Raising an Avid Reader
Remember those days when your ‘barely-toddler’ infant would take a hold of a stack of books and would ooh and ahh and the brightly colored pictures? If you answered yes, believe it or not, this is actually the beginnings of getting your child interested in reading. Literacy is the single most important skill a child can learn and yet there are so many that either simply do not enjoy recreational reading or will only do the bare minimum required by their teachers. Although raising an avid reader isn’t an easy task, it is still quite possible to do. With these simple tricks and tips, your child will begin seeing reading as an enjoyable pastime rather than grueling work.
Choose Learning Materials that Match Your Child’s Interests
Children feel accomplishment and empowered when they pick and choose what they read and when they read. A great trick would be to get reading material that matches your child’s interests and place them on their desk, in the livingroom area, etc. These materials can include anything from the newest installment of Twilight, to magazines, and comic books.
Sign Your Kids Up for a Library Card
Another great way to raise an avid reader is to get your child a library card in his or her name. Libraries are an inexpensive alternative to purchasing books that your child may or may not finish reading. If you do get your child a library card make sure you encourage them to use it by scheduling weekly library visits. One quick note here though, always make sure you have time for your child to peruse through the books and take their time picking out what they want. Visiting the library in a time-crunch spells disaster because there are just too many options for such a small amount of time.
Pick Up a Book & Read
If your child truly does not seem to be interested in reading you can always try to teach by example. When a child sees that a parent enjoys reading and takes time out of their day to read, it becomes more interesting to them. Children don’t like to miss out on anything that seems like fun, especially if an adult is doing it. Additionally, getting involved in bedtime stories can be a great way of peaking your child’s interest in reading. Make it fun, have them ad lib what will happen next, make funny character voices, do anything creative you can think of to get them to play along.
