Do you have young kids? Do you want to make sure they grow up with a love of reading? It may be difficult for some kids, but there are many ways to motivate a love of reading in their lives. Even before toddlerhood. Here are several different tips to get your kids reading and enjoying it.
Read in front of them
Reading to your children is a given to get them to read, but reading in front of them leads by example. When you have some downtime, and the baby is busy playing, take a few minutes to read your own book in front of them. They might just notice and take an interest. If they want your book, grab one of their own, and read it to them. If your children are older, talk about your own book. Tell them what it’s about and talk about it with excitement. If they see excitement about a book, they might just take a more excited approach to their own reading.
Let them choose a book
Instead of picking out a book for them, let the kids pick out their own books. Especially on a trip to the library or bookstore, it can be more fun to choose their own. I know I’m more excited about a read when I’ve chosen it myself. Trips to the library were so much fun when I got to choose my own books to read. I couldn’t wait to get home and read them! If they are unable to read on their own yet, read their chosen books to them and watch their interest in reading grow.
Give them books as gifts
Do you dread finding new storage spots for toys around birthdays and Christmas? When family members ask what would be a good gift, tell them to buy books. Friends and family members are sure to have their own favorite books from childhood that will add to your children’s reading experience. Instead of giving cards at baby showers, give books instead. For my son’s baby shower, I asked family members and friends to buy children’s books and write a message inside the cover for when he was older. It’s a lot easier to keep books than it is to keep cards and toys.
Display your books
Do you have a large collection of books? If so, this already positively affects your child’s literacy. In fact, a study with 160,000 adults in 31 countries found that having a “sizable home library” gave high schoolers skills on par with university graduates who did not read. Check out the article here.
Create a place dedicated to reading
Some people enjoy reading in their favorite spot on the couch. Others enjoy reading outside. Creating an ideal spot for your child to read can boost their desire to read. It’s always more fun to read in a fort of some kind, even if it’s just two chairs and a blanket. Reading transports us to a new place, and creating a spot to do just that can help kids learn to love reading.
Finish a book and watch the movie
When I finish a book, I always love to see how the movie stacks up against it. Watching the movie adaption is like a reward for finishing the book and the same can be said for children and their books. It’s even more fun if they can see the movie in theaters – a real treat! Give your child a goal of finishing the book before the movie’s release in theaters can motivate them to read more.
Read the same books to babies
Do you have a child who can’t quite read on their own yet? Reading the same books to a baby helps them learn to read more quickly. Baby learns through repetition. As they see the same pictures linked with the same words you read out loud, they start to recognize the story. Books that rhyme really help boost their ability to learn reading more quickly.
That’s it – seven tips to get your kids reading. Now, a love of reading may come naturally to some children, but for others, it must be nurtured. From building a fort designed for reading to watching the movie after they finished the book, a love of reading is possible for every child. And starting them young is a great way to build that foundation. So try out these seven great tips to get your kids reading and let me know what you think by leaving a comment below. What are some tricks you’ve used to get your kids to read?
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to share it! You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter. You might also like my article, Five Reasons Why It’s Important to Set Aside Time to Read. It’s about why taking the time to read is important and how to just that.
