I found an old news article on the Internet.Children’s reading promoter Ajia: Parents of new students, please read aloud to your childrenLooking at the photos, I recall a discussion with parents of new students at Hefei Weigang Central Primary School during the start of the school year last year. The content seems well-organized by the reporter from the Hefei Evening News. Many thanks! I’ve reprinted it below (date is approximately September 1, 2010):
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Recently, Mr. Ajia, a well-known children’s reading promoter in my country, gave a vivid reading promotion class to parents of first-grade students who came to learn from him in some primary schools in Hefei. He suggested that parents should insist on reading aloud to their children.
Read aloud to your child
Ajia said that reading aloud to children is recognized as the simplest and most effective way to cultivate children’s reading habits. The “loud” here does not mean making a very high decibel sound, but “reading aloud.”
为孩子大声读书，在西方是一种长期形成的传统，我们在许多影视作品中都能见到这种温馨的场面。1979年，一位升级为爸爸的美国画家兼专栏作家崔利 斯，有感于美国儿童阅读水平的普遍下降，专门著书立说倡导“为孩子大声读”。越来越多的人加入到倡导和研究的行列，使这种阅读形式的推广演变成一场社会运动。
“平心而论，培养孩子的阅读习惯可以有许多种有效的方法，中国人传统的背诵经典的方法也多有功效，而且在书香门第中往往自然诞生了一代代书虫。”阿甲说，在现代的生活方式下，阅读被赋予更多的负载，我们并不愿意让孩子成为读死书的书呆子，而现代人的生活节奏加快，上班一族的爸爸妈妈往往也不可能在孩子的阅读方面投入太多的时间和精力，所以从经济实效的角度来说，坚持每天为孩子大声读书，也许是最佳的方法。
Reading aloud to children isn’t inherently difficult; the challenge lies in persistence. Ajia recommends choosing a suitable timeframe, reading for at least 20 minutes daily, and enjoying the process with your child. It’s best to start as soon as the child is born, and if possible, continue until the child graduates from elementary school, or until they clearly express a desire to stop.
Dad’s involvement is important
Contrary to many people’s expectations, Ajia said that children’s early reading should not be just “women’s business” and fathers should participate in parent-child reading activities as much as possible.
Numerous surveys have shown that in nearly 90% of families in China, mothers are responsible for reading to their children. In nearly 90% of families that engage in parent-child reading activities, mothers also primarily read to their children. Furthermore, nearly all kindergarten teachers are currently women, and in lower-grade elementary schools, over 95% of Chinese language teachers are also women.
What consequences might this situation bring? There is a similar situation in the United States. One notable consequence is that in the fifth and sixth grades of elementary school, the vast majority of students with obvious dyslexia are boys! In modern society, dyslexia is almost synonymous with learning disabilities.
Therefore, the Argentinean League advises families with boys to pay special attention and that fathers should take more responsibility for their children’s reading. They can take their children to the library while playing ball with them, read to them, and set an example by reading in front of them. They can also buy their children a few books along with roller skates as a gift.
Reading is a shared experience
讲座中，阿甲表示，其实阅读不仅是孩子的事，在如今物质生活十分丰富的情况下，人们的生活节奏加快，人心之间的隔膜日益明显，想要打破这种隔膜，共 同的经历包括共同读书也是一个法门。为此，阿甲引用了这么一句话：“每天30秒给孩子一个大大的拥抱，3分钟听孩子诉说，30分钟和孩子一起活动(包括读书)，你就会发现，孩子是你自己的，不是别人的。”阿甲认为，把句中的“孩子”换为“老公”、“老婆”一样合适，引来笑声阵阵。
最后，阿甲说，在美国有一首诗，是大家都非常热衷的，内容是：“你或许拥有无限的财富，一箱箱的珠宝与一柜子的黄金，但你永远不会比我富有，因为我有一位读书给我听的妈妈。”从这首温馨的词句里可以了解到扮演一位为孩子念书的父母，是一件多么重要而有意义的天职，而孩子又是以拥有为他念故事的父母，为骄傲的一件事。阿甲认为，无论将阅读的好处说得再多，也比不上孩子心中以父母为骄傲这份感动。亲子共读，是培养亲子关系最重要的一环。“比有一位读书给 我听的妈妈更富有的是，还有一位读书给我听的爸爸、爷爷、奶奶。”阿甲最后幽默地说道。