Some years back I was a volunteer for the local literacy group. During my tutor training, I was reminded of the value of a small win. My first adult student could identify just ONE of the 300 most commonly used words in the English language. It was the word on.
Since her reading skills were non-existent, I was eager to try an exercise we had learned in training. It went like this:
- The student would tell the tutor something about themselves in a few sentences.
- The tutor would write down the sentences exactly as the student said them so the language would be the student’s own words.
- The tutor then would read aloud the student’s words, pointing to one word at a time.
- The tutor and student together would next read out loud the words as the tutor again pointed to one word at a time.
- The student would finally “read” their words aloud as the tutor continued to point them out.
After a lifetime of being illiterate, the student felt as if she were reading. I loved watching the face of a student doing this the first time. The experience buoyed up the person with hope. “I CAN learn to read.” It was a small win. But a big one.
Experts say that small wins are building blocks for creating keystone habits that enable people to change. Small wins are enormously powerful.
I see this same type of transformational change take place with my public speaking students. They come to the first class with their own lifetime of beliefs regarding their inability to speak in public.
My rule is that everyone receives applause after he or she has given a presentation. Even if the speaker was able to initially deliver just 45 seconds of material, we all clap before we offer up one positive comment and one opportunity to improve.
So just as the illiterate adult absorbed the feeling of reading, these novice speakers experience what it’s like to face their fears and speak before a group to the sound of applause. Again, I love watching the face of someone finishing and hearing the applause. His face says, “Well, that wasn’t so bad. Maybe I CAN learn to do this.” A small win.
I just heard of a study that showed in order for a child to be language-ready for kindergarten, she needs to have heard a thousand stories read aloud to her. At first glance, that number seems significant. But if parents read aloud just one bedtime story every night from the child’s birth, that’s four years’ worth of stories for a total of nearly 1500 before the child is five. Just one story a day….a small win.
When I heard the phrase a thousand stories and did the math, I recalled that seldom did my children hear just one story a day. Children’s books were abundant in our home, available to be read when there were a few minutes between chores or while waiting for dinner to finish cooking.
But not every family has the luxury of both time and money to make that a reality. And as a result, every year there are children entering kindergarten already behind their peers. When they are behind at age five, they are likely never to catch up.
If you’ve been thinking about doing some volunteer work but are short on time, consider finding children who are waiting for you to read them a story. Look for opportunities at Head Start programs or other similar services. Every city and town likely has an opening somewhere. Help a child gain that small win.
To my readers: If you could give just one book to a young child who has no books, what would it be and why?
My daughter’s favorite books when she was young were the Berenstain Bear books. Thus, when I give a book or books to a small child, I always look for some of their stories. As a parent, I always liked those books because they had a message for the child within the story they told. For example, here is the synopsis of one of their books, The Berenstain Bears and the Excuse Note:
Sister finds gym very boring so, when she sees Lizzie with an excuse note after hurting her arm, she decides Lizzie is lucky. After school, while getting off the bus, Brother and Sister are running and Sister trips on a stone and falls. Papa and Mama rush to see if she is all right. She sprains her ankle and she gets an excuse note. At school, she enjoys sitting around doing nothing while the other cubs participate in gym. Eventually her ankle is all better, and one day at recess she forgets she is supposed to be injured and kicks a soccer ball that comes her way. Teacher Jane notices and points out that her ankle must be all better now. Sister complains to Mama that now she has to participate in useless gym again, but Mama explains to her how gym is good as it helps keep her healthy and helps her improve in other things. Sister takes her advice and tries her hardest in gym, which in turn helps improve her athletic and sports abilities.
The first of these books was published in 1962, and new ones are still being published today. Obviously more parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and so on are finding them desirable for the children in their families. So, if you’ve never heard of them, take a look the next time you are buying a book for a small child.
I remember the Berenstain Bears well! Sometimes I still invent titles to suit what’s happening around me, such as “The Berenstain Bears and Too Many Cookies!” (For the dog, not me. Just to be clear.) Thanks for reminding us of the series.
When my recently-turned six year old grandson was “young” he liked books about vehicles and construction; then we graduated to the Mama Lama series as favorites, then the Pete the Cat books and anything about dinosaurs. In my “home office” I’ve reserved two shelves for my grandchildren’s books. My grandkids refer to this area as Gram’s Library. It’s difficult to pick a favorite book, but I enjoy books that impart a lesson without sounding preachy. “Beautiful Oops” is one example, as is “The Three Questions.”
My granddaughter is 3 1/2 and she and her brother know and can pronounce those difficult dinosaur names. She’s already decided she’s going to be a paleontologist when she grows up…and she pronounces that six-syllable word correctly.
My grandson just turned six and has entered all-day kindergarten. Am wondering how much longer will he want Gram reading to him…
Soon he’ll be off on the wonderful adventure of reading to himself, and to his younger sister. Won’t that be a Kodak moment!
I’m hoping both will always want to hear Gram read! (OK, well at least maybe until they’re teens!)
So, Norma, I take the “just to be clear” comment to mean you’re allowed as many cookies as you want!!!