When Dreams Come True...
Do you ever wonder why your kids hate to read or hate doing their homework? Is it because it is too difficult or just boring? Motivating children is what I do. Seeing their success is why I do it! I have been a speech language therapist for over 20 years. When I say that I love working with children, believe me it is not the floor pounding tantrums or snot smearing hugs that beacon me to return work the next day. Read More... It is the joy of success that a smile, hug or high five reflects when a child accomplishes a skill that seemed like a mountain to them. Knowing that I was part of the process, the pulling, the pushing, the cheering and the guiding up the mountain to success is what drives me to work with children. Yes, I want to start singing “ Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”. Reading is one of those mountains for a lot of children. The mountain that is too difficult to climb alone.
Reading is supposed to be fun. Reading can be fun, inspire dreams and promote success. I used to dream about becoming Nancy Drew and I remember my oldest two daughter’s relating to Junie B. Jones! Then my 2nd grader wanted to read Harry Potter. Now, my 3 year old can’t get enough of Barnyard Dance as we spin and spin and spin..... The latest studies show that reading something that is individually interesting will influence how well a child reads and understands. It is also an excellent predictor of educational success.
For years, I have taught children to read as part of speech language therapy. Tears turn into smiles with the sound of a word said by a child. This was my inspiration for opening Mrs. Myers’ Reading Room. The confidence of a smiling child, the puffed up proud gaze their parent drove my passion for teaching all children the joy of reading. I teach children, all children, not just the ones that are struggling, the dream-making confidence and successful reading.
When a child is allowed to choose their topic or book, they are motivated to read and read more about the topic. If reading is effortless (or seems to be) then homework becomes easier and reading for fun is actually fun. So then how do we go about teaching our children to love reading. I believe that there are some basic steps that we can all follow to positively influence our children to read and guide them to love reading.
- Read out loud. Read everything. Yes, of course books, but also labels of your child’s favorite foods and toys. Read the directions to their games and the recipe while making cookies. Encourage your child to read with you. You will probably not be able to stop them when involves a game or a cookie. Let them hear you read EVERYTHING!
- Make it fun. Silly games with sounds, words and rhymes make words interesting and increase your child’s curiosity about language. Taking real words and making up nonsense words such as “cup” and changing it to “mup” is silly, yet lets your child know that they have control of their language and that it is “okay” to play and have fun with it. Much in the same way that Dr. Seuss did it.
- Write, draw and play. Writing with different tools, even unconventional things such as icing, yogurt and cookie dough increases interest in words. My daughter used to love making cookie words and if the truth be told, she still does. Children want to express themselves and will try things that are new and exciting especially if they get to eat it afterwards!
At Mrs. Myers’ Reading Room we have an active after school program to teach reading and reading comprehension skills. This is not speech therapy. It’s all about reading! We use videos to music ( there are no desks ), iPads for children to create stories as well as hands-on play to teach sound recognition, word reading, grammar and understanding. Our teachers are professional. We have proven success!
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As parents we realize that the power of reading can mean a lifetime of dreams come true. When learning to read becomes reading to learn it means that our children can be anything that they want to be. They will have the power to make their dreams come true.
Please come to our open house event for treats, tips and tours! You will be amazed at the innovative ways that we teach your child!
Open House March 15 & 16 or March 22 & 23 2-6 pm
It will be a pleasure meeting you and your child!
Tammy Myers MS CCC-SLP
Founder
Mrs. Myers Reading Room
6233 Durand Ave Ste C
Racine, WI 53406
262/ 456-2384
www.mrsmyersrr.com
P.S. Enjoy this brief video! It will bring you into my program and how children move through each "chapter".
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrTrS_8qlJA&w=560&h=315]
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