Do you love to read but don’t understand why there isn’t the same excitement from your child? Your child may even say they hate reading. Here are some tips on how to help motivate your child develop a better interest in books.
How to Get Your Child to Read
Model yourself as a reader
Your child watches you and adopts many of the things that she sees you doing. Do you have books visible at home? Do you read in front of him? If she sees you taking time to read, whether over a cup of coffee in the morning, or as part of your evening routine, she may find enjoyment in doing the same.
Watch movies with reading plots
Children will mimic what you do, but not half as much as kids like them, especially older children. There are several movies where the plot of the story is about reading, writing, blogging, and so forth. Those are the kinds of shows you want to introduce to your children. Without saying a word, you WILL see a difference in behavior after they watch things like that. It’s human nature.
Carve out family reading time
Just as families develop time for meals, homework, and television, find a specific time for family reading. In the school setting, this is known as “drop everything and read” (DEAR) time. Putting aside the dishes and other activities for a short period of time on a regular basis will make the change faster and reading will become a priority for your child as well as an activity that everyone in your family has in common. It’s easy enough to take turns reading to each other and spending that quality time.
Make special trips to the library
Libraries are great resources for more than books. Children’s sections offer games, technology, toys, and much more. If your child sees the library as a fun place, then it bridges the connection to books and reading. When you take your child to the library, spend some time playing, but also ask her to go find a book. When she brings it to you, read it together. Then allow her to decide if it is one she wants to borrow or if she would rather find a different one to try. Choose several to take home and enjoy together.
Allow your child to read any age-appropriate material that interests her
Not all reading material will be your child’s favorite. Give her the chance to select her own books, but help her to understand that you get veto power on what is appropriate and what is not. If she reads all books about animals during her leisure reading time, no problem! The goal should be to get her hooked into reading.
Once your child has developed an interest in reading, begin to encourage her to explore different genres. Explain that not all kinds will be as much fun for her and that if she finds a book that she is not enjoying, (during free-time reading) she can abandon it for one she likes more.
Help your child find books that are at her reading level
Some children are intimidated when they pick up a book that a friend is reading and they find themselves struggling because it’s just too challenging for them. When your child selects a book, have her read a paragraph to you. Then ask her to tell you what she just read. If she has been able to read most of the words correctly and has comprehended the content, then the book is at an appropriate level. Books at children’s levels, will help them to feel confident in their abilities, rather than causing them to feel defeated. With that said, don’t coddle them. Children have a far better ability to soak up knowledge than most people realize!
Use technology to your advantage
My daughter didn’t like reading too much in the beginning. It was more of a chore for her than anything else. I bought her an iPad. On Kindle, the titles are really exciting, the books are literally free to pennies and it made her feel like a ‘big’ girl. It is “cool” and appeals to that side of her nature. Getting your kids to do “cool” things is far easier than you’d ever imagine. Use that to your advantage.
Talk about what your child is reading
When you and your child are talking about the day, ask about what she is reading. Ask about favorite parts and parts that weren’t her favorite. Encourage her to tell you about the characters. As your child tells you about her reading, she is developing reading comprehension skills while sharing her excitement with you.
Celebrate book completion
Book completion is a huge accomplishment! It means that your child attended to the same topic and characters throughout the whole book. Similar to how many libraries have summer reading programs (with rewards for hitting a number of books), you can set up your own reward system. Some ideas to try: Keep a reading log and after 10 books have been finished, go out for ice cream or to go do another favorite activity.
What tricks and tips have you found on how to get your child to read?
