MRS. MORHARD AND THE BOYS: BEHIND THE PAGES

Jennifer sits quietly on the couch, reading. Josh has a book too, but it’s opened up like a teepee on the floor—it’s become a garage for his bulldozer. You’ve tried to read to him, but he gets antsy and starts wriggling. He’s just not interested. Is it really that important? Yes it is. Reading is going to be critical for him in school and in his everyday life. Studies show that boys, on average, are 6 months to 1½ years behind girls in reading and writing at all elementary school levels. It’s not that boys aren’t as smart. It’s because their brains work differently. The language centers in a girl’s brain develop earlier and work more efficiently, but we can help boys close the gap through reading. If he’s not interested, how do we do that? It’s hard for young boys to sit still--so while you’re reading to him, talk about the pictures, let him act out the stories, make sounds or move like the animals, planes or other things in the books. And choose books about things t...

Frustrated Because He Doesn’t Follow Directions?  Here’s Why and What to Do You’re in a hurry. You need to get groceries. Your five year-old son is zooming the remote–controlled car he got for Christmas back and forth from the great room into the kitchen, where you’re trying to clean up after lunch. You nearly trip over it. You tell him to pick the car up, put it back on the shelf in his room and get his coat on so you can go. He grabs the toy and heads toward his room. Halfway there, he drops to the floor and starts playing with it again.   You feel like screaming. Why does he always do that? Why can’t he follow directions? Well, he can. Just not the way you expect. Boys are best at focusing on a single task at a time. That’s the way their brains are built. When they’re young, it’s hard for them to remember more than one direction at a time. Your best bet is to tap him lightly on the shoulder to get his attention. Give him the first instruction and ask him to re...