Summary: Why re-read? This is a question we get a lot at RAR, and I'm not going to beat around the bush...I'm convinced there is a lot to gain from rereading. Today, I'm going to tell you why.<br> <br> <br> <br> If you have a child who re-reads the same book over and over, we're going to talk about it.<br> <br> <br> <br> And if you or someone you love has recently read the same picture book to a little one every night for months, I've got some good news for you. <br> <br> <br> <br> In this episode, you'll hear: <br> <br> <br> <br> why re-reading may just be the very best kind of readingwhat's to gain from re-reading?how our kids benefit from revisiting their favorite books (and the rewards are huge!)<br> <br> <br> <br> Click the play button below: <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Listener Guide<br> <br> <br> <br> Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast: <br> <br> <br> <br> 1:45How often do you rewatch your favorite movie?4:37Knowledge and vocabulary6:21Reading comprehension7:57Reading for plot11:20How we change14:30 Kate DiCamillo and Charlotte's Web15:59 A challenge for you17:04How to log re-reading18:58Let the kids speak<br> <br> <br> <br> What's the deal with re-reading?<br> <br> <br> <br> Consider: how often do you re-watch your favorite movie or re-listen to a favorite album, a favorite song? <br> <br> <br> <br> I asked this question on Facebook, and the responses surprised me. "10 times" was one of the lower responses. And I could not believe how many people said "over 100 times".<br> <br> <br> <br> Nobody even thought it was a weird question. <br> <br> <br> <br> We expect to revisit our favorite stories again and again.<br> <br> <br> <br> So what's the deal with revisiting our favorite stories, movies, songs, and books?<br> <br> <br> <br> There's more here than meets the eye, so let's dig in.<br> <br> <br> <br> Reward #1: Books become lifelong companions<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> I bet we can all agree on this: we want books to become some of our children's lifelong companions. <br> <br> <br> <br> I want my kids to see the Laura Ingalls Wilder books or The Chronicles of Narnia or S.D. Smith's Green Ember books on a bookshelf 20 years from now and feel like they're bumping into old friends. <br> <br> <br> <br> I want them to remember who they are and remember where they came from when they see those book covers.<br> <br> <br> <br> But friendship isn't instantaneous. Friendship takes time.<br> <br> <br> <br> You wouldn't feel like someone you had a single conversation with at a coffee shop was one of your closest friends or life companions, right? <br> <br> <br> <br> Relationships with books and with book characters take time as well. <br> <br> <br> <br> If we want books to become our children's lifelong companions, then they need to spend some quality time with those characters and those stories. <br> <br> <br> <br> They do that by re-reading.<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Reward #2: Better retention of knowledge & vocabulary<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> A recent study found that children are more likely to retain knowledge of new vocabulary if they're exposed to words through repeatedly reading the same book than if they're encountering those new words in different books. <br> <br> <br> <br> New knowledge and better vocabulary are two academic gains all kids get from reading, even on a first-go-round. <br> <br> <br> <br> Re-read that book, and the retention of vocabulary goes up.<br> <br> <br> <br> This is really good news for anyone with kids who like the same book to be read over and over and over again. <br> <br> <br> <br> Pro Tip: Generally speaking, you'll find the best,
