It's that time of year where, as parents, we are happy summer is winding down and soon our little ones will be soon going back to school. Yay! One of the things that I loved last year was the school wide a book a day reading log. My kiddo starts 2nd grade and as a book junkie I am very happy that my kiddo is as well. I am hoping they do it again this year because towards the end we tried to pick different books. Sadly, there are some kids who don't like to read; or say they don't and the reading log didn't go as planned.In talking with other parents here are some of the tried and true methods that seem to work to help their kids become a reader.
- Show them how much you like to read-even if you really don't. Did you know that according to Pew Research (2014) that 23% of people had not read a book in the last year? I believe we have to lead by example. If you want your kid(s) to read then simply show them that you do. After all, intimation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?
- Read with them. We try to put aside a good 20 minutes each night for reading at night together. Now that he is older we take turns reading the pages or chapters (if short). He doesn't feel like it's an assignment and he gets to hear all the funny voices I make. It doesn't have to be books. We read magazines and the comics while in the checkout line.
- Take them to story time at the library or bookstore. This is a good way to get your kid interested in new things or types of books. This is how we got into Captain Underpants series. These events are almost always free and you can do a bit of browsing on your own.
- Find book that relate to what they like. I have a 100% science kid on my hands and he has so many dinosaur or space books that rival some bookstores. He likes books about dinosaurs or with dinosaurs as the main character. As long as he is reading and learning I am willing to buy it.
- Try an audio book for follow along. As much as I dislike audio books, I think that it can be great for getting people interested in reading. In my kiddos Pre-K class the did these audio books and it helped to build each child's vocabulary.
