What Dr. Seuss Teaches Us About Learning, Reading, and Confidence

This week is a very special week because my it is my sister's birthday week! Yes, I love my sister. However, it is also Dr. Seuss's birthday week. March 2nd is well know in schools as a day of celebration and joy in honor of Dr. Seuss and his amazing books. In fact, I recently watched a trailer for the new Cat in the Hat movie that is coming out at the end of this year. This movie got me thinking about Dr. Seuss and all his books. Many of us remember curling up in bed with The Cat in the Hat or laughing through Green Eggs and Ham. Dr. Seuss books feel playful, silly, and magical. But behind the rhymes and nonsense is something powerful: Dr. Seuss understood how children learn. His stories teach us more than reading, they teach us resiliency, confidence and curiosity. Come join me as I dig a little deeper!

Repetition Builds Readers

One of the things I love about Dr. Seuss’ book is the fact that his lines repeat and follow rhyme patterns. This is crucial for beginning readers who can get easily frustrated when trying to read out loud. His books allow kids to practice reading the same words over and over, which build fluency and automaticity. His texts also have the element of predictability which help with reducing the amount of cognitive load for early readers. I found that when I read these books with my daughters as well as with students, the atmosphere was always light and fun. The kids love repeating the phrases, several times. They don’t realize that they are practicing skills and improving their fluency. Being able to give specific instruction and repeat is very important to build confident readers. 

Playfulness Reduces Fear

Many of our students who struggle, will refuse to read or even listen to regular picture books or chapter books. However, when books like Green Eggs and Ham, or Fox in Socks, come out, it is a different story. These books are instantly welcomed! What is in these books that creates the wonderful reception?

Dr. Seuss creates:

• Silly characters

• Invented words

• Low-pressure reading experiences

It really pays off to learn from Dr. Seuss that learning needs to be fun, especially for our struggling learners. The silly characters make our kids laugh and it creates excitement. Take a look at this excerpt from Fox in Socks:

Box

Knox

Knox in box

Fox in socks

Knox on fox in socks in box

Socks on Knox and Knox in box

Fox in socks on box on Knox

Reading  this brings a delightful rhythm: 

pam, 

pam, 

pam pam pam, 

pam pam pam 

Pam pam pam, pam pam pam 

I am able to use books like this one to practice different skills. We can reinforce the silent K in Kn, or we can reinforce the sound of x in all those words. Students will be more willing to practice reading in this way; they will take risks as they try since they recognize that the book itself is silly and there is nothing wrong if mistakes happen; mistakes are part of the journey. The atmosphere is safe. Things might be different though, if all we provide is a worksheet with no rhyme or musicality, and when our kids refuse to do it, we get frustrated and tell them “try harder!” “sound it out!”  A kid's confidence level could suffer when they start associating that feeling of being stuck with reading.

Mistakes Are Part of the Journey

One of the books we can use to encourage our children in general is the wonderful Oh the Places You’ll Go. This book teaches us that in life there will be bumps in the road and times of waiting. We can connect it with academics and remind our kids that learning is not linear. There will be times when some topics are a little more complex, and it takes longer to master a skill or complete an assignment. Reading fluency, learning new vocabulary, and breaking down multisyllabic words take time to master. But understanding that this is part of the process will make a big difference, and it will give us perspective. 

When students understand that having bumps in the road, or having to practice over and over in order to build a skill is part of the process, having assessments to measure growth, reviewing, re-reading will all make sense to them, and will empower them to look at the assessments as a tool that will aid in accomplishing the goal/s as opposed to something that brings judgement or provokes guilt or frustration. 

Strong Foundations Matter

One of the things I love about Dr. Seuss’ books are the  wonderful beginner reader books they make. The Cat in the Hat for instance contains controlled vocabulary, repetitive patterns and rhyme; all which make it easier for an early reader to  master the following foundational skills:

Phonemic awareness

Decoding

Fluency

Vocabulary

Kids are more open to practicing these books because the words repeat and the sing-song rhythm it brings make it more enjoyable. 

What Parents Can Do at Home

My hope with this blog is to encourage you to take the opportunity to be intentional with the books we share with our kids. They can be of great help when we have beginning readers at home or struggling readers. How can you make sure you can help your child to become a confident reader? Here is a practical list:

1. Reread favorite books (fluency)

2. Read aloud even to older kids

3. Celebrate silly reading voices

4. Praise effort, not speed

5. Normalize struggle

Bringing Joy Back to Learning

Learning needs to be structured and intentional, however as parents we know our children best, and we can use that to make sure that our kids enjoy learning, and feel supported as they grow in their confidence. 

At Accelerate Tutoring we are passionate to join alongside your family to do just this. We love to support families by providing structured, intentional sessions that make it possible and easier for students to become joyful, confident readers and learners. 

If you are interested in learning more about how we can provide you with support, please send us a message. Happy Reading!