The Power of Comics It honestly didn’t really register with me that it counted as reading. That is before I had a son who only really wanted to read in short bursts – like how his brain operated for many things. Before I realized it he was hooked on comics, and I learned to appreciate the short, witty, and sometimes confusing world of comics and graphic novels. This child went from rolling his eyes towards the Heavens when I encouraged him to read, to having a favorite aisle in the library (all kids need favorite aisles in the library!).
Encouraging Reading Through Comics In order to keep him reading, I helped him find every kind of comic book in the library, and we used graphic novels for deeper subjects. He also took a short comic writing class with his brothers and some friends. In the end, his heart belongs to old-school Garfield, but if you flash the comic section of a newspaper he will race to be the first to read that page (all kids should race to read something!). Researchers and educators have noticing the power of comics and reading as well.
Comics tend to be shorter and more manageable.
Comics are reliable – they use the same characters strip after strip.
Kids are more likely to read when the material is something they enjoy.
Graphic novels are drawing older reluctant readers into the joy of reading.
Encouraging Writing Through Comics Then I also noticed a trend in my son’s writing – he began to be eager to write when he could write using a comic strip strategy. If I would ask him to write anything else, it was usually met with moans and more rolling eyes to the Heavens. But if he can convey his thoughts in a comic strip – he gladly fills the page. So we began writing with comics – and his spelling and punctuation have soared. When it comes to writing, comics offer lots of wonderful opportunities.
Kids learn how to write dialogue.
Kids learn how to formulate internal dialogue in the forms of thought bubbles.
Kids learn how to sequence their sentences and tell stories.
Kids can express themselves artistically as well, and the pressure is taken off of just their writing abilities.
If you have reluctant readers or writers (or just kids who want to explore something new), take a look at these printable lesson plan ideas for teaching all about the basics of comics. Then encourage your kids to develop their own comic strips. Read comics with your kids and try to identify the comic elements described in the lessons. Who knew the comics could be such serious business?