Giving Children the Gift of Reading

One of the best gifts a parent can give their child is a love of reading. Children who are strong readers have more active imaginations, score better on tests and tend to be stronger students. They also usually excel at writing. Yet how do you encourage them to read? Forcing a set reading time on them will turn them off and nagging won’t work.

The best thing a parent can do to encourage reading is encourage interest from infancy through adulthood. Here are some suggestions to help children accept books and reading as a constant and secure part of their lives.

1. Always have books around: Whether it is the cloth book for baby, the plastic books for toddlers or easy readers for elementary school kids, always have some books around. If you start with books early in their life and continue to have age-appropriate material around all the time, the kids will accept them as a common part of their world.

2. Make books a part of every gift-giving occasion: Most parents buy their kids more than one gift for birthdays or other gift-giving holidays. Make sure one (or more) books are included as one of the gifts. As they develop favorite authors or series, offer new books or trips to the library as part of a reward for some larger task like good grades of finishing a big project.

3. Remember reading is reading, no matter what: Some kids don’t have the attention span to finish a novel, even a young reader size. Sometimes comics or magazines are just more attractive. Just because your kid is more into short stories or nonfiction doesn’t mean they aren’t a reader. If they like comics, then throw in the occasional classic book comic among the superhero issues. If they have a hobby like camping or video games, consider a subscription to a magazine on the subject.

4. Support night-time reading: Every family gets busy with meetings, work and extracurricular activities. However, reading is a wonderful way to calm down from the events of the day. Thus reading right before bed is an excellent way for young kids to relax enough to sleep. When they are very young, take ten to twenty minutes a night to read them a story. Also, as they get older, consider having them go to bed a little earlier but tell them they can read for twenty minutes before the lights go out. Even if they can’t read well, they will enjoy the time to “stay up later” looking at the pictures in the book. If they decide they don’t want to read, then turn the lights out right away. They will want to read because they want the illusion of a later bedtime. Eventually, looking at pictures evolves into reading the story and the children become hooked.

5. Reading in the car: Many cars today have video entertainment systems to help keep kids settled during long trips. However, a stack of books, puzzle magazines or magazines can often achieve the same thing. Encourage your kids to bring books along on trips that last an hour or longer.

6. Discuss the plot: Also, take the time to discuss the material they are reading. Let them tell you about the story. If a movie is made from the book, let them see the movie and then tell you how it is like (or different) the book. Also, you may have some childhood favorites that you want to share with them. Libraries are great resources for books that may be out of print. On the other hand, understand that they are unique with their own taste. They may be more into Star Wars serial books rather than the Hardy Boys.

7. Encourage reading by example: Children imitate adults behavior, both the bad and the good. Therefore, if you read a lot, chances are your children will too. As they get older and recommend books or articles to you, be sure to read them and discuss the material with your kids.

In truth, the National Endowment of the Arts has published a report stating that reading is declining in youth in favor of the computer and the TV. The number of 17-year olds that read for pleasure has dropped to a low 22% today. At the same time, most colleges and employers view high school and college graduates reading and writing skills are deficient. Given this trend, wouldn’t you want your kids to have the best opportunity in their education and success in life? Being a reader will help them on the path to be a success in work and in life.