Kids will learn reading skills in school, but often they come to associate reading with work, not pleasure. As a result, they lose their desire to read. And it is that desire - the curiosity and interest - that is the cornerstone to becoming lifelong readers. Helping your children to enjoy reading is one of the most important things you can do as a parent and well worth the investment of your time and energy. Use these tips to create a supportive reading environment:

READ ALOUD

By far the most effective way to encourage your children to love books and reading is to read aloud to them and the earlier you start, the better. Even a baby of a few months can see pictures, listen to your voice and turn cardboard pages.

MAKE IT SPECIAL

Make this time together a special time when you hold your kids and share the pleasure of a story without the distractions of TV or telephones. You may be surprised to find that a well-written children's book is often as big a delight to you as it is to the kids.

BRING THE STORY ALIVE

Use sound effects as you read. Bark like a dog, if the dog says, "Woof, Woof!" in the book. If the truck rumbles along the road, make a rumble noise. Children love sound effects when reading, as it makes the story come to life. You'll find it makes reading more fun for you too.

CONTINUE READING ALOUD

Many parents make the mistake of no longer reading aloud once their children are able to read to themselves. You should read aloud to your children well into primary school, using books that are two or three levels above those the kids can read themselves. In other words, if your kid is perfectly capable of reading The Cat in the Hat by himself, have him read it to you, then read a chapter book to him.

CREATE A READING-RICH HOME

Books should be integrated into your family's life every day. Keep books in the bathroom, on the bedside table, in the backpack. Get your child a library card as soon as she is old enough, then take weekly trips to the library. If the thought of frequent trips to the bookshop sounds like a budget-buster, visit a used bookstore. However you choose to stock your house with books, doing so sends a strong message to your children that you value reading.

MODEL READING FOR YOUR CHILDREN BY BEING A READER YOURSELF

Make a point of reading a book or the newspaper while your children are in the room. "A child who never hears or sees a parent reading, but only sees that parent watching TV, will emulate that behavior," says Jim Trelease, author of the bestseller The Read Aloud Handbook. Too much TV (according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, more than 10 hours a week) leads to underachievement in school. As your child gets older, look for areas of common interest and read together. If your preteen son is an athlete, read the sports section together or get him a subscription to a sports magazine

LET YOUR KIDS BE IN CHARGE OF WHAT THEY READ

Allow your kids to select their own books, even if they're too easy. And it's OK if she wants to read "junk" once in a while, as long as she's reading a variety of things. Parents who try to exert too much control over the content of their kids' reading risk fueling the perception that reading is a chore. Reading for pleasure, the experts agree, should be the ultimate goal. If you have a struggling reader, and reading results in tears and arguments, don't force it

MAKE READING A HAPPY AND CREATIVE PURSUIT

Use gentle coaxing that's up on the fun meter to nurture your growing reader.

TELL STORIES ABOUT YOUR FAMILY AND STORIES YOU ENJOYED WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD

Ask grandparents and other family members to tell stories too. Write down some of these stories and the ones your children tell. Save them to read aloud at another time.

Encourage writing along with reading. Provide lots of writing materials and paper and encourage your child to write thank-you notes to grandparents make to -do lists, make their own books, take down messages, write signs such as "Tory's room, keep out! " and the like.

PLAY GAMES THAT ARE READING-RELATED

Check your drawers for spelling games played with letter tiles or dice, or board games that require players to read spaces, cards and directions.

GIVE PLENTY OF ENCOURAGEMENT

Encourage your child to read aloud to you an exciting passage in a book, an interesting tidbit in the newspaper, or a joke in a joke book. When children read aloud, don't feel they have to get every word right. Even good readers skip or mispronounce words now and then.

BEYOND BOOKS

Not all reading takes place between the covers of a book. What about menus, road signs, food labels and sheet music? Take advantage of countless spur-of-the-moment opportunities for reading during the course of your family's busy day.

The more kids read, the more comfortable they become about the printed page and the more likely they will adopt reading as a lifelong habit. By helping your kid towards becoming a lifelong reader, your kid will enjoy the constant companionship of books and never walk alone.