As parents we know that reading books is something we should have our children do. And we know that teaching the value of reading should be done at an early age so that we can create life-long readers in our kids. So how exactly should we start creating little readers? The first thing to tackle is creating a reading environment—a place that inspires and nurtures reading. Surround your home with reading materials—books, magazines, trade journals, cookbooks, encyclopedias—anything that can be read. And have a good variety of material with different lengths, difficulty, and tone. Remember that not all reading has to be educational—it can be entertaining as well. The idea is that if your children are surrounded by reading materials early on, they will not only be familiar with books, but they will also be more likely to pick one up and read it.
Children learn by example. If they don’t see us reading, they won’t be as likely to read themselves. This means we need to put down the remote control or iPad and pick up books and magazines in our spare time. We need to show them the importance of taking time to read, as well as the fact that it can be a fun, relaxing, and rewarding experience.
And as far as getting our kids to read, that has to do with the environment as well. Reading time should be a fun time that they look forward to—not one where they feel they are being made to do something unpleasant like brushing their teeth or taking a bath. Creating a warm and cozy atmosphere for reading time—curling up under a blanket with a few books before bed—is all it takes to make it a pleasant experience.
And lastly, make it fun and exciting. Introducing new books, along with the all-time-favorites sparks new interests in reading and can make kids excited about the prospects of something new.
With a little work, determination, and maintenance you can help create your own little reader. And in doing so, you will open up a whole new world to them that will help them learn and grow beyond your expectations.
You missed one crucial ingredient, that I think has made readers out of both our little ones aged 6 and 3 (don’t worry out 3yo cand read but she loves to look at books):
Take your kids to the library!! It’s a fun experience for them and it will inject variety into their reading habits.
Our children are now (after a years-long transition, mind you) more likely to ask for a visit to the library than to ask for TV (both are rare ~every couple of weeks).
Wow! “More likely to ask for a visit to the library than to ask for TV”! That’s wonderful, JB. Absolutely agree with incorporating visits to the library! The more exposure to books and reading environments the better to build a habit of reading! And it works! As you have seen with your kids!