tone should begin from mid-low to low and then rise to mid-high pitch. But\n> in spontaneous speech, the third tone is rarely pronounced in full. Say the\n> following phrases/words as naturally as you can.\n>\n> 特別好 (tèbié hǎo) (exceptionally good) \n> --- \n> 三百 (sānbǎi) (three hundred years) \n> 課本 (kèběn) (textbook) \n> \n> You will probably find that \"hǎo\", \"bǎi\", and \"běn\" did not rise at all when\n> you said them. Instead, they started and stopped low. A third tone\n> pronounced in this fashion is called a half third tone, because only the 2-1\n> part of the 2-1-4 full third tone contour is produced. Nevertheless, the\n> tone mark remains the same in writing.\n\nBack to Top\n\n3rd + non-3rd Combination\n\n> First, think about the tonal contour of the full third tone, and pronounce\n> \"好\" (good; hǎo).\n>\n> Now say the four words below, paying special attention to how you\n> pronounce\"好\" in these words.\n>\n\n>> 好吃 (3rd + 1st) (tasty; hǎochī) \n>> --- \n>> 好人 (3rd + 2nd) (nice person; hǎorén) \n>> 好看 (3rd + 4th) (pretty; hǎokàn) \n>> 好吧 (3rd + neutral) (all right; hǎo.ba) \n> \n> You will find that in these four words, \"好\" is pronounced in the half third\n> tone -- there is no rising. Examples like this abound in speech: \"每年\"\n> (měinián; every year), \"老師\" (lǎoshī; teacher), \"眼睛\" (yǎn.jing; eye) ...\n>\n> Conclusion: In speech, 3rd + non-3rd => half 3rd + non-3rd. The tone mark\n> remains the same in writing.\n\nBack to Top\n\n3rd + 3rd Combination\n\n> Now try these:\n>\n> 很好 (hěn hǎo) (very good) \n> --- \n> 老虎.(lǎohǔ) (tiger) \n> \n> The \"很\" and \"老\" are neither pronounced in a full third tone, nor in a half\n> third tone. Instead, their tonal pitch contour is the same as that of a\n> second tone, like \"來\" (lái; come). And notice that 好 (hǎo) and 虎.(hǔ) are\n> both in the half third tone.\n>\n> Conclusion: In speech, 3rd + 3rd => 2nd + 3rd. The tone mark remains the\n> same in writing.\n\nBack to Top\n\nA String of 3rd Tones\n\n> Consider this: 我只有兩本法語書. (Wǒ zhǐ yǒu liǎng běn Fǎyǔ shū; I only have two\n> French books.) Which of the following is how you will say the sentence?\n>\n> Wo (half 3rd) zhi(2) you (half 3rd) liang(2) ben(half 3rd) Fa(2)yu(half 3rd)\n> shū. \n> \n> --- \n> Wo (2) zhi(2) you (half 3rd) liang(2) ben(half 3rd) Fa(2)yu(half 3rd) shū. \n> \n> Both are acceptable. Notice how the sentence is divided into color-coded\n> \"groups of meaning\", and how tones change accordingly.\n>\n> * Things may seem a bit complex, but don't worry about this as long as you\n> know the actual tone of a character when it is by itself, because you\n> already have the phonologic knowledge.\n\nBack to Top\n\n4th + 4th Combination\n\n> You may have noticed that the two fourth tones in\n>\n> 作業 (zuòyè) (homework) \n> --- \n> 漢字 (Hàn zì) (Chinese character) \n> 做夢 (zuòmèng) (to dream) \n> \n> are slightly different -- the second syllable sounds more \"emphatic\". You\n> are right.\n>\n> When one 4th tone is followed by another in a word, the first has a 5-3\n> pitch contour instead of a 5-5 one. Again, the tone mark does not change in\n> writing.\n\nBack to TOP\n\n\"一\" (yī; one) and \"不\" (bù; no/not)\n\n> (1) 一/不 + 4th => 2nd yí/bú + 4th\n>\n\n>> 一萬 (yíwàn) (ten thousand) \n>> --- \n>> 一塊 (yíkuài) (one dollar) \n>> 一半 (yíbàn) ( a half) \n>> 不貴 (búguì) (not expensive) \n>> 不對 (búduì) (not correct) \n>> 不慢 (búmàn) (not slow) \n> \n> (2) 一/不 + non-4th => 4th yì/bù + non-4th\n>\n\n>> 一天 (yìtiān) (a day) \n>> --- \n>> 一生 (yìshēng) (one's whole life) \n>> 不多 (bùduō) (not many/much) \n>> 不吃 (bùchī) (not eat) \n>> 一年 (yìnián) (a year) \n>> 一群 (yíqún) (a group of) \n>> 不難 (bùnán) (not difficult) \n>> 不忙 (bùmáng) (not busy) \n>> 一晚 (yìwǎn) *** (one night) \n>> 一早 (yìzǎo) (early in the morning) \n>> 不晚 (bùwǎn) (not late) \n>> 不早 (bùzǎo) (not early) \n> \n> * \"一\" is pronounced in the first tone (yī) when it refers to \"1\", the\n> number. ** Both the original first tone of \"一\" and the actual tone in speech\n> are accepted in writing. The same holds for \"不\". *** 晚 (wǎn) and 早 (zǎo) are\n> pronounced in the half third tone here.\n\nBack to Top\n\nHow to Discern Tones\n\nCompare and Contrast\n\n> If you have problems telling the tone of a character, apart from remembering\n> the first tone is high and flat, the second rising, the third low (consider\n> the half third tone), and the fourth falling, the most practical advice is\n> perhaps to memorize four characters representing the four basic Mandarin\n> tones as \"model\" characters. For example:\n>\n> 三十九歲 (sānshíjiǔ suì) (39 years of age) \n> --- \n> \n> And if you are not sure of the tone of a certain character, simply do some\n> comparing and contrasting.\n\nBack to Top\n\n"},{"original_url":"http://zhongwen.com/shufa/","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20200903052742/http://zhongwen.com/shufa/","parsed_text":{"title":"","passages":["Strokes are traditionally classified into eight basic forms, each appearing in the character \"eternally\" and listed below according to their contemporary names. Though somewhat arbitrary, this system has remained popular for nearly two millenia.","These basic strokes are sometimes combined without the pen leaving the paper. In the above example of \"eternally\", strokes 2-3-4 are written as one continuous stroke, as are strokes 5-6. Hence in dictionaries this character is indexed as having five separate strokes.","These rules conflict whenever one stroke is to the bottom and left of another. Several additional rules resolve many of these conflicts.","so that the main two stroke order rules readily apply. Occasionally these rules also conflict with respect to components. When one component is at the bottom-left, and the other at the top-right, the top-right component is sometimes written first.","These rules usually imply each component is written in its entirety before another component is written. Exceptions may arise when one component divides another,","For detailed stroke orders for thousands of characters, see Ocrat.com. You can access the relevant stroke information at Ocrat.com from this website by clicking on the large \"+\" sign accompanying each character entry."]},"parsed_md":"How to write Chinese characters\n\nStroke Types\n\nStrokes are traditionally classified into eight basic forms, each appearing in\nthe character \"eternally\" and listed below according to their contemporary\nnames. Though somewhat arbitrary, this system has remained popular for nearly\ntwo millenia.\n\n1\\. \"Dian\" - A simple dot.\n\n2\\. \"Heng\" - Horizontal stroke, left to right.\n\n3\\. \"Shu\" - Vertical stroke, top to bottom.\n\n4\\. \"Gou\" - Hook appended to other strokes.\n\n5\\. \"Ti\" - Diagonal stroke, rising from left to right.\n\n6\\. \"Pie\" - Diagonal stroke, falling from right to left.\n\n7\\. \"Duan Pie\" - Short diagonal stroke, falling from right to left.\n\n8\\. \"Na\" - Horizontal stroke, falling from left to right.\n\nThese basic strokes are sometimes combined without the pen leaving the paper.\nIn the above example of \"eternally\", strokes 2-3-4 are written as one\ncontinuous stroke, as are strokes 5-6. Hence in dictionaries this character is\nindexed as having five separate strokes.\n\nStroke Order\n\nWriting characters in the correct order is essential for the character to look\ncorrect. Two basic rules are followed:\n\n1\\. Top before bottom\n\n2\\. Left before right\n\nThese rules conflict whenever one stroke is to the bottom and left of another.\nSeveral additional rules resolve many of these conflicts.\n\n3\\. Left vertical stroke (usually) before top horizontal stroke\n\n4\\. Bottom horizontal stroke last\n\n5\\. Center stroke before wings\n\n6\\. Horizontal strokes before intersecting vertical strokes\n\n7\\. Left-falling strokes before right-falling srokes\n\nA final rule can contradict the others:\n\n8\\. Minor strokes (often) last\n\nDespite these conflicts between rules most students quickly acquire a natural\nfeel for the proper stroke order.\n\nComponent Order\n\nMost Chinese characters are combinations of simpler, component characters.\nUsually the two parts are written at top and bottom\n\nor left and right\n\nso that the main two stroke order rules readily apply. Occasionally these\nrules also conflict with respect to components. When one component is at the\nbottom-left, and the other at the top-right, the top-right component is\nsometimes written first.\n\nWhen there are several components, top components are written first.\n\nThese rules usually imply each component is written in its entirety before\nanother component is written. Exceptions may arise when one component divides\nanother,\n\nencompasses another,\n\nor the individual components are no longer discernible in modern writing.\n\nFor detailed stroke orders for thousands of characters, see Ocrat.com. You can\naccess the relevant stroke information at Ocrat.com from this website by\nclicking on the large \"+\" sign accompanying each character entry.\n\nFor information on Chinese calligraphy please see China the Beautiful.\n\n"},{"original_url":"http://tecfaetu.unige.ch:80/staf/staf-e/sun/staf15/cgrammar/cgrammer.html","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20190915210643/http://tecfaetu.unige.ch:80/staf/staf-e/sun/staf15/cgrammar/cgrammer.html","parsed_text":{"title":"Cgrammar","passages":["Like English, Chinese words/terms can also be divided into ten kinds: nouns, pronouns, adjectives, numerals, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, interjections and auxiliary words. The difference here is that there is no article in Chinese and there is no auxiliary words in English like that in Chinese.","Nouns: indicate the names of people or things, they can be further divided into four sub sorts, proper nouns (e.g. Beijing), common nouns (e.g. society), abstract nouns (e.g. culture, ideology), time nouns (e.g. tomorrow), place nouns (e.g. surroundings).","In English all the countable nouns have plural forms with the general ending -s ( except the irregular forms), while in Chinese the nouns never change their forms. We use numerals to realize plural meanings, e.g. (many trees) The English nouns have also the possessive case \"'s\", while in Chinese we use only the character (meaning 'of' ) after the nouns to show the same meaning, e.g. (a two-week's holiday ) (a friend of my father's )","Verbs: indicate the behaviors, actions or changes of people or things. They have several subsidiary categories: model verbs ( e.g. can, should), tendency verbs (e.g. come, go, enter ) and deciding verb ( be ).","In Chinese there is no verb changes at all. We use tense auxiliaries to show the tenses: e.g. (equals the present continuous tense),(equals the past tense) (equals the perfect tense).","In Chinese, we use several prepositions to show the passive voice, e.g. (by),(let), (tell). As for mood, In English, the subjunctive mood is represented by the changes of verbs, e.g. If it had not been for your help, we would not have achieved so much in our work. while in Chinese it is: We simply use the conjunction () to show the mood.","In English, the adjectives have comparative degree and superlative degree, e.g. fast, faster, fastest. We can see that the two degrees depend on the suffix changes of the words to be realized.While in Chinese, we simply use, , in front of the adjectives to show the degrees, e.g. (Can we do our work better with fewer people and less money? )","Adverb: used in front of verbs or adjectives to show degree, extent, time or negation, etc., e.g. Degree: (very), (very), (extremely), (extrordinarily),","Extent: (all), (only) Time: (already), (ever), (just), (at the moment), (immediately), (often) Negation: (not), (no), (not) Positive: (surely), (sure) Repetition or continuity: (again), (again), (again) Mood: (however), , , (even) In Chinese the adverbs can be used only in front of the verbs or adjectives while in English they may appear after. Another difference is that English adverbs, like adjectives, also have comparative degree and superlative degree while in Chinese we have the same words to show them as in the case of adjectives.","Personal pronouns: to replace the names of persons or things, e.g. (me), (you), (he), (she), (it), etc. Interrogative pronouns: to inquire the unknown things, actions, natures, etc. e.g. (what), (how), (who) Indicative pronouns: to distinguish things, actions or natures, e.g. (this),(that) : indicate known things. (here), (here), (there), (at the moment), (at that moment): indicate place or time. (like this), (in this way), (in that way): indicate the nature of known things or actions. (these), (those): indicate known sums or amounts.","Preposition: introduce nouns, pronouns or other linguistic units to verbs or adjectives and show the relationship between time, space, objects or methods.","(at), (from), (to), (to), (to), (along): show direction or place. (from), (from), (when), (at), (at): show time. (for), (for): show purpose. (for), (about), (for), (to), (like), (about): show subject or relationship. (by), (let), (tell): show passive voice.","\"\" shows that the term ( or other linguistic units) before it is attributive. \"\" shows that the term ( or other linguistic units) before it is adverbial. \"\" shows that the term ( or other linguistic units) before it is complement. \"\" is an auxiliary used in front of verbs, e.g. \"\"(what were said), here (all) and the verb (say) are the attributive of the noun (word).","1. the Statement: it states a thing or an opinion, e.g. (We go there by train.) 2.the Question: it inquires a situation, e.g. (Shall we go there by train?) 3.the Imperative: it puts forward demands or give orders, e.g. (Please don't say any more./!) 4.the exclamation: exclaim about the quality, degree or content of things, e.g. (What a beautiful flower!)","(He not only said so, but did in the same way.) are the connecting characters which connect two minor sentences and thus form a compound sentence.","subject-predicate: This kind of structure means that the organised characters or other grammatical units form a relationship of subject and predicate. The subject is stated by the predicate, e.g. in (red east), (red) is the object stated and serves as subject while (red) states it and seves as predicate.","related structure: This means that the organised characters or other grammatical units have an \"equal position\", there is no \"subordination\", e.g. in (Beijing and Shanghai), (Beijing) and (Shanghai) are in an \"equal\" position.","subordinated sructure: On the contrary, in this kind of structures the organised characters or other grammatical units do have subordinations, e.g. in (study over again), (repeatedly) decorate and limit (study) and thus it subordinates to the latter.","complementary structure: Similarly, in this kind of structures the organised characters or other grammatical units also have subordinations and they form a complementary relationship, e.g. in (say clearly), (clear/learly) serves as a conplementary part to show the effect of (say). This kind of structure is different from the above one in that the complementary part always appears after the main part (the verb here).","predicate-object sructure: This kind of structure means that the organised characters or other grammatical units form a dorminate (predicate) and dorminated (object) relationship, e.g. in (study a language), (study) is the verb who \"dominates\" the object (language) which is the concerned the thing.","appositive structure: This kind of structure means that the organised characters or other grammatical units refer to the same thing and form an inter-explanatory relationship, e.g. in (president Jing Zemin), both (Jing Zemin) and (president) refer to the same thing.","Some Chinese syntactical structures are simple and others are complicated. But even the most complicated structures are the combination of the above basic ones. So it is very important to master the basic ones."]},"parsed_md":"Cgrammar\n\nBack\n\n# Chinese Grammar\n\nThe Morphology\n\nParts of Speech and Their Functions\n\nLike English, Chinese words/terms can also be divided into ten kinds: nouns,\npronouns, adjectives, numerals, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions,\ninterjections and auxiliary words. The difference here is that there is no\narticle in Chinese and there is no auxiliary words in English like that in\nChinese.\n\n 1. Nouns: indicate the names of people or things, they can be further divided into four sub sorts, proper nouns (e.g. Beijing), common nouns (e.g. society), abstract nouns (e.g. culture, ideology), time nouns (e.g. tomorrow), place nouns (e.g. surroundings).\n\nIn English all the countable nouns have plural forms with the general ending\n-s ( except the irregular forms), while in Chinese the nouns never change\ntheir forms. We use numerals to realize plural meanings, e.g. (many trees) The\nEnglish nouns have also the possessive case \"'s\", while in Chinese we use only\nthe character (meaning 'of' ) after the nouns to show the same meaning, e.g.\n(a two-week's holiday ) (a friend of my father's )\n\n 2. Verbs: indicate the behaviors, actions or changes of people or things. They have several subsidiary categories: model verbs ( e.g. can, should), tendency verbs (e.g. come, go, enter ) and deciding verb ( be ).\n\nIn Chinese there is no verb changes at all. We use tense auxiliaries to show\nthe tenses: e.g. (equals the present continuous tense),(equals the past tense)\n(equals the perfect tense).\n\nIn Chinese, we use several prepositions to show the passive voice, e.g.\n(by),(let), (tell). As for mood, In English, the subjunctive mood is\nrepresented by the changes of verbs, e.g. If it had not been for your help, we\nwould not have achieved so much in our work. while in Chinese it is: We simply\nuse the conjunction () to show the mood.\n\n 3. Adjective: show the quality or forms of people or things, or the state of action or behavior.\n\nIn English, the adjectives have comparative degree and superlative degree,\ne.g. fast, faster, fastest. We can see that the two degrees depend on the\nsuffix changes of the words to be realized.While in Chinese, we simply use, ,\nin front of the adjectives to show the degrees, e.g. (Can we do our work\nbetter with fewer people and less money? )\n\n 4. Adverb: used in front of verbs or adjectives to show degree, extent, time or negation, etc., e.g. Degree: (very), (very), (extremely), (extrordinarily),\n\nExtent: (all), (only) Time: (already), (ever), (just), (at the moment),\n(immediately), (often) Negation: (not), (no), (not) Positive: (surely), (sure)\nRepetition or continuity: (again), (again), (again) Mood: (however), , ,\n(even) In Chinese the adverbs can be used only in front of the verbs or\nadjectives while in English they may appear after. Another difference is that\nEnglish adverbs, like adjectives, also have comparative degree and superlative\ndegree while in Chinese we have the same words to show them as in the case of\nadjectives.\n\n 5. Pronoun: replace nouns or numerals.\n\nPersonal pronouns: to replace the names of persons or things, e.g. (me),\n(you), (he), (she), (it), etc. Interrogative pronouns: to inquire the unknown\nthings, actions, natures, etc. e.g. (what), (how), (who) Indicative pronouns:\nto distinguish things, actions or natures, e.g. (this),(that) : indicate known\nthings. (here), (here), (there), (at the moment), (at that moment): indicate\nplace or time. (like this), (in this way), (in that way): indicate the nature\nof known things or actions. (these), (those): indicate known sums or amounts.\n\n 6. Preposition: introduce nouns, pronouns or other linguistic units to verbs or adjectives and show the relationship between time, space, objects or methods.\n\n(at), (from), (to), (to), (to), (along): show direction or place. (from),\n(from), (when), (at), (at): show time. (for), (for): show purpose. (for),\n(about), (for), (to), (like), (about): show subject or relationship. (by),\n(let), (tell): show passive voice.\n\n 7. Conjunction: connect words, phrases or sentences. e.g.\n\n(and), (and), (in addition), (but), (however), (because), (if), (even if),\netc.\n\n 8. Auxiliary words: There are mainly three kinds of auxiliary words in Chinese:\n\nStructural Auxiliaries: used between terms ( including terms and other\nlinguistic units) to show grammatical relationship, e.g.\n\n\"\" shows that the term ( or other linguistic units) before it is attributive.\n\"\" shows that the term ( or other linguistic units) before it is adverbial. \"\"\nshows that the term ( or other linguistic units) before it is complement. \"\"\nis an auxiliary used in front of verbs, e.g. \"\"(what were said), here (all)\nand the verb (say) are the attributive of the noun (word).\n\nThe Chinese words never change grammatically their forms like those of\nEnglish.\n\nThe Syntax\n\nMembers of the Sentence In Chinese there are all the six sentence members in\nEnglish except the predictive\n\nSimple Sentences:\n\n1\\. the Statement: it states a thing or an opinion, e.g. (We go there by\ntrain.) 2.the Question: it inquires a situation, e.g. (Shall we go there by\ntrain?) 3.the Imperative: it puts forward demands or give orders, e.g. (Please\ndon't say any more./!) 4.the exclamation: exclaim about the quality, degree or\ncontent of things, e.g. (What a beautiful flower!)\n\nCompound Sentence: it is connected by coordinate conjunctions and includes two\nor more simple sentences, e.g.\n\n(He not only said so, but did in the same way.) are the connecting characters\nwhich connect two minor sentences and thus form a compound sentence.\n\nBasic Grammatical Structures\n\nThe basic grammatical structures of the modern Chinese include the following\ncategories:\n\n * subject-predicate: This kind of structure means that the organised characters or other grammatical units form a relationship of subject and predicate. The subject is stated by the predicate, e.g. in (red east), (red) is the object stated and serves as subject while (red) states it and seves as predicate.\n * related structure: This means that the organised characters or other grammatical units have an \"equal position\", there is no \"subordination\", e.g. in (Beijing and Shanghai), (Beijing) and (Shanghai) are in an \"equal\" position.\n * subordinated sructure: On the contrary, in this kind of structures the organised characters or other grammatical units do have subordinations, e.g. in (study over again), (repeatedly) decorate and limit (study) and thus it subordinates to the latter.\n * complementary structure: Similarly, in this kind of structures the organised characters or other grammatical units also have subordinations and they form a complementary relationship, e.g. in (say clearly), (clear/learly) serves as a conplementary part to show the effect of (say). This kind of structure is different from the above one in that the complementary part always appears after the main part (the verb here).\n * predicate-object sructure: This kind of structure means that the organised characters or other grammatical units form a dorminate (predicate) and dorminated (object) relationship, e.g. in (study a language), (study) is the verb who \"dominates\" the object (language) which is the concerned the thing.\n * appositive structure: This kind of structure means that the organised characters or other grammatical units refer to the same thing and form an inter-explanatory relationship, e.g. in (president Jing Zemin), both (Jing Zemin) and (president) refer to the same thing.\n\nSome Chinese syntactical structures are simple and others are complicated. But\neven the most complicated structures are the combination of the above basic\nones. So it is very important to master the basic ones.\n\nBack to Top\n\n"},{"original_url":"https://omniglot.com/language/phrases/mandarin.php","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20210422175350/https://omniglot.com/language/phrases/mandarin.php","parsed_text":{"title":"Useful Mandarin Chinese phrases","passages":["A collection of useful phrases in Mandarin Chinese. The phrases are shown in traditional Chinese characters first, then in simplified characters in [square brackets] and pinyin in (brackets).","See these phrases in any combination of two languages in the Phrase Finder. If you can provide recordings, corrections or additional translations, please contact me.","English| 普通话 / 國語 / 華語 (Mandarin Chinese) ---|--- Welcome| 歡迎光臨 [欢迎光临] (huānyíng guānglín) Hello (General greeting)| 你好 (nǐ hǎo) - inf 您好 (nín hǎo) - frm Hello (on phone)| 喂 (wéi) How are you?| 你好嗎? [你好吗] (nǐ hǎo ma) Reply to 'How are you?'| 我很好,你呢? (wǒ hěn hǎo, nǐ ne?) Long time no see| 好久不見 [好久不见] (hǎojǐu bújiàn) What's your name?| 你貴姓大名? [你贵姓大名?] (nǐ guìxìng dàmíng?) 你叫什麼名字? [你叫什么名字?] (nǐ jiào shénme míngzì?) My name is ...| 我姓 ... (wǒ xìng ...) 我叫... (wǒ jiào ...) Where are you from?| 你是從哪裡來的? [你是从哪里来的?] (nǐ shì cóng nǎli lái de) 你是從哪兒來的? [你是从哪儿来的?] (nǐ shì cóng nǎr lái de) 你是哪國人? [你是哪国人] (nǐ shì nǎguórén) I'm from ...| 我是從 ... 來的 [我是从 ... 来的] (wǒ shì cóng ... lái de) 我是 ... 人 (wǒ shì ... rén) Pleased to meet you| 我很高興跟你見面 [我很高兴跟你见面] (wǒ hěn gāoxìng gēn nǐ jiànmiàn) 幸會 [幸会] (xìng huì) Good morning (Morning greeting)| 早安 (zǎo'ān) 早上好 (zǎoshànghǎo) 早晨好 (zǎochénhǎo) 你早 (nǐ zǎo) Good afternoon (Afternoon greeting)| 午安 (wǔ'ān) Good evening (Evening greeting)| 晚安 (wǎn'ān) 晚上好 (wǎnshànghǎo) Good night| 晚安 (wǎnān) Goodbye (Parting phrases)| 再見 [再见] (zàijiàn) 拜拜 (bàibài) Good luck!| 祝你好運 (zhù nǐ háoyùn) Cheers! Good Health! (Toasts used when drinking)| 乾杯! [干杯!] (gān bēi) - \"dry glass\" Bon appetit / Have a nice meal| 慢慢吃 (mànman chī) - eat slowly (not often used) Bon voyage / Have a good journey| 一路順風 [一路顺风] (yīlùshùnfēng) 一路平安 [一路平安] (yīlùpíngān) 一帆風順 [一帆风顺] (yīfānfēngshùn) I don't know| 我不知道 (wǒ bù zhīdào) Do you understand?| 你聽得懂嗎? [你听得懂吗?] (Nǐ tīngdédǒng ma?) 你明白嗎? [你明白吗?] (Nǐ míngbai ma?) I understand| 我聽得懂 [我听得懂] (wǒ tīngdedǒng) 我懂 (wǒ dǒng) 我明白 (wǒ míngbai) I don't understand| 我聽不懂 [我听不懂] (wǒ tīngbùdǒng) 我不懂 (wǒ bù dǒng) 我不明白 (wǒ bù míngbai) Please say that again| 麻煩你再説一遍 [麻烦你再说一遍] (máfán nǐ zài shuō yībiàn) 請你再説一次好嗎? [请你再说一次好吗?] (qǐng nǐ zài shuō yīcì hǎo ma?) Please speak more slowly| 麻煩你講慢一點 [麻烦你讲慢一点] (máfan nĭ jiǎng màn yīdiǎn) Please write it down| 麻煩你寫一下,好不好? [麻烦你写一下,好不好?] (Máfan nǐ xiě yīxià, hǎo bù hǎo?) Do you speak English?| 你會說英語嗎? [你会说英语吗?] (nǐ huì shuō yīngyǔ ma?) 你會講英語嗎? [你会讲英语吗?] (nǐ huì jiǎng yīngyǔ ma?) Do you speak Mandarin?| 你會不會講國語? [你会不会讲国语} (nǐ huìbúhuì jiǎng guóyŭ?) 你會不會講普通話? [你会不会讲普通话?] (nǐ huìbúhuì jiǎng pŭtōnghuà?) 你會說中文嗎? [你会说中文吗?] (nǐ huì shuō zhōngwén ma?) Yes, a little (reply to 'Do you speak ...?')| 會,一點點 [会,一点点] (huì, yīdiǎndiǎn) 會,一點兒 [会,一点儿] (huì, yīdiǎnr) Do you speak a language other than Mandarin?| 除了中文之外、你還會講其他的語言嗎? [除了中文之外、你还会讲其他的语言吗?] (Chúle zhōngwén zhī wài, nǐ hái huì jiǎng qítā de yǔyán ma?) How do you say ... in Mandarin?| ... 中文怎麼說? [... 中文怎么说?] (... zhōngwén zěnme shuō) Excuse me| 請問 [请问] qǐngwén - to attract attention (lit. \"may I ask\") 對不起 [对不起] duìbùqǐ - asking people to move How much is this?| 這個多少錢? [这个多少钱?] (Zhège duōshǎo qián?) Sorry| 對不起 [对不起] (duìbùqǐ) 抱歉 (bàoqiàn) Please| 麻煩你 [麻烦你] (máfán nǐ) 請 [请] (qǐng) Thank you| 謝謝 [谢谢] (xièxie) 感謝你 [感谢你] (gǎnxiè nǐ) 非常感謝你 (fēicháng gǎnxiè nǐ) Reply to thank you| 不客氣 [不客气] (bú kèqi) 不用謝 [不用谢] (bú yòng xiè) 沒關係 [没关系] (méi guānxi) 沒問題 [没问题] (méi wèntí) Where's the toilet / bathroom?| 廁所在哪裡? [厕所在哪里?] (cèsuǒ zài nǎli?) 洗手間哪裡? [洗手间在哪里?] (xǐshǒujiān zài nǎli?) This gentleman will pay for everything| 這位先生會清單 [这位先生会清单] (zhèiwèi xiānsheng huì qīngdān) 這位先生會埋單 [这位先生会埋单] (zhèiwèi xiānsheng huì máidān) This lady will pay for everything| 這位女士會清單 [这位女士会清单] (zhèiwèi nǔshì huì qīngdān) 這位女士會埋單 [这位女士会埋单] (zhèiwèi nǔshì huì máidān) Would you like to dance with me?| 你要不要跟我跳舞? (nǐ yào bú yào gēn wǒ tiàowǔ) Do you come here often?| 你常来这儿吗? [你常來這兒嗎?] (nǐ cháng lái zhè'er ma?) 你经常来这里吗? [你經常來這裡嗎?] (nǐ jīngcháng lái zhèlǐ ma?) I miss you| 我想念你 (wǒ xiǎngniàn nǐ) 我想你 (wǒ xiǎng nǐ) I love you| 我愛你 [我爱你] (wǒ ài nǐ) Get well soon| 快點好啦 [快点好啦] (kuài diǎn hào la) 祝您早日康復 (zhù nín zǎorì kāngfù) Go away!| 不要打擾我! [不要打扰我!] (búyào dǎrǎo wǒ) 别管我! (bié guǎn wǒ) Leave me alone!| 不要打擾我! [不要打扰我!] (búyào dǎrǎo wǒ) 别管我! (bié guǎn wǒ) Help!| 救命啊! (jìumìng ā!) Fire!| 火啊! (huǒ a!) Stop!| 停! (tíng!) 停下! (tíngxià!) 停車! [停车] (tíng chē) when in vehicle 站住! (zhànzhù) to someone on foot 立正 (lìzhèng) \"halt!\" - used by the military Call the police!| 叫警察! (jiào jǐngchá) Christmas greetings| 聖誕快樂 [圣诞快乐] (shèngdàn kuàilè) 聖誕節快樂 [圣诞节快乐] (shèngdànjié kuàilè) New Year greetings| 新年快樂 [新年快乐] (xīnnián kuàilè) 恭喜發財 [恭喜发财] (gōngxǐ fācái) - used at Chinese New Year Easter greetings| 復活節快樂 [复活节快乐] (fùhuójié kuàilè) Birthday greetings| 生日快乐 [生日快樂] (shēngrì kuàilè) Congratulations!| 恭喜! (gōngxǐ) 祝贺你 [祝賀你] (zhùhè nǐ) My hovercraft is full of eels| 我的氣墊船裝滿了鱔魚 [我的气垫船装满了鳝鱼] (Wǒ de qìdiànchuán zhuāngmǎn le shànyú) 我的氣墊船裝滿了鰻魚 [我的气垫船装满了鳗鱼] (Wǒ de qìdiànchuán zhuāngmǎn le mànyú) One language is never enough| 一種語言永遠不夠 [一种语言永远不够] (yīzhǒng yǔyán yǒngyuǎn bùgòu)","Note: the word 鱔魚 [鳝鱼] (shànyú) can be translated as eel, but refers specifically to the Asian swamp eel (monopterus albus), an eel-like fish found in China and other parts of Asia. 鰻魚 [鳗鱼] (mànyú) refers eels, that is any fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes. [Thanks to Ge Tianyu for pointing this out]","If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, or if you can provide recordings, please contact me.","Information about Mandarin | Phrases | Numbers | Colours | Family words | Time | Tongue twisters | Video lessons | Tower of Babel | Articles | Links | Learning materials","Other Chinese pages: Chinese numbers (數碼) | Chinese classifiers (量詞) | Video lessons | Electronic dictionaries | Chinese links | Books: Chinese characters and calligraphy | Cantonese | Mandarin, Shanghainese, Hokkien and Taiwanese","If you need to type in many different languages, the Q International Keyboard can help. It enables you to type almost any language that uses the Latin, Cyrillic or Greek alphabets, and is free.","If you like this site and find it useful, you can support it by making a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or by contributing in other ways. Omniglot is how I make my living.","Note: all links on this site to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.fr are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission if you click on any of them and buy something. So by clicking on these links you can help to support this site.","Learn languages quickly | Language Tutors USA | One-to-one Chinese lessons | Learn Mandarin Chinese today! | Learn languages with Varsity Tutors | Learn French with Comme une Française | Learn languages with Mondly | Green Web Hosting | French lessons with Superprof"]},"parsed_md":"Useful Mandarin Chinese phrases\n\n * Home\n * Writing systems\n * Constructed scripts\n * Languages\n * Phrases\n * Articles\n * Search\n * News\n * About\n * Contact\n\n# Useful Mandarin Chinese phrases\n\nA collection of useful phrases in Mandarin Chinese. The phrases are shown in\ntraditional Chinese characters first, then in simplified characters in [square\nbrackets] and pinyin in (brackets).\n\nJump to phrases\n\nSee these phrases in any combination of two languages in the Phrase Finder. If\nyou can provide recordings, corrections or additional translations, please\ncontact me.\n\nEnglish| 普通话 / 國語 / 華語 (Mandarin Chinese) \n---|--- \nWelcome| 歡迎光臨 [欢迎光临] (huānyíng guānglín) \nHello (General greeting)| 你好 (nǐ hǎo) - inf 您好 (nín hǎo) - frm \nHello (on phone)| 喂 (wéi) \nHow are you?| 你好嗎? [你好吗] (nǐ hǎo ma) \nReply to 'How are you?'| 我很好,你呢? (wǒ hěn hǎo, nǐ ne?) \nLong time no see| 好久不見 [好久不见] (hǎojǐu bújiàn) \nWhat's your name?| 你貴姓大名? [你贵姓大名?] (nǐ guìxìng dàmíng?) 你叫什麼名字? [你叫什么名字?] (nǐ\njiào shénme míngzì?) \nMy name is ...| 我姓 ... (wǒ xìng ...) 我叫... (wǒ jiào ...) \nWhere are you from?| 你是從哪裡來的? [你是从哪里来的?] (nǐ shì cóng nǎli lái de) 你是從哪兒來的?\n[你是从哪儿来的?] (nǐ shì cóng nǎr lái de) 你是哪國人? [你是哪国人] (nǐ shì nǎguórén) \nI'm from ...| 我是從 ... 來的 [我是从 ... 来的] (wǒ shì cóng ... lái de) 我是 ... 人 (wǒ\nshì ... rén) \nPleased to meet you| 我很高興跟你見面 [我很高兴跟你见面] (wǒ hěn gāoxìng gēn nǐ jiànmiàn) 幸會\n[幸会] (xìng huì) \nGood morning (Morning greeting)| 早安 (zǎo'ān) 早上好 (zǎoshànghǎo) 早晨好\n(zǎochénhǎo) 你早 (nǐ zǎo) \nGood afternoon (Afternoon greeting)| 午安 (wǔ'ān) \nGood evening (Evening greeting)| 晚安 (wǎn'ān) 晚上好 (wǎnshànghǎo) \nGood night| 晚安 (wǎnān) \nGoodbye (Parting phrases)| 再見 [再见] (zàijiàn) 拜拜 (bàibài) \nGood luck!| 祝你好運 (zhù nǐ háoyùn) \nCheers! Good Health! (Toasts used when drinking)| 乾杯! [干杯!] (gān bēi) - \"dry\nglass\" \nBon appetit / Have a nice meal| 慢慢吃 (mànman chī) - eat slowly (not often used) \nBon voyage / Have a good journey| 一路順風 [一路顺风] (yīlùshùnfēng) 一路平安 [一路平安]\n(yīlùpíngān) 一帆風順 [一帆风顺] (yīfānfēngshùn) \nI don't know| 我不知道 (wǒ bù zhīdào) \nDo you understand?| 你聽得懂嗎? [你听得懂吗?] (Nǐ tīngdédǒng ma?) 你明白嗎? [你明白吗?] (Nǐ\nmíngbai ma?) \nI understand| 我聽得懂 [我听得懂] (wǒ tīngdedǒng) 我懂 (wǒ dǒng) 我明白 (wǒ míngbai) \nI don't understand| 我聽不懂 [我听不懂] (wǒ tīngbùdǒng) 我不懂 (wǒ bù dǒng) 我不明白 (wǒ bù\nmíngbai) \nPlease say that again| 麻煩你再説一遍 [麻烦你再说一遍] (máfán nǐ zài shuō yībiàn) 請你再説一次好嗎?\n[请你再说一次好吗?] (qǐng nǐ zài shuō yīcì hǎo ma?) \nPlease speak more slowly| 麻煩你講慢一點 [麻烦你讲慢一点] (máfan nĭ jiǎng màn yīdiǎn) \nPlease write it down| 麻煩你寫一下,好不好? [麻烦你写一下,好不好?] (Máfan nǐ xiě yīxià, hǎo bù\nhǎo?) \nDo you speak English?| 你會說英語嗎? [你会说英语吗?] (nǐ huì shuō yīngyǔ ma?) 你會講英語嗎?\n[你会讲英语吗?] (nǐ huì jiǎng yīngyǔ ma?) \nDo you speak Mandarin?| 你會不會講國語? [你会不会讲国语} (nǐ huìbúhuì jiǎng guóyŭ?)\n你會不會講普通話? [你会不会讲普通话?] (nǐ huìbúhuì jiǎng pŭtōnghuà?) 你會說中文嗎? [你会说中文吗?] (nǐ huì\nshuō zhōngwén ma?) \nYes, a little (reply to 'Do you speak ...?')| 會,一點點 [会,一点点] (huì, yīdiǎndiǎn)\n會,一點兒 [会,一点儿] (huì, yīdiǎnr) \nDo you speak a language other than Mandarin?| 除了中文之外、你還會講其他的語言嗎?\n[除了中文之外、你还会讲其他的语言吗?] (Chúle zhōngwén zhī wài, nǐ hái huì jiǎng qítā de yǔyán\nma?) \nHow do you say ... in Mandarin?| ... 中文怎麼說? [... 中文怎么说?] (... zhōngwén zěnme\nshuō) \nExcuse me| 請問 [请问] qǐngwén - to attract attention (lit. \"may I ask\") 對不起 [对不起]\nduìbùqǐ - asking people to move \nHow much is this?| 這個多少錢? [这个多少钱?] (Zhège duōshǎo qián?) \nSorry| 對不起 [对不起] (duìbùqǐ) 抱歉 (bàoqiàn) \nPlease| 麻煩你 [麻烦你] (máfán nǐ) 請 [请] (qǐng) \nThank you| 謝謝 [谢谢] (xièxie) 感謝你 [感谢你] (gǎnxiè nǐ) 非常感謝你 (fēicháng gǎnxiè nǐ) \nReply to thank you| 不客氣 [不客气] (bú kèqi) 不用謝 [不用谢] (bú yòng xiè) 沒關係 [没关系] (méi\nguānxi) 沒問題 [没问题] (méi wèntí) \nWhere's the toilet / bathroom?| 廁所在哪裡? [厕所在哪里?] (cèsuǒ zài nǎli?) 洗手間哪裡?\n[洗手间在哪里?] (xǐshǒujiān zài nǎli?) \nThis gentleman will pay for everything| 這位先生會清單 [这位先生会清单] (zhèiwèi xiānsheng\nhuì qīngdān) 這位先生會埋單 [这位先生会埋单] (zhèiwèi xiānsheng huì máidān) \nThis lady will pay for everything| 這位女士會清單 [这位女士会清单] (zhèiwèi nǔshì huì\nqīngdān) 這位女士會埋單 [这位女士会埋单] (zhèiwèi nǔshì huì máidān) \nWould you like to dance with me?| 你要不要跟我跳舞? (nǐ yào bú yào gēn wǒ tiàowǔ) \nDo you come here often?| 你常来这儿吗? [你常來這兒嗎?] (nǐ cháng lái zhè'er ma?) 你经常来这里吗?\n[你經常來這裡嗎?] (nǐ jīngcháng lái zhèlǐ ma?) \nI miss you| 我想念你 (wǒ xiǎngniàn nǐ) 我想你 (wǒ xiǎng nǐ) \nI love you| 我愛你 [我爱你] (wǒ ài nǐ) \nGet well soon| 快點好啦 [快点好啦] (kuài diǎn hào la) 祝您早日康復 (zhù nín zǎorì kāngfù) \nGo away!| 不要打擾我! [不要打扰我!] (búyào dǎrǎo wǒ) 别管我! (bié guǎn wǒ) \nLeave me alone!| 不要打擾我! [不要打扰我!] (búyào dǎrǎo wǒ) 别管我! (bié guǎn wǒ) \nHelp!| 救命啊! (jìumìng ā!) \nFire!| 火啊! (huǒ a!) \nStop!| 停! (tíng!) 停下! (tíngxià!) 停車! [停车] (tíng chē) when in vehicle 站住!\n(zhànzhù) to someone on foot 立正 (lìzhèng) \"halt!\" - used by the military \nCall the police!| 叫警察! (jiào jǐngchá) \nChristmas greetings| 聖誕快樂 [圣诞快乐] (shèngdàn kuàilè) 聖誕節快樂 [圣诞节快乐] (shèngdànjié\nkuàilè) \nNew Year greetings| 新年快樂 [新年快乐] (xīnnián kuàilè) 恭喜發財 [恭喜发财] (gōngxǐ fācái) -\nused at Chinese New Year \nEaster greetings| 復活節快樂 [复活节快乐] (fùhuójié kuàilè) \nBirthday greetings| 生日快乐 [生日快樂] (shēngrì kuàilè) \nCongratulations!| 恭喜! (gōngxǐ) 祝贺你 [祝賀你] (zhùhè nǐ) \nMy hovercraft is full of eels| 我的氣墊船裝滿了鱔魚 [我的气垫船装满了鳝鱼] (Wǒ de qìdiànchuán\nzhuāngmǎn le shànyú) 我的氣墊船裝滿了鰻魚 [我的气垫船装满了鳗鱼] (Wǒ de qìdiànchuán zhuāngmǎn le\nmànyú) \nOne language is never enough| 一種語言永遠不夠 [一种语言永远不够] (yīzhǒng yǔyán yǒngyuǎn\nbùgòu) \n \nNote: the word 鱔魚 [鳝鱼] (shànyú) can be translated as eel, but refers\nspecifically to the Asian swamp eel (monopterus albus), an eel-like fish found\nin China and other parts of Asia. 鰻魚 [鳗鱼] (mànyú) refers eels, that is any\nfish belonging to the order Anguilliformes. [Thanks to Ge Tianyu for pointing\nthis out]\n\nDownload all the audio files (Zip format, 3.7MB)\n\nRecordings, plus some corrections, provided by 吴蓝 (Wu Lan)\n\nIf you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, or if you\ncan provide recordings, please contact me.\n\nInformation about Mandarin | Phrases | Numbers | Colours | Family words | Time\n| Tongue twisters | Video lessons | Tower of Babel | Articles | Links |\nLearning materials\n\n## Links\n\nOther collections of Mandarin phrases http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/chinese/\nhttp://www.languageguide.org/mandarin/\nhttp://www.slanguage.com/fun_chinese_mand.html\nhttp://www.linguanaut.com/english_chinese.htm\nhttp://www.asianhorizons.co.uk/chinese-phrases/\nhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL6C66s10Xirrh1wX1ymtjA\n\n## Phrases in Sinitic languages\n\nCantonese, Hakka, Mandarin, Shanghainese, Taiwanese, Teochew\n\nPhrases in other languages\n\n### Chinese pages\n\nWritten Chinese: Oracle Bone Script, Simplified characters, Bopomofo, Types of\ncharacters, Structure of written Chinese, Evolution of characters, How the\nChinese script works\n\nSpoken Chinese: Mandarin, Dungan, Wu, Shanghainese, Wenzhounese, Yue,\nCantonese, Min, Taiwanese, Teochew, Fuzhounese, Puxian, Hakka, Xiang, Gan, How\nmany people speak Chinese?\n\nOther Chinese pages: Chinese numbers (數碼) | Chinese classifiers (量詞) | Video\nlessons | Electronic dictionaries | Chinese links | Books: Chinese characters\nand calligraphy | Cantonese | Mandarin, Shanghainese, Hokkien and Taiwanese\n\n * Learn Chinese online with ChineseClass101\n * Chinese Conversations - Understand real Mandarin Chinese\n * Learn Mandarin Chinese today!\n * Find Chinese Tutors\n * Learn Mandarin online with Mondly\n * Learn Mandarin Chinese with ease\n * Learn Mandarin Chinese with Glossika\n * Daily bite-size stories in Mandarin\n * Learn Mandarin with LinguaLift\n * Learn Chinese Online with AI Chinese\n * One-to-one online Chinese lessons\n\nPage last modified: 22.04.21\n\nWhy not share this page:\n\nIf you need to type in many different languages, the Q International Keyboard\ncan help. 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So by clicking on these links you can help to support this\nsite.\n\n * Learn languages quickly | Language Tutors USA | One-to-one Chinese lessons | Learn Mandarin Chinese today! | Learn languages with Varsity Tutors | Learn French with Comme une Française | Learn languages with Mondly | Green Web Hosting | French lessons with Superprof\n * Daily bite-size stories in Mandarin\n * Learn a new language today!\n\n * Home\n * News\n * Writing systems\n * Con-scripts\n * Languages\n * Useful phrases\n * Language learning\n * Multilingual pages\n * Events\n * Articles\n * Links\n * Book store\n * Gallery\n * Puzzles\n * FAQs\n * About\n * Search\n * Contact\n * Media\n * Contribute\n * Advertising\n\nCopyright © 1998–2021 Simon Ager | Email: | Hosted by Kualo\n\n"},{"original_url":"https://www.digmandarin.com/hsk-1-vocabulary-list.html","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20210516185415/https://www.digmandarin.com/hsk-1-vocabulary-list.html","parsed_text":{"title":"HSK 1 Vocabulary List (PDF)","passages":["To achieve this first level of Chinese language proficiency, you must master basic pronouns, classifiers, nouns, verbs, and other parts of speech. You must also know how to express time, age, money, and numbers using different sentence patterns such as questions, negatives, imperatives, and the like. HSK 1 vocabulary list includes 150 required vocabulary words and phrases. Once you can understand and use these, you will pass HSK level 1, which means you now meet the basic needs for communication and possess the ability to further your Chinese language studies.","Chinese| Pinyin| English ---|---|--- Personal Pron. 我| wǒ| I, me 我们| wǒmen| we, us (pl.) 你| nǐ| you 你们| nǐmen| you (pl.) 他| tā| he, him 她| tā| she, her 他们| tāmen| they (male+female / male, pl.) 她们| tāmen| they (females, pl.) Demonstrative Pron. 这 (这儿)| zhè ( zhèr)| here, this 那 (那儿)| nà (nàr)| there, that Interrogative Pron. 哪(哪儿)| nǎ (nǎr)| where 谁| shuí| who 什么| shén me| what, why 多少| duōshǎo| how many, how much 几| jǐ| a few, how many 怎么| zěnme| how 怎么样| zěnmeyàng| how about Numberal 一| yī| one 二| èr| two 三| sān| three 四| sì| four 五| wǔ| five 六| liù| six 七| qī| seven 八| bā| eight 九| jiǔ| nine 十| shí| ten 零| líng| zero Quantifier 个| gè| one, a, an 岁| suì| year 本| běn| volume 些| xiē| some 块| kuài| piece Adverb 不| bù| no 没| méi| no 很| hěn| quite, very 太| tài| too 都| dōu| all Conjunction 和| hé| and Preposition 在| zài| in, at Auxiliary 的| de 了| le 吗| ma 呢| ne Interjection 喂| wèi| hello Noun 家| jiā| home 学校| xuéxiào| school 饭店| fàndiàn| restaurant 商店| shāngdiàn| store 医院| yīyuàn| hospital 火车站| huǒchēzhàn| train station 中国| zhōng guó| China 北京| běijīng| Beijing 上| shàng| up 下| xià| down 前面| qiánmiàn| front 后面| hòumiàn| behind 里| lǐmiàn| inside 今天| jīntiān| today 明天| míngtiān| tomorrow 昨天| zuótiān| yesterday 上午| shàngwǔ| morning 中午| zhōngwǔ| noon 下午| xiàwǔ| afternoon 年| nián| year 月| yuè| month 日| rì| day 星期| xīngqī| week 点| diǎn| dot, spot 分钟| fēnzhōng| minute 现在| xiànzài| now 时候| shíhou| time 爸爸| bàba| father 妈妈| māma| mother 儿子| érzi| son 女儿| nǚér| daughter 老师| lǎoshī| teacher 学生| xuéshēng| student 同学| tóngxué| shoolmate 朋友| péngyou| friend 医生| yīshēng| doctor 先生| xiānsheng| sir 小姐| xiǎojiě| Miss 衣服| yīfu| cloth 水| shuǐ| water 菜| cài| vegetable 米饭| mǐfàn| rice 水果| shuǐguǒ| fruit 苹果| píngguǒ| apple 茶| chá| tea 杯子| bēizi| cup 钱| qián| money 飞机| fēijī| airplane 出租车| chūzūchē| taxi 电视| diànshì| television 电脑| diànnǎo| computer 电影| diànyǐng| movie 天气| tiānqì| weather 猫| māo| cat 狗| gǒu| dog 东西| dōngxi| thing 人| rén| person 名字| míngzi| name 书| shū| book 汉语| hànyǔ| mandarin Chinese 字| zì| character 桌子| zhuōzi| desk 椅子| yǐzi| chair Verb 谢谢| xièxie| thank 不客气| búkèqì| you are welcome 再见| zàijiàn| good-bye 请| qǐng| please 对不起| duìbùqǐ| sorry 没关系| méiguānxì| It doesn’t matter 是| shì| be (am, is, are) 有| yǒu| have 看| kàn| look 听| tīng| listen 说话| shuōhuà| speak 读| dú| read 写| xiě| write 看见| kànjiàn| see 叫| jiào| call 来| lái| come 回| huí| return 去| qù| go 吃| chī| eat 喝| hē| drink 睡觉| shuìjiào| sleep 打电话| dǎdiànhuà| call up 做| zuò| do 买| mǎi| buy 开| kāi| open 坐| zuò| sit 住| zhù| live 学习| xuéxí| study 工作| gōngzuò| work 下雨| xiàyǔ| rain 爱| ài| love 喜欢| xǐhuān| love, like 想| xiǎng| want 认识| rènshi| know 会| huì| can 能| néng| can, be able to Adjective 好| hǎo| good 大| dà| big 小| xiǎo| small 多| duō| many, much 少| shǎo| few, little 冷| lěng| cold 热| rè| hot 高兴| gāoxìng| happy 漂亮| piàoliàng| beautiful","it is good for everyone that want to prepare themselves for do the HSK also me too I really want to passing the HSK and want to learn in China","I looking at HSK 1 & 2 exam by about June latest. I started learning Mandarin Chinese from Yo-yo Chinese since January 2019. I have completed their BCC and since then, I spend daily 90 to 120 minutes studying. Pls advise.","my first time and i will do my best to finish this level so i can move on with another level","I just realize how awfull my social communication skill but my language is also awfully good.I know french,japan,Different language in Asia,and i know a few accent.","Assalam-o-Alaikum This is globally admitted that China has been super power. Chinese language has been our need and in future it would be compulsory to understand Chinese. This is the best time to learn Chinese. Chinese language is very interesting and I’m getting this international language by my honorable teacher Hafiz Haris. He has passed five levels from University of Karachi, Pakistan. In Sha Allah I’ll overcome Chinese language very soon. Jazak Allah Allah Hafiz"]},"parsed_md":"HSK 1 Vocabulary List (PDF)\n\nskip to Main Content\n\nCourses\n\n# HSK 1 Vocabulary List\n\n * Last updated: January 27, 2020\n * Dig Mandarin\n * HSK Vocabulary\n\nTo achieve this first level of Chinese language proficiency, you must master\nbasic pronouns, classifiers, nouns, verbs, and other parts of speech. You must\nalso know how to express time, age, money, and numbers using different\nsentence patterns such as questions, negatives, imperatives, and the like. HSK\n1 vocabulary list includes 150 required vocabulary words and phrases. Once you\ncan understand and use these, you will pass HSK level 1, which means you now\nmeet the basic needs for communication and possess the ability to further your\nChinese language studies.\n\nDownload PDF\n\nChinese| Pinyin| English \n---|---|--- \nPersonal Pron. \n我| wǒ| I, me \n我们| wǒmen| we, us (pl.) \n你| nǐ| you \n你们| nǐmen| you (pl.) \n他| tā| he, him \n她| tā| she, her \n他们| tāmen| they (male+female / male, pl.) \n她们| tāmen| they (females, pl.) \nDemonstrative Pron. \n这 (这儿)| zhè ( zhèr)| here, this \n那 (那儿)| nà (nàr)| there, that \nInterrogative Pron. \n哪(哪儿)| nǎ (nǎr)| where \n谁| shuí| who \n什么| shén me| what, why \n多少| duōshǎo| how many, how much \n几| jǐ| a few, how many \n怎么| zěnme| how \n怎么样| zěnmeyàng| how about \nNumberal \n一| yī| one \n二| èr| two \n三| sān| three \n四| sì| four \n五| wǔ| five \n六| liù| six \n七| qī| seven \n八| bā| eight \n九| jiǔ| nine \n十| shí| ten \n零| líng| zero \nQuantifier \n个| gè| one, a, an \n岁| suì| year \n本| běn| volume \n些| xiē| some \n块| kuài| piece \nAdverb \n不| bù| no \n没| méi| no \n很| hěn| quite, very \n太| tài| too \n都| dōu| all \nConjunction \n和| hé| and \nPreposition \n在| zài| in, at \nAuxiliary \n的| de \n了| le \n吗| ma \n呢| ne \nInterjection \n喂| wèi| hello \nNoun \n家| jiā| home \n学校| xuéxiào| school \n饭店| fàndiàn| restaurant \n商店| shāngdiàn| store \n医院| yīyuàn| hospital \n火车站| huǒchēzhàn| train station \n中国| zhōng guó| China \n北京| běijīng| Beijing \n上| shàng| up \n下| xià| down \n前面| qiánmiàn| front \n后面| hòumiàn| behind \n里| lǐmiàn| inside \n今天| jīntiān| today \n明天| míngtiān| tomorrow \n昨天| zuótiān| yesterday \n上午| shàngwǔ| morning \n中午| zhōngwǔ| noon \n下午| xiàwǔ| afternoon \n年| nián| year \n月| yuè| month \n日| rì| day \n星期| xīngqī| week \n点| diǎn| dot, spot \n分钟| fēnzhōng| minute \n现在| xiànzài| now \n时候| shíhou| time \n爸爸| bàba| father \n妈妈| māma| mother \n儿子| érzi| son \n女儿| nǚér| daughter \n老师| lǎoshī| teacher \n学生| xuéshēng| student \n同学| tóngxué| shoolmate \n朋友| péngyou| friend \n医生| yīshēng| doctor \n先生| xiānsheng| sir \n小姐| xiǎojiě| Miss \n衣服| yīfu| cloth \n水| shuǐ| water \n菜| cài| vegetable \n米饭| mǐfàn| rice \n水果| shuǐguǒ| fruit \n苹果| píngguǒ| apple \n茶| chá| tea \n杯子| bēizi| cup \n钱| qián| money \n飞机| fēijī| airplane \n出租车| chūzūchē| taxi \n电视| diànshì| television \n电脑| diànnǎo| computer \n电影| diànyǐng| movie \n天气| tiānqì| weather \n猫| māo| cat \n狗| gǒu| dog \n东西| dōngxi| thing \n人| rén| person \n名字| míngzi| name \n书| shū| book \n汉语| hànyǔ| mandarin Chinese \n字| zì| character \n桌子| zhuōzi| desk \n椅子| yǐzi| chair \nVerb \n谢谢| xièxie| thank \n不客气| búkèqì| you are welcome \n再见| zàijiàn| good-bye \n请| qǐng| please \n对不起| duìbùqǐ| sorry \n没关系| méiguānxì| It doesn’t matter \n是| shì| be (am, is, are) \n有| yǒu| have \n看| kàn| look \n听| tīng| listen \n说话| shuōhuà| speak \n读| dú| read \n写| xiě| write \n看见| kànjiàn| see \n叫| jiào| call \n来| lái| come \n回| huí| return \n去| qù| go \n吃| chī| eat \n喝| hē| drink \n睡觉| shuìjiào| sleep \n打电话| dǎdiànhuà| call up \n做| zuò| do \n买| mǎi| buy \n开| kāi| open \n坐| zuò| sit \n住| zhù| live \n学习| xuéxí| study \n工作| gōngzuò| work \n下雨| xiàyǔ| rain \n爱| ài| love \n喜欢| xǐhuān| love, like \n想| xiǎng| want \n认识| rènshi| know \n会| huì| can \n能| néng| can, be able to \nAdjective \n好| hǎo| good \n大| dà| big \n小| xiǎo| small \n多| duō| many, much \n少| shǎo| few, little \n冷| lěng| cold \n热| rè| hot \n高兴| gāoxìng| happy \n漂亮| piàoliàng| beautiful \n \nDownload PDF\n\n * Tweet\n * Share\n * Share\n * Email\n\n#### Dig Mandarin\n\n#### You May Also Like\n\nHSK Private Tutoring\n\nHSK 6 Vocabulary List\n\nHSK 5 Vocabulary List\n\n#### This Post Has 17 Comments\n\n 1. Chamroeun Chhin says:\n\nMay 18, 2018 at 3:29 am\n\nit is good for everyone that want to prepare themselves for do the HSK also me\ntoo I really want to passing the HSK and want to learn in China\n\nReply\n\n 2. Bol w Riek Bell says:\n\nFebruary 17, 2019 at 12:27 pm\n\nam so glad to learn chinese and i would like to know it by all mean\n\nReply\n\n 3. frans says:\n\nMarch 19, 2019 at 9:47 am\n\nsangat bagus untuk yang lagi belajar bahasa mandarin\n\nReply\n\n 4. Melvin says:\n\nApril 25, 2019 at 9:05 am\n\nI looking at HSK 1 & 2 exam by about June latest. I started learning Mandarin\nChinese from Yo-yo Chinese since January 2019. I have completed their BCC and\nsince then, I spend daily 90 to 120 minutes studying. Pls advise.\n\nReply\n\n 1. Dig Mandarin says:\n\nApril 25, 2019 at 2:03 pm\n\nYou can evaluate your level through the hsk sample tests here and find out\nwhere your weakness are.\n\nReply\n\n 2. Paola Rosina says:\n\nAugust 18, 2020 at 12:21 pm\n\nVorrei imparare bene il cinese.\n\nReply\n\n 5. Abdulhamid says:\n\nApril 27, 2019 at 4:11 pm\n\nit is good for all who want to improve their skill in learning Chinese\n\nReply\n\n 6. witness says:\n\nJune 19, 2019 at 11:09 am\n\nmy first time and i will do my best to finish this level so i can move on with\nanother level\n\nReply\n\n 7. Yuza says:\n\nOctober 24, 2019 at 1:29 am\n\nI just realize how awfull my social communication skill but my language is\nalso awfully good.I know french,japan,Different language in Asia,and i know a\nfew accent.\n\nReply\n\n 8. Munyaradzi Karumazondo says:\n\nOctober 31, 2019 at 4:33 pm\n\nThis content is so useful 谢谢\n\nReply\n\n 9. Dr. Ch. M. Kaleem says:\n\nNovember 2, 2019 at 6:32 am\n\nAssalam-o-Alaikum This is globally admitted that China has been super power.\nChinese language has been our need and in future it would be compulsory to\nunderstand Chinese. This is the best time to learn Chinese. Chinese language\nis very interesting and I’m getting this international language by my\nhonorable teacher Hafiz Haris. He has passed five levels from University of\nKarachi, Pakistan. In Sha Allah I’ll overcome Chinese language very soon.\nJazak Allah Allah Hafiz\n\nReply\n\n 10. Lilyom says:\n\nFebruary 23, 2020 at 12:59 pm\n\nbest vocabulary for hsk\n\nReply\n\n 11. Pranrak says:\n\nMarch 31, 2020 at 3:21 am\n\nvery good It’s have every thing about hsk\n\nReply\n\n 12. valary says:\n\nJuly 3, 2020 at 7:46 am\n\nvery useful. its time to start hsk2 now\n\nReply\n\n 13. Thida says:\n\nSeptember 22, 2020 at 6:55 pm\n\nThanks for sharing.\n\nReply\n\n 14. Khine Thazin Soe says:\n\nNovember 12, 2020 at 9:34 am\n\nThanks so much for this vocabulary very useful .\n\nReply\n\n 15. Sadock says:\n\nJanuary 30, 2021 at 8:50 pm\n\ndifficult is to pronounce roudly\n\nReply\n\n### Leave a Reply Cancel reply\n\nHSK 1 Vocabulary Video Course\n\nHSK Vocabulary\n\n * HSK 2 Vocabulary List\n\n * HSK 3 Vocabulary List\n\n * HSK 4 Vocabulary List\n\n * HSK 5 Vocabulary List\n\n * HSK 6 Vocabulary List\n\n * HSK Private Tutoring\n\nSite Sponsor\n\nFollow Us\n\n * Twitter\n * Facebook\n * Tumblr\n * Youtube\n\nDig Mandarin\n\n * About\n * Become a Contributor\n * Recruitment\n * Forum\n * Resources\n\nChinese Courses\n\n * Learn Pinyin\n * Learn Character\n * Learn Grammar\n * Learn for HSK\n * New Practical Chinese Reader Tutorials\n\nRecent Posts\n\n * Three words for ‘almost’ in Chinese – Using “差点儿”,“几乎”and“差不多”\n\n * The New HSK (2021): An Overview and What’s Changed\n\n * Everyday Animal Related Slangs and Buzzwords in Chinese\n\nCopyright DigMandarin - All Rights Reserved\n\nBack To Top\n\n"},{"original_url":"https://www.writtenchinese.com/how-to-read-chinese-characters-a-beginners-guide/","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20210510220931/https://www.writtenchinese.com/how-to-read-chinese-characters-a-beginners-guide/","parsed_text":{"title":"How to Read Chinese Characters: A Beginner's Guide","passages":["Although you can use the red buttons to add tone marks, we highly recommend you use the number method (e.g. hao3) for speed and placement of the accent above the correct vowel. [Hint: Type \"v\" for \"ü\"] Note: You do not need to use this tool to enter pinyin in this dictionary.","Learning to read Chinese characters is something that many students of Chinese, who often just begin learning to speak, are reluctant to show interest in. I was one of those ‘students’ if I can even call myself that, who started to learn Chinese out of necessity. Once I got over the idea that learning to read Chinese was impossible, I realized how much easier my life had become in China, and how liberating it was to read even just a handful of Chinese characters.","Of course, no one’s suggesting it’s an ‘easy’ journey. There are plenty of avenues to go down before being able to read, and below are some of the ‘stages’ you might want to visit while learning to read Chinese characters.","Before starting to read, you need to decide whether you’ll learn to read simplified or traditional Chinese characters. The chances are that you’ll automatically choose to learn simplified characters since this is the written language used in mainland China. After all, they are ‘simplified.’ However, don’t forget to take a look at traditional characters, especially later down the line.","Let me take you back to 2011 when I first arrived in China. I had no intention of learning to read Chinese characters because back then, written Chinese looked like this:","Zip to several (too many) years later, when I eventually allowed myself to be introduced to the idea of Chinese characters. Below, I will outline a few ‘steps’ you can go through to start recognizing and reading Chinese characters. But for now, I’m going to establish some general ‘rules’ for reading a Chinese character.","As mentioned above, Chinese characters are made up of small pictures that make a full character. These ‘separate parts’ each have their own meaning or pronunciation.","In every character, there is at least one ‘part’ that suggests the ‘meaning’ of a character. Sometimes, there is more than one’ part’ of a Chinese character that suggests meaning, and these are often part of a more complex and abstract idea.","At least one’ part’ of a character helps the reader know how to speak the character. This ‘part’ is often on the right-hand side of a character.","These are just guidelines, and as you learn to read more Chinese characters, you’ll find many that don’t fit this rule.","When I first started learning to read Chinese characters, my teacher first introduced me to characters known as pictographs. These are characters that basically look like the object’s name, making them a. fun to learn and b.easier to remember.","Pictographs or pictograms were the first Chinese characters that show objects in their most rudimentary form. Although some pictographs have changed from their original bone oracle characters, most are still related to the word they depict.","I suspect that at first glance, you may not make the connections, but once you learn their meanings, you’ll be face-palming with an ‘oh, yeah!’","Well, that’s the reaction I had anyway, and the realization that Chinese characters had a meaning that I could actually understand was one of the reasons why I stuck with learning to read Chinese.","The reason why I recommend learning pictographs first is that many of them are also radicals, which you also need to know. Of course, you can learn radicals first, but pictographs are an excellent ‘unscary’ introduction to Chinese characters that served me well!","A significant step of learning to read Chinese characters is to understand radicals. No, not the revolutionary type, the ones that we like to call the ‘building-blocks’ of Chinese characters. Learning radicals is probably the next best step because after learning the pictographs, characters begin to get bigger and slightly more complex, but NOT impossible!","There are approximately 214 radicals in Chinese, which may seem a lot. Still, once you have learned around one-quarter of these radicals, you might want to continue learning the remainder simultaneously with the characters in the step below.","Radicals generally provide you with the ‘meaning’ of a character, or sometimes the pronunciation. When I say ‘meaning,’ there are times when this will only be a mere hint, and the origins of these characters (depending on the person) may need to be studied in more detail in order to understand it fully. It often helps to look at the traditional version to see the origins of a character.","For example, the simplified character 东 (dōng) meaning ‘east’ doesn’t really help us find meaning, whereas looking at the traditional character, 東 will help you deduce meaning and create a story.","Suppose you find the origins of characters fascinating. In that case, I really recommend taking a look at the Fun with Chinese Character book series that breaks down characters, often considering Chinese culture and going back to the bone oracle where possible.","I don’t think that it’s necessarily imperative to look at the origins of a character to help you remember it. You can use other methods to help you read characters, such as this ‘story’ method.","Once you’ve learned some pictographs, you’ll soon be able to put some of them together (or break them apart) to learn more complex characters, known as 会意 (huì yì) combined Ideographs or ‘meeting of ideas.’ These are characters that combine two or more pictographs or ideographs to make a new character.","These are the most enjoyable characters to learn, as there is often interesting (and sometimes entertaining) logic behind their creation.","As I mentioned in the five steps at the beginning of my post, a Chinese character also tells us how to pronounce the character, which is an essential part of learning to read.","Once you’ve built up several characters in your’ bank,’ you’ll soon be able to take a good stab at ‘guessing’ the pronunciation of a character.","You’ll probably find that some radicals act mostly as the ‘determinative’ part of the character, such as 木 the tree radical. In contrast, others appear mainly for the pronunciation, like the 工 (gōng) radical.","It’s fair to say there are some tricksters out there that will only provide you with a ‘hint’ of how to pronounce the character.","The pronunciation of 任 rèn is 壬 rén. The only difference is a slight change from the second tone to the fourth tone (learn more about tones here).","Once you’ve started to read Chinese characters, remembering them all can become a challenge! There are several methods below that you can try to make reading and remembering characters a little easier!","As mentioned earlier, as Chinese characters are made up of small ‘pictures,’ it is easier to create ‘stories’ around a character. You can be as creative or as literal as you want with these mnemonics, as they’re your personal method of remembering a character.","This reminds me of a game I used to play when I was teaching English, which involves the student rolling several dice with tiny pictures on each face instead of numbers. The student then has to create a story based on these pictures.","You might not have come across ‘bigrams’ before, but these are 2-character combinations that makeup ‘words’ in Chinese. Although some words are single characters, a bigram offers more clarification to the meaning.","This makes learning bigrams more practical AND easier, as you don’t need to struggle to understand the meaning behind a character that has little meaning!","If you’re just studying for fun, you may not want to choose a ‘path’ and continue to learn along the route you’re on now. However, studying a course or specific field of characters may provide you with more direction.","One of the more popular systems to follow is HSK, an exam system of six levels. Beginning with HSK 1, you can study characters in chunks, which is perfect for beginners as you’re also learning characters used in everyday life.","All the HSK vocabulary lists are free to study and review, and you can use it to learn Chinese characters even if you choose not to take an exam.","An alternate study method is to follow MIT’s list of most common Chinese characters found in print, which is great if you’re just learning to read.","Hollie has been part of the Written Chinese team since July 2014 and is the British half of the Two White Chicks in China podcast. She loves vintage inspired fashion, crime dramas and Taobao!","Please log in again. The login page will open in a new tab. After logging in you can close it and return to this page."]},"parsed_md":"How to Read Chinese Characters: A Beginner's Guide\n\nHow to Read Chinese Characters: A Beginner's Guide\n\n * Clear\n * Undo\n\n * 是\n * 是\n * 是\n * 是\n * 是\n * 是\n * 是\n * 是\n * 是\n * 是\n\nUse this tool to add tone marks to pinyin or to convert tone number (e.g.\nhao3) to tone marks.\n\nAlthough you can use the red buttons to add tone marks, we highly recommend\nyou use the number method (e.g. hao3) for speed and placement of the accent\nabove the correct vowel. [Hint: Type \"v\" for \"ü\"] Note: You do not need to use\nthis tool to enter pinyin in this dictionary.\n\n * Latest Posts\n * Learner Tips\n * Culture Lessons\n * Vocabulary\n\n## How to Read Chinese Characters: A Beginner’s Guide\n\nOn July 20, 2018 By Hollie In Blog, Learner Tips\n\nIt will only take 11 minutes to read this post!\n\nLearning to read Chinese characters is something that many students of\nChinese, who often just begin learning to speak, are reluctant to show\ninterest in. I was one of those ‘students’ if I can even call myself that, who\nstarted to learn Chinese out of necessity. Once I got over the idea that\nlearning to read Chinese was impossible, I realized how much easier my life\nhad become in China, and how liberating it was to read even just a handful of\nChinese characters.\n\nOf course, no one’s suggesting it’s an ‘easy’ journey. There are plenty of\navenues to go down before being able to read, and below are some of the\n‘stages’ you might want to visit while learning to read Chinese characters.\n\nBefore starting to read, you need to decide whether you’ll learn to read\nsimplified or traditional Chinese characters. The chances are that you’ll\nautomatically choose to learn simplified characters since this is the written\nlanguage used in mainland China. After all, they are ‘simplified.’ However,\ndon’t forget to take a look at traditional characters, especially later down\nthe line.\n\nFirst...\n\n## UNDERSTAND HOW CHARACTERS WORK\n\nLet me take you back to 2011 when I first arrived in China. I had no intention\nof learning to read Chinese characters because back then, written Chinese\nlooked like this:\n\nZip to several (too many) years later, when I eventually allowed myself to be\nintroduced to the idea of Chinese characters. Below, I will outline a few\n‘steps’ you can go through to start recognizing and reading Chinese\ncharacters. But for now, I’m going to establish some general ‘rules’ for\nreading a Chinese character.\n\n### Chinese characters are pictures\n\nChinese characters are made up of small pictures on an elementary level, some\nliteral while others are quite abstract.\n\n### Chinese characters can be ‘broken down’ into separate parts\n\nAs mentioned above, Chinese characters are made up of small pictures that make\na full character. These ‘separate parts’ each have their own meaning or\npronunciation.\n\n### The separate parts have their own meaning\n\nIn every character, there is at least one ‘part’ that suggests the ‘meaning’\nof a character. Sometimes, there is more than one’ part’ of a Chinese\ncharacter that suggests meaning, and these are often part of a more complex\nand abstract idea.\n\n### One ‘part’ provides pronunciation\n\nAt least one’ part’ of a character helps the reader know how to speak the\ncharacter. This ‘part’ is often on the right-hand side of a character.\n\n### Balance is important in a character\n\nThe balance in a character can help us read, as it allows the ‘breakdown’ of a\ncharacter.\n\nThese are just guidelines, and as you learn to read more Chinese characters,\nyou’ll find many that don’t fit this rule.\n\n## START WITH PICTOGRAPH CHARACTERS\n\nWhen I first started learning to read Chinese characters, my teacher first\nintroduced me to characters known as pictographs. These are characters that\nbasically look like the object’s name, making them a. fun to learn and\nb.easier to remember.\n\nPictographs or pictograms were the first Chinese characters that show objects\nin their most rudimentary form. Although some pictographs have changed from\ntheir original bone oracle characters, most are still related to the word they\ndepict.\n\nThe following are examples of pictograph characters:\n\nI suspect that at first glance, you may not make the connections, but once you\nlearn their meanings, you’ll be face-palming with an ‘oh, yeah!’\n\nWhat did I tell you?\n\nWell, that’s the reaction I had anyway, and the realization that Chinese\ncharacters had a meaning that I could actually understand was one of the\nreasons why I stuck with learning to read Chinese.\n\nYou can get started learning pictographs in ‘Learn to Read with these 20\nChinese Pictographs’.\n\nThe reason why I recommend learning pictographs first is that many of them are\nalso radicals, which you also need to know. Of course, you can learn radicals\nfirst, but pictographs are an excellent ‘unscary’ introduction to Chinese\ncharacters that served me well!\n\n## LEARN RADICALS\n\nA significant step of learning to read Chinese characters is to understand\nradicals. No, not the revolutionary type, the ones that we like to call the\n‘building-blocks’ of Chinese characters. Learning radicals is probably the\nnext best step because after learning the pictographs, characters begin to get\nbigger and slightly more complex, but NOT impossible!\n\nThere are approximately 214 radicals in Chinese, which may seem a lot. Still,\nonce you have learned around one-quarter of these radicals, you might want to\ncontinue learning the remainder simultaneously with the characters in the step\nbelow.\n\nRadicals generally provide you with the ‘meaning’ of a character, or sometimes\nthe pronunciation. When I say ‘meaning,’ there are times when this will only\nbe a mere hint, and the origins of these characters (depending on the person)\nmay need to be studied in more detail in order to understand it fully. It\noften helps to look at the traditional version to see the origins of a\ncharacter.\n\nFor example, the simplified character 东 (dōng) meaning ‘east’ doesn’t really\nhelp us find meaning, whereas looking at the traditional character, 東 will\nhelp you deduce meaning and create a story.\n\nSuppose you find the origins of characters fascinating. In that case, I really\nrecommend taking a look at the Fun with Chinese Character book series that\nbreaks down characters, often considering Chinese culture and going back to\nthe bone oracle where possible.\n\nI don’t think that it’s necessarily imperative to look at the origins of a\ncharacter to help you remember it. You can use other methods to help you read\ncharacters, such as this ‘story’ method.\n\n## COMBINED IDEOGRAPHS AND ABSTRACT CHARACTERS\n\nOnce you’ve learned some pictographs, you’ll soon be able to put some of them\ntogether (or break them apart) to learn more complex characters, known as 会意\n(huì yì) combined Ideographs or ‘meeting of ideas.’ These are characters that\ncombine two or more pictographs or ideographs to make a new character.\n\nThese are the most enjoyable characters to learn, as there is often\ninteresting (and sometimes entertaining) logic behind their creation.\n\nThis is also the most natural progression of study and learning some of the\nmore advanced radicals.\n\nBuild on the pictographs and radicals that you’re studying to learn these\ncompound characters.\n\nYou can learn more about pictographs, combined ideographs, and the other types\nof Chinese characters here.\n\n## PRONUNCIATION ON THE RIGHT SIDE\n\nAs I mentioned in the five steps at the beginning of my post, a Chinese\ncharacter also tells us how to pronounce the character, which is an essential\npart of learning to read.\n\nOnce you’ve built up several characters in your’ bank,’ you’ll soon be able to\ntake a good stab at ‘guessing’ the pronunciation of a character.\n\nCharacters that combine pictographs and phonetics are known as 形声 (xíng shēng)\nor Determinative-Phonetic characters.\n\nYou’ll probably find that some radicals act mostly as the ‘determinative’ part\nof the character, such as 木 the tree radical. In contrast, others appear\nmainly for the pronunciation, like the 工 (gōng) radical.\n\nIt’s fair to say there are some tricksters out there that will only provide\nyou with a ‘hint’ of how to pronounce the character.\n\nFor example, some characters have very similar pronunciation:\n\nThe pronunciation of 任 rèn is 壬 rén. The only difference is a slight change\nfrom the second tone to the fourth tone (learn more about tones here).\n\nHowever, there are examples such as 部 bù, that has the 阝 fù sound as its\npronunciation.\n\nOnce you’ve started to read Chinese characters, remembering them all can\nbecome a challenge! There are several methods below that you can try to make\nreading and remembering characters a little easier!\n\n## CREATE MNEMONICS\n\nAs mentioned earlier, as Chinese characters are made up of small ‘pictures,’\nit is easier to create ‘stories’ around a character. You can be as creative or\nas literal as you want with these mnemonics, as they’re your personal method\nof remembering a character.\n\nThis reminds me of a game I used to play when I was teaching English, which\ninvolves the student rolling several dice with tiny pictures on each face\ninstead of numbers. The student then has to create a story based on these\npictures.\n\nWhy not give it a go?\n\n## LOOK TO BIGRAMS INSTEAD OF SINGLE CHARACTERS\n\nYou might not have come across ‘bigrams’ before, but these are 2-character\ncombinations that makeup ‘words’ in Chinese. Although some words are single\ncharacters, a bigram offers more clarification to the meaning.\n\nFor example, 会 (huì) has many meanings, including ‘can,’ ‘to meet’ and\n‘union.’\n\nTo clarify the meaning of 会 (huì), take a look at the bigrams that contain the\ncharacter:\n\n社会 (shè huì) society\n\n不会 (bù huì) unlikely\n\n会议 (huì yì) meeting\n\nThis makes learning bigrams more practical AND easier, as you don’t need to\nstruggle to understand the meaning behind a character that has little meaning!\n\nLearn more about studying bigrams.\n\n * 322 Digital Chinese Word Flashcards (2-Character Bigrams) – Simplified Chinese with Pinyin\n\n$5.00\n\nAdd to cart\n\n * The Official Written Chinese Bigrams Poster\n\n$5.00\n\nAdd to cart\n\n## CHOOSE A STUDY PATH\n\nIf you’re just studying for fun, you may not want to choose a ‘path’ and\ncontinue to learn along the route you’re on now. However, studying a course or\nspecific field of characters may provide you with more direction.\n\n### HSK\n\nOne of the more popular systems to follow is HSK, an exam system of six\nlevels. Beginning with HSK 1, you can study characters in chunks, which is\nperfect for beginners as you’re also learning characters used in everyday\nlife.\n\nAll the HSK vocabulary lists are free to study and review, and you can use it\nto learn Chinese characters even if you choose not to take an exam.\n\n### Most Common Characters / Most Common Bigrams\n\nAn alternate study method is to follow MIT’s list of most common Chinese\ncharacters found in print, which is great if you’re just learning to read.\n\n * The Official Written Chinese Character Learning Poster\n\n$5.00\n\nAdd to cart\n\n * The Official Written Chinese Learning Poster – 2nd Edition (522 – 1042 characters)\n\n$5.00\n\nAdd to cart\n\nDo you have a method for how to read Chinese characters? Please share it with\nus below!\n\nTags: beginners\n\n#### About Hollie\n\nHollie has been part of the Written Chinese team since July 2014 and is the\nBritish half of the Two White Chicks in China podcast. 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This\nwebsite contains the dictionary data of CC-CEDICT Privacy Policy\n\nSession expired\n\nPlease log in again. The login page will open in a new tab. After logging in\nyou can close it and return to this page.\n\n"},{"original_url":"https://blog.tutorming.com/mandarin-chinese-learning-tips/what-is-pinyin","archive_url":"http://web.archive.org/web/20210508155648/https://blog.tutorming.com/mandarin-chinese-learning-tips/what-is-pinyin","parsed_text":{"title":"What Is Pinyin?","passages":["Pinyin is the Romanization of the Chinese characters based on their pronunciation. In Mandarin Chinese, the phrase “Pin Yin” literally translates into “spell sound.” In other words, spelling out Chinese phrases with letters from the English alphabet. For example:","Historically, Pinyin started as a means of explaining Chinese to Western learners. It wasn’t until the Qing Dynasty that Chinese people really started considering adopting a form of spelling in their writing system. According to some scholars, the beginnings of Pinyin were derived after the Chinese observed the Romaji system and Western learning in Japan.","The Chinese government did not officially recognize this language form until the 1950s, when it became a project headed by Zhou Youguang and a team of linguists. It was then introduced in elementary school in order to improve literacy rates as well as help standardize the pronunciation of Chinese characters.","In the digital age, Pinyin has become exceedingly useful, as it is the most popular and common way to type out Chinese characters on a typical keyboard. Touch-screen devices allow you to draw out the character, which is often unreliable (depending on how bad your handwriting is) and more time consuming.","To those without any knowledge of the Chinese language, Pinyin can look confusing. There are many combinations of letters that do not exist in English. For example, words like “xi,” “qie,” and “cui.” In addition to that, many letters are pronounced differently than they are English. “C” in Chinese is pronounced like the “ts” sound in “grits” as opposed to the “k” sound it makes in English.","When learning Pinyin, you should discard any rules you think you know about languages that use the English alphabet. Xi and Si look like they rhyme, right? Wrong! Xi is pronounced a little like “see / shee,” whereas “Si” is pronounced closer to “sih / suh.”","To make things even more complicated, there are also four tones in Mandarin that help clarify meanings in words. When written, accent marks or numbers are often used to denote the tone. They are listed below:","Improper usage of the tone can result in completely different words. For example, shuǐ jiǎo (dumpling) and shuì jiào (sleep) have the same spelling, but different tones. It can make for an awkward moment if you accidently ask your waitress to sleep with you instead of asking for some dumplings.","Some words sound exactly the same, with the same tone and spelling, but have different meanings. \"猪 (zhū)\" means \"pig,\" but \"珠 (zhū)\" means \"pearl.\" These are known as homophones.","If you were wondering: yes, it is possible to read and understand text written in pure Pinyin. Yet it is highly unlikely that they will ever completely replace Chinese characters. There is too much tradition and pride in the culture of the language. Chinese characters have persisted for thousands of years for a reason, and will continue to exist thousands of years from now.","Should you learn Pinyin when you are learning Chinese? Absolutely. Pinyin can help reinforce your memory on the pronunciation of certain phrases. It will also go a long way in helping you type out Chinese words and look up phrases you don’t know. Chinese dictionaries are extremely unforgiving to those who can’t read Pinyin.","However, much like English, there are some exceptions to how Pinyin looks on the page to how it sounds. One of them is the common greeting, “nǐ hǎo” or, “hello.” Despite being written with two third tones, the first character is pronounced with a second tone “ní.”","Sara Lynn Hua is a contributing writer and editor for TutorMing. She grew up in Beijing, before going to the University of Southern California (USC) to get her degree in Social Sciences and Psychology."]},"parsed_md":"What Is Pinyin?\n\n