A - Z Fun for Kids

Reading

Showing your child that you enjoy reading or that reading is for pleasure and not a chore is one of the best things you can do.  Set an example.  If they see you reading because you enjoy it, they will most likely pick up a book for the same reasons.  Take turns reading to your child and then let them read to you.  My daughter reads A LOT, she loves it.  She often reads to me while I'm cooking dinner.   Her favorites are Junie B. Jones books, the Shoe books by Noel Streatfield, The English Roses by Madonna, all Dr. Suess books and any book about animals (sea life is her main interest) or about kids in general (like Nate the Brave). 

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20 Ways to Encourage Your Child to Read

1.  Look for things your children might like to read.  Use their interests and hobbies as starting points like books based on movies they have seen, such as "Pirates of the Carribean", "Cars", "Bolt", etc. 

2.  Leave all sorts of reading materials including books, magazines, and colorful catalogs in conspicuous places around your home.

3.  Notice what attracts your children's attention, even if they only look at the pictures.  Then build on that interest; read a short selection aloud, or simply bring home more information on the same subject.

4.  Let your children see you reading for pleasure in your spare time.

5.  Take your children to the library regularly.  Explore the children's section together. 

6.  Present reading as an activity with a purpose; a way to gather useful information for, say, making paper airplanes, identifying a doll or stamp in your child's collection, or planning a family trip.

7.  Encourage older children to read to their younger brothers and sisters.  Older children enjoy showing off their skills to an admiring audience.

8.  Play games that are reading-related.  Check your closet for spelling games played with letter tiles or dice, or board games that require players to read spaces, cards, and directions.

9.  Perhaps over dinner, while you're running errands, or in another informal setting, share your reactions to things you read, and encourage your children to do likewise. 

10.  Set aside a regular time for reading in your family, independent of schoolwork, the 20 minutes before lights out, just after dinner, or whatever fits into your household schedule.  As little as 10 minutes of free reading a day can help improve your child's skills and habits. 

11.  Read aloud to your child, especially a child who is discouraged by his or her own poor reading skills.  The pleasure of listening to you read, rather than struggling alone, may restore your child's initial enthusiasm for books and reading.

12.  Encourage your child to read aloud to you an exciting passage in a book, an interesting tidbit in the newspaper, or a joke in a joke book.  When children read aloud, don't feel they have to get every word right.  Even good readers skip or mispronounce words now and then.

13.  On gift-giving occasions, give books and magazines based on your child's current interests.

14.  Set aside a special place for children to keep their own books.

15.  Introduce the bookmark.  Remind your children that you don't have to finish a book in one sitting; you can stop after a few pages, or a chapter, and pick up where you left off at another time.  Don't try to persuade your child to finish a book he or she doesn't like.  Recommend putting the book aside and trying another.

16.  Treat your children to an evening of laughter and entertainment featuring books!  Many children (parents, too) regard reading as a serious activity.  A joke book, a story told in riddles, or a funny passage read aloud can reveal another side of reading. 

17.  Extend your child's positive reading experiences.  For example, if your child enjoyed a book about dinosaurs, follow up with a visit to a natural history museum.

18.  Offer other special incentives to encourage your child's reading.  Allow your youngster to stay up an extra 15 minutes to finish a chapter or relieve your child of a regular chore to free up time for reading.

19.  Limit your children's TV viewing in an effort to make time for other activities, such as reading.  But never use TV as a reward for reading, or a punishment for not reading.

20.  Not all reading takes place between the covers of a book.  What about menus, road signs, food labels, and sheet music?  Take advantage of countless spur-of-the-moment opportunities for reading during the course of your family's busy day.