Do you find it difficult to get your child to read? Are you struggling to curb screen time and other distractions that provide little to no academic benefit? A love of reading is a gift that opens doors to worlds your child will never forget.
What can we do to rekindle that love or help our child to form a love of reading? Here are 7 ways to encourage your child to love reading.
Start Early
We are not talking about formal reading instruction but simply reading to your child. Even newborns will see the difference between conversation without a book and the kind of animation and delivery that seems different when you’re holding a book. Just the other day I saw a TikTok video of a father reading to his infant child and the reaction to that child has gone viral with over 14 million views. At that age, they may grasp even the simplest of vocabulary but the experience gets them thinking that there is something special that happens when mom or dad picks are holding a book.
Schedule Time for Reading
Set aside a time in the day when your child has the opportunity to read in a quiet and comfortable environment. Some suggested times could include quiet time right before bed or just after dinner. Children thrive on routine. Build your reading time around, what I like to call, anchor points. These are times that remain fairly consistent and dependable. They know when it’s time to eat and go to bed. Nestle the reading times next to these constants to help them remember that for that ½ hour to an hour, screens are off, toys are stored away even house chores are put on hold. It’s time to read!
Autonomy and Ownership
Let your child choose their own books. Now, this might be difficult if the choices are limited in your home. You may have just started to build your child’s library and let’s face it, some of these books are over 20 bucks a pop and before long we’ve spent a small fortune. So, it won’t surprise you in the least if I suggest taking your child to your local public library and having them choose books based on their interests. Even as an adult, I own children’s books. I am a huge Oliver Jeffers fan because the stories are quirky and supper clever but, the biggest draw for me is the artwork. Gorgeous color choices that simply pop off the page and really grab my attention. Artwork does the same for our children and it’s super important to let them judge a book by its cover. Yes, I said it. The love for reading is a package deal. Ask a record collector why they still collect vinyl when one can easily fit their entire music collection on their phones and one of the things they will tell you is that they enjoy holding the artwork in their hands. You can’t do that with a file full of MP3s.
Make it FUN!
Support your reading session with fun activities that help them improve comprehension. Suffering from a little creator’s block? Sites like Pinterest and Facebook Groups or dedicated websites are overflowing with ideas and many of them are actually book specific, you need only type in the book title and the word “craft” and it’s yours for the choosing. Here is an example to prove my point: “The Hungry Caterpillar Craft”. Like a particular author? Go to their website and look for creative freebies. Click here to see an example of that!
Also, as you are reading to your child, try character voices. Do you have to be Mel Blanc (man of 100 voices including Bugs Bunny)? Nope. Your child will get a laugh out of any variation you can come up with. I once read the three little pigs where each pig sounded slightly different but when it came to the wolf, I put on my best Peter Lorre and the kids went into hysterics. The connection must be made; When you pull out a book, it’s going to be FUN!
Variety – The Spice of Libraries
If you ARE building a substantial (20+ books) library at home for your child, remember the kind of books your child gravitates too, but in doing so, try and vary the format. Picture books, graphic novels, poetry, and non-fiction will keep your child interested and engaged. When I was a kid, you know, back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth, I don’t remember the artwork being too spectacular in my book collection. The choices children have today make me jealous indeed! I’m so happy that our children today have access to brilliant authors who truly understand the absolute necessity to include stunning aesthetics. Artwork that compliments their genuinely clever and witty material. Again, you may wish to test out what they lean toward by visiting your local children’s bookstores or public library.
Teach by Example
My father was a Sci-Fi junky. Azimov, Heinlein, all the big names. He literally read a book a day. He had over 5000 books in his personal library. He loved to smoke Cuban cigars while reading and since my mother never let him smoke in the house, he would sit outside, even when it was -30 degrees Celsius, his parka hood closed up tight. All you saw from the window was a pair of glasses and an expensive stogie sticking out of his face. Why am I telling you this story? You would think that because most boys want to mimic their fathers, I would want to gobble up books every chance I got or smoke cigars (yikes!). The thing is, I never saw him enjoy his books IN the house. He never talked about what he read and I don’t remember being read to. I actually hated reading until high school. Think of all the literature I missed out on! I used to fake my book reports by watching the movie adaptations and the teachers were too lazy to catch on.
PLEASE don’t let this happen to your child. Read a book that moves you, entertains you and helps you relax and by all means do this in front of your children. If the subject matter is age-appropriate, share what you liked about the book and even ask them what they think of the plot or the actions of certain characters in the story. Your enthusiasm will rub off. They want in on that stuff and they might even equate your elevated moods to the reading of books. Mission accomplished!
The Reading Zone
You don’t have to live in a Rothchild estate mansion to dedicate even the smallest corner to read and display your child’s books. Some may argue that the best place to assemble your child’s bookshelf is in their bedroom but think about how your child would feel if you displayed their books in an area of the home where visitors can see them. When you are proudly displaying their collection of books, no matter how limited or plentiful, it sends a message that you respect their choices and that you are proud to let others know that too. Children’s furniture nowadays can be pretty awesome. Little high-back chairs and even leather sofas and love seats won’t set you back too much. Add a cozy little rug and a lamp and your child will gravitate to this little spot and understand that this is where books are loved and consumed in quietude and peace. THEIR spot.
I hope this discussion was encouraging and gave you something to work with when it comes to encouraging your child to form a lifelong love of reading. As you are very well aware, every child is unique, and their interests and reading preferences will vary even amongst siblings. My sister used to laugh out loud while reading Archie comics and to this day I still don’t see the humor in those stories. Consider each of the 7 steps and be honest with yourself. Are there areas you can improve on? Even the smallest changes will yield results in the right direction. Books. They’re worth it! Loving to read is a door to a whole level of happiness you can’t get anywhere else.
