Helping Kids Succeed – Alaskan Style!

Practical Suggestions for Building Assets in Your Child

Asset # 25- Reading for Pleasure

	Words of Encouragement My sister and I both grew up in a home environment where there were always plenty of books to read. As far back as I can remember my mother read to us. Every night before bed my mom would read to my sister and I. I remember reading, 'Christy', 'Tisha', 'The Chronicles of Narnia', and so many other books. As my sister and I grew up we began to read our own books at bedtime until our mother would come by our rooms and tell us it was time to turn off the lights. As soon as we heard her return to the living room or kitchen my sister and I would pull out our flashlights and continue to read our books well into the night. Asset 25 encourages youth to read for three or more hours per week. I'd encourage parents to stock their house full of interesting things to read, books, magazines, comic books, and whatever else. Read with your child when they are young, and take them to the library and let them choose their own books to check out. Be a role-model, read when your child is around. School staff can encourage students to read by familiarizing students with the school library. Give students interesting reading materials that match the course lessons. Have a silent reading time at least once a week. Encourage volunteers to come in and read to the students. Anyone can encourage student to read by giving books as gifts, having books and interesting material in your home or office and volunteering to read to students in schools. Donate good used books to schools or to businesses that might interact with children. Encourage children you know to read three or more hours per week. Let them read to you. Volunteer to read throughout your community. Be a reading role-model and let children see you reading.	Research The amount of time spent reading for pleasure has been associated with: Increased time on homework Lee, Winfield, & Wilson, 1991 Increased reading achievement Lee et all, 1991; Smith, 1990 Increased overall academic achievement Smith, 1990 Quotations "No entertainment is so cheap as reading, nor any pleasure so lasting." — Mary Wortley Montagu "Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life." — Mortimer J. Adler
This newsletter and other asset resources are produced by the Association of Alaska School Boards’ Alaska Initiative for Community Engagement (Alaska ICE) 316 West 11th Street Juneau, Alaska 99801 Tel: (907) 586-1486 Fax: (907) 586-1450 Email: alaskaice@aasb.org