14 Tips for Cultivating a Love of Reading

It's no secret that reading is an essential skill in today's world.

Reading opens a door to a whole new level of learning. It increases vocabulary base, spelling skills, and writing and grammar skills. Reading also increases attention span and critical thinking skills. That's not all. Reading increases comprehension abilities and is a major step to one's ability to communicate effectively.

We can all agree that there are many benefits to reading, but some of us sure could use ideas on how to help a child who faces reading challenges or ideas to help a child who has become reluctant to read.

If you are struggling to help your child read too, you will treasure these 14 tips for cultivating a love of reading.

1) The best way to foster your child’s interest in reading is to model good reading habits. Culture your child’s willingness to read by letting him see you reading books, articles, blog posts, directions, and recipes. Take it to the next level by discussing what you are reading and how it has expanded your understanding and outlook on life or how it has helped you achieve something.

2) When you take time to read to your children, they will associate reading with special time they spent with you. Furthermore, when you expose your child to literature often, reading becomes a more natural part of his daily routine. Make a commitment to read aloud to your infant, toddler, and young children at least fifteen minutes each day. In addition, rewind their bedtime fifteen to twenty minutes and commit to story time every night before bed.

3) To help your child gain interest in a book, read the first chapter aloud and encourage your child to continue reading on his own to find out what happens next. Show your interest by asking what he found out as he continues reading the story.

Please note: It is important to select a book that is at your child's reading level. If the book is hard to read, your child’s motivation to continue reading the book will fade.

4) As you read a book with your child, take time to discuss what is happening. Ask your child questions to help him learn from the character's choices. Encourage your child to act out a play or develop a game to go along with the story. As you ask your child questions about a story, play out the scenes in a story, or play made-up story-related games, you encourage comprehension and understanding.

5) As your child begins to read, write him short notes, and encourage activities that require reading such as learning a new game, baking with a recipe, or identifying plant life on a nature hike. If you restrict screen time, your child will have more time for reading-related activities.

6) Keep books in your home that pertain to your child’s interests. House them in an easily accessible location. Visit your local library and encourage your child to check out books. Attend your library’s preschool story time and sign up for incentivizing reading programs.

7) Incentivize your child’s reading efforts to give him a sense of accomplishment. Make a chart or graph that outlines what you would like him to achieve whether it is time reading, number of books, or books of various genre. Think about rewards that will let your child know that you are proud of his accomplishment. A reward can be as simple as time alone with a parent while enjoying an ice cream treat.

8) Free up your child's schedule to allow time for reading. This will ensure that he views reading as a relaxing and enjoyable time, not a chore that needs to be checked off the list in between piano lessons and household responsibilities. Keep a variety of reading materials that range from leisure reading to reference material in your home. Create a cozy reading nook or install a small bookshelf near their beds. Equip your child with good reading lights or book lights so his reading time isn't restricted by daylight. Schedule fifteen to twenty minutes of quiet reading time in mid-afternoons and again before lights out at bedtime.

9) Whether five or ninety-five, we all enjoy someone reading to us. One of my treasured memories as a teenager include my teacher reading a chapter in a book aloud to our class at the end of each day. When I shared that thought with my husband, he also shared fond memories of a high school teacher having read to his class. Alter this idea to foster your teenager’s reading enjoyment. Have your teenager select a book of interest. Read a chapter to your teen one day each week. Alternatively, you can create a family story time tradition that replaces an hour of television watching each week with you reading a book to your family or listening to a book on tape together.

10) People naturally increase their time reading when they can delve into concepts or topics that they are interested in. As your teenager reads for pleasure and interest, he will practice his reading skills in meaningful ways. Emphasize how reading can be used to further develop your teenager’s knowledge of areas he is interested in. As he reads, he will further develop his God-given gifts and passion. This will eventually transform into college readiness and career preparation. Does your teenager love sportscars? Does he aspire to become a pilot, archeologist, or paleontologist? Help your teenager research the internet for articles and blogs on an interest-related topic. Subscribe to magazines and locate books that connect to your teenager’s passions, interests, and God-given gifts.

11) Foster a deeper relationship with your teenager by expressing interest in what he is reading. When he feels as though his interests are important to you, he will be more likely to share his thoughts and ideas through conversation. You may even witness a sparkle in his eye or a spring in his step! As he reveals what he has learned through conversation, he will begin to identify how he is expanding his knowledge and growing as a person through reading. Make connections between your teenager’s ability to read and have open discussions about the doors to learning that open through reading. Include the doors that open for opportunities to serve others in both his personal life and future career. Realizing the value in reading, your teen will develop a hunger for more.

12) Try having your child or teenager alternate reading with you, a sibling, or a friend. You can also have him read easy picture books to younger siblings. In some cases, you might find electronic devices helpful. E-readers such as a Kindle will allow you to tailor the print to larger font or less lines per page. If you think it might help, have your child or teen practice reading by incorporating an occasional audiobook. Alternatively, have him read a book and then reward him with the correlating movie. You can take it one step further by having him write a compare and contrast essay or express the similarities and differences between the book and the movie orally.

13) If your child or teenager is still a reluctant reader, uncover the reasons he is apprehensive. You may want to have his reading ability assessed. You may discover that he hasn’t developed strong vocabulary skills and is guessing at what words mean. He may struggle with how to pronounce words, needing to further develop his phonogram skills. He may lack emphasis and meaning through expression as he reads aloud which may indicate difficulty in visualizing, questioning, and interpreting what he is reading. Once you have assessed where the difficulty lies, you can help your child or teen improve those specific skills and get him on a path that leads to reading enjoyment.

14) If, upon assessment, you discover your child or teenager is experiencing a learning difficulty such as dyslexia, seek help from someone who specializes in helping children who face that type of learning difficulty. Visit my resource tab for links to help students who are experiencing a learning difficulty. You can also seek out local helpful resources such as occupational therapists, learning centers, or tutors. Your child’s pediatrician might be able to help you locate local resources. Through social media or your local homeschool group, you can also reach out to homeschool parents who are helping their children who face similar learning difficulties. Homeschool moms are always willing to share resources that have helped their children learn.

Enouragement

As a child, I was that reluctant reader who would attempt to read a few highlights throughout a book in order to finish a book report assignment in school. In fact, if I would travel back in time and tell my younger self that I would someday become a published author, my younger self would never believe me! The best advice I can give you from one who overcame the reluctance of reading, is that your reluctant reader can and will thrive. Never give up encouraging your child to read. As he reaches adulthood, he will thank you for fostering his reading ability and love for learning!

-Yvonne Strachan

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