I have not always been a reader, I loved being read to as a child, then in my late-teens I fell back in love with books. I want my children to love books, always. You can tell when walking into my home that I am raising readers. We have books everywhere. We are reaching the point of not having enough room for the books we have.
Raising Readers
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Read
I think the biggest step in raising readers would be to read to them. Let them see you reading. Encourage them to “read” from the time they are young. I often tell my kids to go read/look at books. They will start picking up on words when reading with you, and looking at books on their own.
You can read any where. The backyard. The car. At the park.
Books
If you want to raise readers , have books for them. We have cardboard books from the time they were infants. Once they get older, having easy readers is key. Books that they are interested in. My girls get books on all topics that interest them, the other day Austin brought home a book on birds.
Library
Visit the library. Let them pick out books that spark their interest, even if you don’t think they’ll like it, even if you know they can’t read at that level. Just having the words/book is a step.
We big fans of our local library, our librarian is an amazing woman, my kids often call her Nana/Gramma. We’re there at least once a week, if not more often. We always leave with books, all four of us (hubby is usually working wen we go). We occasionally stop at other libraries when we go grocery shopping or such. My kids love visiting new libraries and checking out what they have, I love it!
Other Ways to Encourage Readers
Limit screen time – my kids watch TV, they play video games, and go on our computers. But it is somewhat limited. If they are bored, my first response is read a book. Then, go play with your toy.
Children’s magazines.
Listen to audio books – Amazon has a great selection of audible books – some are free!
What are your child’s favorite book? Are you raising readers?
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Reading for pleasure has always been an area of trouble for my girls. They haven’t liked the books read for school, so they have no interest in reading for fun. I want to take them to a big bookstore in a neighboring state this summer, when they don’t have to read for class, and see what they can find.