(11) Stacking books from around age 5 was the shortest route to becoming a 'child who reads' - To the mom I met 10 years ago -

Continuing the letter.

“Building a habit of 'reading' with books at home before getting hooked on digital media”

...is what I am talking about.


・Click here for letter (10).
(10) Stacking books from around age 5 was the shortest route to becoming a 'child who reads' - To the mom I met 10 years ago - | Emi Suzuhara (note.com)


Today, it is about:

“Gradually making the font size in the books they read smaller without the child noticing”

...is the topic.


Now, Shiori-san. For a child to start picking up books on their own, I have talked about how
“a font size that looks like they can 'read it!' at a glance” and “content/stories that suit the child”
are important.

As an image of that, first, this. How about this much on a two-page spread (this is a sample, but regular children's books have reading aids for kanji, right?).

Since this is just dummy text inserted as a guide for font size, please don't worry about the content...

This isn't any particular book, but it is an image of a 1st-grade elementary school Japanese textbook. If it's this much, a child in their final year of kindergarten who loves picture books can definitely read it (if there are reading aids).

“A font size that looks like they can 'read it!' at a glance” invites the first action, and
“content/stories that suit the child” invites the second action.
I think it is only when both of these are present that it leads to

the child voluntarily 'turning the page'.

By the way, regarding the case where the font is just a little smaller than font size sample (1) and the number of characters per line has increased...

It feels about the same at this level. If a child could read font size sample (1), it seems they would have no problem reading this at all.


Even with the same font size, it is even easier to read if illustrations take up half the page.

Like this

This kind of layout is a structure often seen in the “Milky Sugiyama, You Are Also a Detective” series (written by Ryo Sugiyama / illustrated by Daisuke Nakagawa / Kaisei-sha) that I talked about in letter (9) (the bottom half is almost entirely illustrations).

Because the child can read the text without stress while looking at the illustrations, they can turn the pages smoothly (the Milky Sugiyama series often has pictures across the entire two-page spread with only a little text... it's really fun!).


And, to be able to read text-heavy books smoothly, I repeat, the trick is to repeatedly read books with 'black text on a white background, written vertically'.
It is fine to have many illustrations, but the text you read primarily should basically be “black text on a white background, written vertically”.
Getting used to

these three conditions means becoming quite strong with Japanese publications. Of course, there are many horizontally written publications, but I think today's children naturally become strong with horizontal writing anyway.

So, I think getting used to vertical writing while they are children is beneficial.

If they can eventually read general novels, they will probably be able to easily incorporate reading as their own entertainment for life, and I think they will feel less stress in terms of studying when it comes to “reading” and “understanding text”.

In any case, there are no downsides!

--So, with that said, I will continue talking about

“

if you read books in this order, before you know it, you will be able to read books full of text, even without illustrations!”

...I will continue with that story.

　Once you get used to something like Text Size Sample (2), next is

　Compared to the level of a first-grade Japanese textbook, the characters are smaller and the volume of text is more substantial, but by going through something like Text Size Sample (2), you shouldn't feel any discomfort.
　There are actually many children's books with this kind of balance between text and pictures, so I think it's a good idea to look for stories with content that suits your child.


　Once they get used to this, they will be able to read this much next.

　--How about it?

　It gives the impression that the text has become quite small, but since children have gained experience in 'reading text' and 'getting immersed in stories' by this stage,
I don't think the text size or volume will be as high a hurdle as adults might think.
　More than that,
whether the content is interesting becomes the important factor at this time.

　By the way, the 'Science Detective Nazono Makoto' series (written by Midori Sato, Koji Ishikawa, Rima Kitaki, Tomoaki Tanaka / illustrated by Kigi / Asahi Shimbun Publications), which my eldest daughter was obsessed with when she was in second grade, has a balance of text and pictures close to this.

　--Now, once they get used to this, the next stage is

　By this point, the volume of text gives the impression of being almost no different from a general novel, but if they are immersed in the story, it shouldn't bother them anymore.

　Even with children's books, it's difficult to just hand this to a lower-grade child, but by taking steps, they can reach this point in a few years (it's important that the story is interesting).


　However, illustrations in children's books are an important aid for children to visualize as they read, so if your child is happy to have even a few illustrations, it's best to choose books that cater to that feeling.

　--Now, once they get used to this and 'reading' has become completely natural to them...

　I think they will be able to read with this kind of balance... in other words, with almost no illustrations.

　In fact, the 'Harry Potter' series (written by J.K. Rowling / translated by Yuko Matsuoka / Say-zan-sha) has almost no illustrations.

　If you look at the books published by Say-zan-sha in Japan, the only things that could be called pictures are the cover and the illustrations on the title page of each chapter.

Until it was made into a movie, readers enjoyed that grand fantasy solely through the charm of the writing and their own imaginations, didn't they? And of course, that includes child readers.

When I think about how each individual reader had their own world of Harry Potter expanding in their minds, I think that in itself is a very rich thing.

Being able to read. Being able to imagine. This is a treasure of your own that you can polish yourself.

-- But, but.

No, no, some people might think, 'Why do I have to take steps? I don't need to do something so troublesome, I can read in any order I want,' right? --Yes, of course that's fine.

If a child can easily read various books, then that's fine!

However,

I think there are families where the parents or the children themselves feel a sense of aversion toward text-heavy books.

In such cases, I want to convey that most things can be done if you take them step by step.

Moreover, reading is not a special skill, nor is it entertainment that only chosen people can enjoy, nor is it an endeavor that requires high intelligence..

--It's just about getting used to it, that's all.

I would be happy if you could just compare the first and last images for a moment here.

--The size of the text is quite different, isn't it?
Every reader starts from (1) at first.
Once you get used to it, you will be able to read even the thickest novels.

From sample (1) to (6), there are many, many children's books with similar text balance, so I think it's best to support their book selection according to the child's interests, like, 'You were able to read this book, so I wonder if you can read this next...' (If the child can choose the books they want to read at some point, that's fine).

However, if it's difficult for parents to be involved in choosing books every time, what I want you to try is the method that is also the title of this letter:
relying on a 'to-be-read' pile..

It's a method of

borrowing several books from the library or buying them in bulk at a used bookstore and 'keeping them at home', guessing, 'They might like this story!' or 'They might be able to read this now...'

It's the idea of having plenty available, while keeping in mind that they might not read them.

I've mentioned this a few times, but in the case of my second daughter, she seemed to be (naturally) developing her reading ability by
freely choosing books that suited her from among the 'books that were already at home'.

For example, when her mood or current ability was at 'text size sample (3)', if the book she picked up was around 'sample (6)', she would judge that it was 'too hard' and rummage through the other books in the pile, find a book at the 'sample (3)' level, and start reading it... she would freely repeat that kind of thing.

--This was truly easy for me as a parent.

I didn't have to think about 'what should I have them read next...' like I did with my eldest daughter.

So, whether it's the method where the parent finds the 'next book' together with them, or
the method of having them freely find books from a 'to-be-read' pile, either is fine, but in any case, I think an 'environment where they can take steps smoothly' is what supports a 'child who reads'.

The letter continues.

<Before I knew it, the pictures decreased and the text increased. One day, I realized I was reading a novel.>

- Click here for letter (12).
(12) Books piled up since age 5 were the shortest route to raising a 'child who reads' - To the mom I met 10 years ago - | Emi Suzuhara (note.com)

- Click here for letter (1).
(1) Books piled up since age 5 were the shortest route to raising a 'child who reads' - To the mom I met 10 years ago - | Emi Suzuhara (note.com)