MASKED THE PLAY

Prompted by a TV programme your family has enjoyed together, read a book to your children on a topic you know appeals to them. Then gather a selection of other books on the same subject that they can choose from to read on their own.
Use the thematic approach when you help your children select ; books at the library. Show them how to look through the card cataloger or microfiche for titles on specific subjects. Encourage reluctant readers especially to find all the titles they can on a topic j that holds their interest. A comprehensive list of books about horses, cars or inventions may be just the thing to keep them’ reading.
You might want to try a ‘Theme of the Month’ idea to encourage members of your family to share their different interests through reading. Each month let it be another person’s turn to have the whole family read a book on his or her favorite subject. That person may want to make some recommendations, but the other readers are responsible for finding and checking out their owi
books.Wait a week or two after the topic has been announced before everybody reconvenes, perhaps over dinner, to talk about the books they are reading on the shared subject. Whether they are enthusiastic about a particular book or not, everyone will hav learned a little something about another reader’s special interest.

Children love to go to the cinema, so they’ll gladly take responsibility for planning which film to see next. Take advantage of their enthusiasm by suggesting some reading tie-ins. First ask your children to read aloud mini-reviews of films they are interested in seeing, perhaps after dinner while everyone is still at the table. These short synopses usually appear somewhere in newspapers or listings magazines. Agree on one or two films that appeal to everyone in the family. If you come across a full review, ask the children to read that aloud, too.
When the children decide which film to see, give them the task of checking listings for cinemas and times. If the film they choose is based on a book, encourage the family to read the story before seeing the film so you can make comparisons. It might be fin to read the book aloud together, although in this instance you may not want to wait until you finish reading to see the film.