HUGE 4000 Fan Celebration & Boys Will Like To Read!!!

My poor blog has been so neglected. I'm so busy having a HUGE 4000 Fan Celebration for my Bless Others With Cards Facebook fan page that I haven't had a spare minute for blogging. The good news is I'm almost at 4600 fans and loving every minute of the Celebration!!! We have 282 FABULOUS giveaways donated by some of the best bloggers & pages on Facebook!!! You heard me right, it's HUGE ~ 282 gifts to give away to our fans!!! If you haven't been over to Celebrate with us, please stop by Bless Others With Cards on Facebook! The giveaway ends this Friday, March 4th. Be sure to say "Hi" on my wall.

Anyway, I just read this interesting little article on my CurrClick Newsletter about boys and reading. Having 5 boys who do not care much for reading, I just had to post it. 

Boys will like to READ…

Boys will like to read when we provide topics that captivate their interests and create an atmosphere that meets their needs. Recent research studies reveal a disturbing trend: Boys have always lagged behind girls in reading during the early years.  Some 50 percent of boys, in fact, are more likely to be held back at the end of eighth grade than girls. If we look at brain development theory and gender-based education, we can understand why there is such discrepancy in the academic success of girls and boys, especially in reading achievement.

Boys’ brains are 10 percent larger than girls, but girls have a larger corpus callosum. The corpus callosum is the part of the brain that allows for the exchange of information between the right and left hemispheres. Because girls have a larger corpus callosum, they can apparently use both sides of their brain more readily than boys can. Girls also appear to have verbal ability residing in both hemispheres, which inc reases their ability to verbalize. Boys tend to have verbal ability in the left hemisphere and have weaker auditory memory. Boys, however, excel in right-sided dominated tasks that require visual/spatial intelligence. That’s why they often succeed in hands on-manipulative activities. Boys’ brains also produce greater level of testosterone than girls, so members of this sex have tendency to be aggressive and enjoy competition.

The average classroom is feminized. About 79 percent of teachers in the United States are female. School activities often call for using verbal skills and doing  “seat work,”  with  little opportunity for physical movement. Parents who want to provide equal opportunity so that their sons will succeed academically, especially in reading, should engage boys in some of the following activities.

1.    Create a listening center in your son’s bedroom.  Alo ng with CD and/or DVD players, provide read- along books and sing-along tapes.
2.    Incorporate movement when reading a story. For instance let your son march around slowing and chant, “I think I can, I think I can” when you’re reading The Little Engine that Could.
3.    Use non-traditional literature such as Highlights Magazine.Boys respond to literature when they can see a practical use for reading and getting information.
4.    Use visual stimuli to engage your son. Help him make puppets from popsicle sticks and cardstock, or socks.
5.    Let him select books that he likes. Take your son to library and bookstores to select books that are interesting to him.
6.    Let him dictate his own story.  Use a computer to rewrite the story.  Then let him read it out loud.
7.    Read a read-together book.  The words of the characters are often color-coded to enhance the shared reading experience.
8.    Involve his father. Encourage his father to read to him. Let your son see his father read books for pleasure.
If you follow many of these tips, there is a great probability thatYOUR SON WILL ENJOY READING.

Kathy Nash MSW is the Director of Programs for TNG Publishings in Conyers, Georgia. TNG is committed to publishing materials that promote character virtues. Kathy most recently co-authored the read aloud/read together book and animated DVD “Big Box, Little Box” with her son Damien Nash.