Raising Readers: Easy Tips to Encourage Your Kids to Love Reading!
Calling all bibliophiles everywhere! Today is National Book Lovers Day, and if you are like me, one unshakeable dream you have for your kiddos is for them to be courageous, unstoppable adventurers. And you know that final frontier is in the next world you get to pick up and dive headfirst into. Whether you prefer an e-reader, your phone, an audiobook, or an old-fashioned bound paper book that smells of wood pulp, reading is important to you! It might feel like there is a lot of distraction nowadays and that kids don’t enjoy reading as much, but I don’t find that to be necessarily true. Instead, I look at all the opportunity around us for exploring new worlds via the word. Still, sometimes, kids need a little more encouragement or a more enticing deal to pick up their next book! So, what to do?
Easy Ways to Grow a Book-Lover!
1.) First and foremost, like almost everything else, kids tend to pick up habits and hobbies they see modeled to them! So, if you are an avid reader, the chances of your kiddo being an avid reader is higher. But what if you like the idea of reading, but just have difficulty? That is nothing to be ashamed of-we are all so very busy, the choices can be overwhelming, or maybe you struggle with dyslexia or knowing what you like. Allow yourself to simply choose any genre that looks interesting to you, for any “level”, and don’t feel bad about choosing a book based on its cover. You like the pretty rainbow art? Pick it up. There are no rules here! Read on because the next few tips will help with that too.
2.) So…with that said…maybe you only have availability for a few words at a time. This is a great opportunity to find a book to read together! Allot a few minutes each evening to go on the same adventure. Make it more fun and get more invested by talking about what you think will happen next between sessions and over dinner. Spend a few moments on the weekend creating a craft or meal inspired by the story. Let your family and yourself fully immerse yourself in the world that is being erected in the current book you are reading. Don’t worry about a time limit or how fast you should read/finish it. Just read! This works for fiction and non-fiction.
3.) Don’t let elitists get you down. Like graphic novels and not traditional novels? Interested in self-published fantasy? If you are not into so-called classics…that is…OK! You can like whatever books you like and say “bye” to the book haters. Reading is reading and there are no right, or true, or real kinds of literature.
4.) Make it easy on yourself to get books! People are always giving away book on apps like Facebook Marketplace or even yard sales. Little Free Libraries are popping up everywhere and now there are prety awesome subscription boxes just for kids books. Part of the fun of reading is the actually getting the books. It’s like when you walk into a craft store and have no projects in mind, but just the sheer aesthetic inspires you. This will get kids and teens hyped up for their next reading journey. And bonus…you don’t have to deal with overwhlem or think too much about “what should I read?”
5.) Start early. Studies show reading aloud even during pregnancy is beneficial. So when you are at those last days of an uncomfortable pregnancy and need a distraction, read a book aloud or have your partner read while you listen. Heck, you don’t have to be pregnant either. Newborns and young kiddos can simply be in the same room and become enthralled by the different vocal patterns that reading entails and what a unique way to bond! Which brings me to my final point…
Anything that we do in life is highly driven by the emotional connection we have to it. When you make reading a family activity, kids associate that with love, care, and formative memories. In fact, multiple studies suggest that kids begin to dislike reading around the same time reading aloud stops (around 4th grade). It has been demonstrated time and again that teens and many adults enjoy reading together and especially bond when it is over a meal or another shared activity.
So, on this National Book Lovers Day, what are some tips you have to raising readers? Share in the comments below!