Raise a Bookworm

The best way to foster the love of reading is to read to your children when they are little. Also reading aloud can expand their vocabulary. Your conversations can help them understand and enjoy more of what a book is about.

I recently read a report from the Scholastic study that the number of kids who are read to every day drops significantly at age 9.

Regardless of your child’s age or comprehension level, continue the reading together ritual. Here are some points to maximize your time with:

Listen to Audio books. This is a terrific way to engage your kids in a good yarn. Press “Play” during car rides, after dinner and computer time.

Pick the right books. Set aside books that seem way over your child’s head. The goal is to understand and enjoy reading books. Try not to push his or her literary limits. Have fun reading what you love.

Revisit Favorites. A second read is a great chance to discuss subtleties and encourage children to move beyond the plot of a story.

Who knows, when reading out loud together if you discover a natural storyteller in your family who has the gift to adlib and interject scenarios out loud. Here you thought your child was reading every word from the story. Oh what an amazing discovery that would be.

So after reading together talk about “what happened” and “why it happened.” Ask your children if they could relate to the character.

Nowadays parents have free access to an online library of digital books that you can read for free. This is another way for parents to encourage young people to read digital children’s books.

Providing an allowance for kid’s books is a good idea to help encourage reading, too. Giving gift subscriptions to a magazine for children to enjoy is a wonderful idea.

Support your local library with frequent visits and get to know your school library well.

I think it is most important that children see their parents read a book. So model reading. 

Praise your child for reading!

Children become a book reader one step at a time. When they reach the age of seven, most have begun reading. It’s a wonderful adventure for a family who loves books and encourages reading. The benefits will last a lifetime.

~ LadyD
“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.” — C. S. Lewis