Tips for Getting your Children to Read

A child who reads becomes an adult who reads. Most adults who begin reading at an early age continue to learn by reading throughout their lives. Reading is more than a necessary skill – it’s a source for learning, entertainment, enjoyment and comfort.

There are so many distractions in today’s world – television, cartoons, and video games, to name a few – that it may seem impossible to get your children to sit down and read, let alone turn them into reading enthusiasts. Here are ten important tips for getting your children to read – and loving every minute of it.

Let them see you read. It doesn’t matter if you read magazines, newspapers or books.

Read to your children regularly. Bedtime stories are an enduring childhood ritual, but don’t stop reading when your kids outgrow being tucked in at night.

Talk about what you read. I am not suggesting that you should give your kids a reading comprehension quiz every time you read a story to them. Instead, get used to talking about the books that you read in casual conversation.

As soon as they’re old enough, get them a library card. Your public library is still the very best source of reading material.

Make a big deal of their personal writing. Writing gives kids an appreciation for the written word and deepens their enjoyment of reading. . If your children write, treat their writing as you would any other book. Help them create and bind their own books. Put their books on the bookshelf next to their bought books.

Subscribe to children’s magazines. Books are fun, but magazines offer a different kind of reading and engagement. Too often, even we adults only consider it “reading” if it’s in a book.

Make books and magazines accessible – in every way. Buy books and magazines for your kids as gifts.

Institute family reading time. When your kids start thinking they’re too old for read-aloud, institute a family reading time.

Show an interest in what they’re reading. The single most valuable reward for most kids is attention from their parents – so pay attention when your kids read. Notice it when they read a book that you remember.

Watch movies based on books – and then read the books together. When you read Charlotte’s Web, rent the video and watch it together – then talk about how well it captured the book. Or reverse the process – watch Harry Potter, then read the book together and talk about how much more depth there is in the book.

summary from “10 Important Tips for Getting Children to Read” by Grant Eckert