6 Ways To Raise A Child Who Loves Reading
Raising a child who loves reading has so many benefits for our children, from purely educational benefits to mental health benefits, and gaining attributes like empathy and resilience. The characters in books can help our children to learn about differences, the world, and to inspire their imagination. If your child isn’t much of a bookworm yet, then don’t fret. These six tips will help to give them a little nudge in the right direction.
Use audiobooks
Kids audiobooks are hugely versatile, whether it’s in the car, or snuggled up in your reading corner. Most popular books also come in audiobook format, including fun music, sound effects, and big picture books to reading along with. ‘The Worst Witch’ by Jill Murphy is a really great audiobook that will be sure to keep your kids good and entertained. Join Mildred Hubble on her magical adventures studying at Miss Cackle’s Academy. The stories are both magical and engaging, suitable for an age range of 7 years and up.
Library trips
Taking your child to the library from an early age is an amazing way to make books an essential part of their lives. Take them to activities for children in the library, help them to find books and learn about what they like. Invite their friends along, and make it into a social experience. Model being excited about going to the library, tell them about the books you loved reading when you were a child.
Start them young
Start reading to your child frequently, pretty much as soon as they are born! Reading to young children helps them to develop language skills quicker, plus children who are avid readers are more likely to grow up with creative skills. Make reading a daily and vital activity, and once they learn to read- keep on reading to them. Choose more advanced books that they wouldn’t be able to tackle alone and help them with the words.
Private tuition
Once your child is in school, a private tutor can be an excellent way to nurture their literacy skills. Sometimes in the classroom, it can be difficult for every child to get the attention they need. With an english home tutor, you’ll be giving your kid a helping hand to get ahead with their reading and writing. For total convenience, apps like My Tutor Lab, provide on-demand tutoring services, to book wherever you please.
Book themed games
We all know that kids learn best through play, with this in mind, ensure that you play some book-themed games to get them excited about the story. Buy costumes and act out the books? Print character pictures and do a book-themed treasure hunt around the house? Whichever games you try, just be sure to emphasize the story itself.
Reading corner
If you give your child a lovely space to read, they will be more inclined to do so. Create an area with a big armchair, lots of cushions, and blankets. Stick pictures of book characters on the walls and buy soft teddy versions of the characters too. If you prefer, you could choose one book and create the whole reading corner to this theme.
Talk to your children about the writers behind the stories, what’s unique about them, and when they wrote their first book. Help them to write their own stories too. If you help as much as possible now, you’ll be preparing your child for a great future career.
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heather
This is a great post. Early reading is so important for children. We go to the local library a lot they have a lot of fun reading activities for kids.
Tamra Phelps
I’ve been trying to get my nephews more interested in reading. I’ve been looking for books about things they like, like baseball or cooking.
SCOTT BRUNSKILL
love this….some great tips…..we’ve used audio books and the kids really shone
Connie Gruning
Scott, I have an audio book going all the time. In the car, on the treadmill and of course while I’m knitting.
Kate Sarsfield
Mum was a teacher & is bi-lingual so we grew up to appreciate language, culture etc. The library was our internet!
Connie Gruning
Kate, WOW! Mum is truly an interesting woman. I don’t know if kids could do real research without the internet.
wen budro
I agree that establishing a love of reading is so very important. Going to the library is fun for my kids and they love choosing books for us to read. It has truly helped that we started this at a very young age.
Connie Gruning
Wen, I love reading books as a family. It’s so cool that you started reading together when they were little. I think my Granddaughter has been read a bedtime story every night of her life so far. Now, her bedtime story is the Harry Potter series. Then she asks to get to read her own book for another 20 minutes.
Shannon Holmes
I loved to read when I was little. I remember getting little golden books.
Connie Gruning
Shannon, OHHHMYGOSH. I actually still (can we say hoarder!) have some of mine! My kids are right!! I really do keep everything!!
Diane K. Brimmer
Great ideas! I have to say my daughters do a much better job at reading to their children than I did. They all love to be read to and love to go to the library. During the summer they even have summer reading programs at the local library. All the kids participate in it. Thanks for sharing the great tips.
Connie Gruning
Diane, I am so glad that Selena is so diligent with Alice. She can read for 30 minutes in bed…… I swear that girl is going through books like crazy.
Michele Soyer
So many great tips! A great post for young mums…I am so glad that I was able to instill reading in not only my children but my grandchildren as well using some of ways my mum shared her love of reading with me….
Dana Rodriguez
These are really good tips. I always loved reading as a kid and the library was one of my favorite places. I wish I had more time to read now.
Connie Gruning
Dana, Thank you. I am so proud that my kids love to read and REALLY excited that Alice in turn loves to read.
Rosie
These are good ideas! I still recall my first trip to the library, looking at everything in the children’s library, then being brought over to the adult library, the slight musty smell, and how high up everything was! But I started going there all the time, especially the music and art room, as I loved art.
Connie Gruning
Rosie, The library is always a place. I love how much library’s now cater so much to little kids. It really helps them grow to love the library.
Tamra Phelps
My niece would pretend to read even before she could talk, lol. It was no surprise that she turned out to love reading. My nephews are more interested in throwing a ball, any type of ball, but I keep trying!!
Connie Gruning
Tamra, LOL Boys! It’s funny Zac was the same way. Now, he still loves his football but loves to read too.