How the MS Readathon Can Boost Your Child’s Literacy Skills
The MS Readathon is an annual event that challenges children to read as many books as they can in the month of August. Books can include novels, comics, magazines and ‘read-along’ audiobooks.
The funds raised through pledges are used to support families dealing with multiple sclerosis. In addition to raising money for a worthy cause, there is a family holiday up for grabs as well as free activity sheets, bookmarks and posters available. These incentives and resources help to make the MS Readathon fun and exciting for kids.
While they’re having fun, kids are also developing their literacy skills. Here are some of the ways participating in the MS Readathon can give kids a boost.
Helps increase vocabulary
The more kids read, the more unfamiliar words they are exposed to. This is essential for developing good reading and writing skills.
Encourage your child to decode unfamiliar words by first considering them in the context of the sentence. If they can’t work out the meaning, they can use the dictionary to look them up. You might want to ask them to create a list of all the new words they’ve learned and together practice using them in a sentence.
Improves comprehension skills
Reading is a complex activity that requires kids to not only decode sentences, but to understand the overall meaning of a text. This involves memory and recognition of things such as story structure, theme and character development.
The more books kids read, the better they will become at understanding how meaning is created. Good comprehension skills benefit kids in all areas of their education.
Expands reading horizons
Kids often find one type of book they enjoy and stick with it. The MS Readathon helps kids expand their reading horizons by including comics, magazines and audiobooks in the challenge. Those who don’t often choose these texts may try them to boost their tally.
The more exposure kids have to different ideas and formats, the more likely they are to become adventurous readers. This sets the foundation for a lifetime of curiosity and enjoyment. You can encourage your child to be more adventurous by making sure they have plenty of reading variety at home.
Creates a reading habit
Kids are sometimes reluctant to read in their own time simply because they’re not accustomed to it. The MS Readathon helps combat this reluctance by getting participants to read on a regular basis.
Once they get into the habit of reading, kids are more likely to pick up a book instead of turning to their devices or TV for entertainment. Support this habit by talking regularly about books as a family.
Inspires kids to write
Kids who enjoy reading are often inspired to write their own stories. This is because they are brimming with ideas and have the confidence and skills to express themselves.
Writing for pleasure is one of the best ways to develop literacy skills. You can encourage your child to write during the MS Readathon by asking them to review a book they’ve enjoyed or write an alternative ending to a story.
Participating in the MS Readathon has many benefits for kids.