Monday, October 21, 2019

Raising a reader

Image result for reading quotes


I love to read. It's something I remember as one of the best parts of my childhood. One of my favourite childhood memories was the first chapter book my dad gave me. A thick book by Enid Blyton filled with all these words and no pictures. I was intrigued, overwhelmed, confused and overjoyed. It brought me such happiness and so have so many books after that. We got books for Christmas and our birthdays and would read and reread them.

I wanted my girls to develop that love for reading that I've always had. Once you have a book, there is always entertainment available. Here are my tried and true tips for raising strong readers.



1- Start early. A huge part of our bed time routine when they were babies were books. Always, always books right before bed. Sometimes favourites again and again. Sometimes new books.They loved it. Read to them with expression and enjoyment. 

2- When you think they are ready, start them then. I started both kids at four with this most wonderful book. I've spoken about it so many times in so many different posts and recommended/bought it for so many people! It focuses on phonetics and tells you exactly what to say as a parent teaching your kid to read. 


3- Don't just rely on teachers. Work with them on it at home. That way, they get lots of one on one attention and practice.

4- Visit the library often and encourage them to borrow books. My older one knows how to place holds on books now to collect them when we go :-). When they are ready, get them their very own card.

5- Buy books as presents. I encourage my family to buy books for them as they read and reread them lots. And then one kid can pass it along to another. My kids always get books for occasions!

6- Do what works for your kid. I have one kid who loves to read and reread for pleasure. The other one enjoyed electronic reading for   'prizes' and I've really seen results with both. 

7- Be a role model with reading for your kids. We all huddle together at times in the family room and enjoy reading time together. Your interest and excitement will be very apparent to them.

8- Let them enjoy a variety of books. Chapter books aren't always the answer for each kid. Graphic novels were huge in our house for a while. So was Greek mythology. Look for interests or options that excite your child.


Any other tips to share? How do you encourage reading in your household?

Image result for reading quotes

Affiliate links used in this post.

5 comments:

  1. This is so important to me as well! I love reading and I love reading to Sophia! I love the little escape it provides! xo, Baina -BlovedBoston

    ReplyDelete
  2. Such great tips and so very important. 2 of my boys don’t love to read but they do it, lol.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I also love reading. My son has struggled to learn to read but his love of books is still there. Great tips, I would echo them.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have two out of my three boys that really seem to enjoy reading. I always have a book on hand and read to them all the time. We also listen to lots and lots of audiobooks when we travel too.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love that my kids read. Some like it more than others. But I love when we all sit around reading together!

    ReplyDelete

Hearing from you makes me so happy!!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...