How can we encourage children to read for pleasure?

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   AliciaCposted 13 years ago

   How can we encourage children to read for pleasure?

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   fordieposted 13 years ago

   I believe in two parts to this:
   
   1) Be seen to read for pleasure (not difficult in my case); and
   
   2) Remember that their tastes will be different, so let them decide what to read and when
   
   I have started using the e-books on www.oxfordowl.co.uk/ and am finding them to be very popular with my two boys

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   StephanieBCrosbyposted 13 years ago

   I think a lot has to do with setting the stage early and luck. I made sure early on I read to my kids every day, even if it was only one book they liked out of the many to choose from. I would read the book as many times as they wanted no matter how tired I was. Now that they are 3 and 2, they don't really want me to read to them during the day because they are so busy doing other things. But my son (3) is up to being read five books for bedtime and he definitely asks for them by name. My daughter (2) is more the type that will grab a book from somewhere and sit in some random place, like behind the big recliner to flip through the pages or will insist to sit on your lap as she flips through.
   
   I never forces reading, but realized they saw it more as a game of sorts. It took me a while to catch on, but I realized that they were used to seeing me pic up something to read all day long (student papers, scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, etc.) And they were just copying mommy after awhile. Then I would just give them their own section of the paper to read and they were as happy as can be. So, that was just random luck.

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   Becky Katzposted 13 years ago

   I am a reader, My parents were readers, and my children are readers. I don't know how to encourage it, I just know what we do. Read to them, and to yourself. Make sure there are books which are age appropriate around. Talk about books and how much you enjoy them. If they are not interested in one type, find out what they do like and get it. Yard sales are a great place to buy books inexpensively. Buy a bunch and have bookcases full of them everywhere. If they say they are bored, tell them to go read a book or you can find chores for them. They will read a book. Read enough books and you get good at it. Get good at it and you will enjoy it.

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   Wesman Todd Shawposted 13 years ago

   When I was a small child my Mother read to me every single night while I sat in her lap, and what that did was MAKE me associate reading with security, comfort, love, and wonder.
   
   I could read before I got to kindergarten....because my Mother read to me nightly, and ...then I graduated "most scholarly" of my class.

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   duffsmomposted 13 years ago

   Read with them and make it fun.  We used to get a fun book and I would read, then one daughter would read, then the next would take a turn--we'd do funny voices etc and made it fun.  Pretty soon they were avid readers, still are.

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   K. Burns Darlingposted 13 years ago

   Let them see you reading, and start them early by reading to them.  I did this with both of my two older children (now 17 and 16),every night about a half hour before bedtime, we would turn off the TV and I would read to them. They are both still readers.  I now have a four year old, and have continued the tradition with her.

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   Grime Remixposted 13 years ago

   Give them books they will greatly enjoy.  Give them a variety of topics and subjects.  I grew up reading medical books salespeople would get my parents to purchase and encyclopedias.  It sparked a great deal of curiosity. 
   
   Take them to good libraries and spend time searching for books.  Not just children's books.  Allow your children to explore the world through books.  That's a lot of fun.

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   rlahaposted 13 years ago

   Hi AliciaC. 
     I think the best way to encourage children to read for pleasure is to take them to libraries or buy them books starting when the child is very young.  In this way, they can be exposed to reading or at least, looking at the pictures.
   
     I used to take care of an autistic boy who made up stories from his books since he could not read.  It was a fun time!  I think that imagination can work wonders in a child's life in that case!

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10. 82

    Donna Sundbladposted 13 years ago

    For older children who don't naturally gravitate toward being readers, one thing we do is talk about books we are reading. Often we swap books with other family members and mention where we are in the story in conversation. It's like talking about a good movie. You don't give away important points with spoilers. For instance there are three of us reading the Eragon series.
    
    I was labeled a slow reader growing up and I believed it. I read one novel in my 20s. In my 30s I decided I would change that. I set a goal to read six books in a year. I easily read twice that the first year, and now who's counting! If your child isn't a reader, another thing that helps is to set a realistic goal for them...like one book a month (their choice of book). You can always tweak the goal as the child grows into being more of a reader. Once they see they can do it, or realize they enjoy it, they will be encouraged to read for pleasure on their own.

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    Emily Sparksposted 13 years ago

    What are they interested in?  Can you find a good book on that topic?  They will probably be more apt to read about something they enjoy.  Hope this helps!

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    teaches12345posted 13 years ago

    Reading begins at birth. Teaching an infant or toddler to love books leads to higher social, emotional and intellectual aptitude in pre-school. Use learning activities to stimulate reading. read more

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    VeronicaInspiresposted 13 years ago

    I think leading by example is a great start. Now looking back, I realize that all my mom did was read, my aunt read, talked about literature and her shelves were draped with books of every kind. So that planted the seed early for me.
    
    I have a niece who's not yet two, and since we don't have cable, she watches educational DVDs, plays, and trys to read books. Particularly the latter because that's what she sees me doing: reading or typing on the computer. So she emulates what she sees.
    
    Apart from your children seeing you read, you can take them to the library and leave them to peruse books on their own, letting them find something that piques their interest. If they're not into traditional books, have them explore reading through an electronic device.

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14. 83

    lawdoctorleeposted 13 years ago

    There are some easy ways that you can make the difference in your child's life and how you can encourage...reading at different stages of development. read more

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    lawdoctorleeposted 13 years ago

    Thanks for inspiring me to write a hub about this.  Great question!

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    cicsomumposted 13 years ago

    Buy em Kindle, simple as that ! https://kindle.amazon.com/

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    hoteltravelposted 13 years ago

    Leading by example. Parents are role models for children. When they see parents enjoying their reading time, they will follow without being asked to. Reading habit has to start quite early in children. It can start with story-telling as early as six months and move on to reading out for them. When they are three or four years old, children should be able to read well-illustrated books on their own.

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    aisha91posted 13 years ago

    Challenge them wisely, ask questions and awaken their interest in a cunning way. Parents are the role model for their children, perhaps while you are reading, try to call the child and impart the wisdom of what you are reading. Giving them children books with a bright pictures yet having stories with a moral lesson would be a start, sooner and later as he/she grows, if someone would just continue on challenging his mentality, his intelligence in a nice and inspirational way, he would be a wide reader that has a great thirst for knowledge and reading would become a pleasure to him and not a burden.

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    tmspackmanposted 13 years ago

    I started reading to my kids as they were babies and continued with it until they could read on their own. When they learned to read on their on I changed our routine a little bit, instead of me reading to them I would have them pick their favorite book and have them read it to me. I would also encourage them to pick up new books that I knew would change their language skills and have them read to me. I read all the time and my kids see it and I think that helps out quite a bit. If your child doesn't seem interested in reading, then I would suggest taking the child to the public library and letting them explore the children's section and let them pick a book that they might want to read. It took several genres and several authors for my youngest child  to find something she was finally interested in and wants to read all the time. So just keep going to the library and pick up new authors or genres until they finally find something that grabs them and draws them into the book. You need a genre or an author that gets them hooked and that can take some time to find, but if you stick with it it will pay off and before you know it your child will be asking to go back to the library for a new book or they will be asking you to buy them a specific book.

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    Ahyusufposted 13 years ago

    Be an example of the behavior you want them to exhibit.  Let them see you reading for fun.  Also, let them read anything that interests them like comic books, graphic novels, web content, etc.  any reading is good reading and soon they will do it for pleasure on their own.  I also tell kids that knowledge is power.  When they know how to read, and read widely, they do not have to rely on others for information, and  will not be vulnerable to misinformation.

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    greatstuffposted 12 years ago

    Whether your child is a beginning reader or a reluctant reader or just learning to read, here are some great and simple ideas to get kids to read read more

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