As your children grow up, the homework requirements increase. Middle school and high school activities find them busier too. It’s been years since they were small enough to sit in your lap and learn and re-read their favorite picture book. By reading daily with your children, you help them grow, build their vocabulary, and have better quality time. Reading also makes healthy and robust reading habits as they develop into school age and finally read independently. But just because they are busier doesn’t mean your kids have to stop reading for pleasure.
Here are some tips to help strong reading habits early on that will stick with them as they grow.
1 They don’t have to hold a physical book
Screens appear to be the source of all discussions here in our home. But screen experience doesn’t have to be all wrong. If your child likes spending time on their iPad or Kindle, load some eBooks to read and provide them extra screen time privileges if they spend it reading.
You could also have them try listening to a book. Audiobooks approximately increased the number of readings in our house. We set up an audiobook every time we are in our vehicle, whether traveling 15 minutes to school or going the highway on a road trip. Audiobooks at lights-out may settle some kids in for the night. The skilled narrators for the audio version of books may also be a means to motivate your children into trying a new book.
Kids can snuggle up with a Kindle, Nook, or iPad before naptime or bedtime. Some new studies say more than half of U.S. kids read digital books at least once a week. The electronic format has proved to be incredibly engaging for boys and reluctant readers. You can download or obtain many books on an e-reader or tablet, making it an excellent opportunity for air journeys and car trips.
At the same time, apps can be distracting and inhibit reading comprehension. So, to boost reading skills and boost your kid to be a frequent reader, you might want to hold with eBooks that have the look of a bound paper book. Some even have an animation that mimics turning the pages.
2 Surround them with books
Make sure your kids have easy access to books. Spend time and money at the bookstore and library. Think of inventive ways to introduce books into your child’s life. Perhaps you can produce a cozy reading corner somewhere in your house. Or maybe they need a bookshelf in their bedroom if they don’t have one already.
Actions speak louder than words. Bring your children to the library once a week or once a month to find new books. You should make frequent outings to your local bookstore, hunt for low-cost books at used bookstores or second-hand shops, and teach kids that finding a good book is like a treasure hunt.
3 Let them choose
When it’s time for kids to hit back and relax, they turn time and again to their shelf full of graphic novels, all of which they read through multiple times.
Let them choose what they read. It’s not that there’s never a time to push someone to consider something new, but books should not be treated as vegetables. Keeping independent reading fun and making it something they feel competent and savvy about is the solution to developing life-long readers.
Read with varying tones and voices. Let your child turn the page. Encourage them to touch, feel, open, or engage with interactive books. Talk about the pictures – you don’t just have to stick to what’s written on the page. Ask them questions and make them ask you questions.
Conclusion
Introduce reading into your family lifestyle. Set apart time for reading only – turning off the TV, computer, and cell phone. Support focused reading time, either for confident reading or reading aloud—guide pre-schoolers to Storytime hours at libraries and bookstores. For older kids, a parent-kid book club can be fun. Read to kids at bedtime. Give time and space for your kids to read for pleasure in the car (if they don’t get car sick!), on vacation, after finishing homework, on their own before bed. Then it could be habit-forming and lead to a life filled with reading.
