7 Ways to Encourage Your Child to Read

Navigating your child’s relationship with reading can sometimes feel like you’re getting mixed messages. You might observe their enthusiasm for reading only flicker to life when they stumble upon that perfect book, despite your concerns that they’re not engaging with books as much as they should.

You’re in good company. A notable Scholastic study found that nearly half of the parents surveyed echoed this sentiment, recognizing their children’s fondness for reading but noting a gap in the frequency of their reading ventures. Fostering a love for reading in your child starts with foundational practices such as demonstrating positive reading behaviors yourself and fostering conversations about books at home. Here are ways to encourage reading in children that will help develop a love of books.

1 Use the Mobile App

A limited selection of books for kids at your local store may prevent your child from finding what he or she wants. With a reading app, he can choose from tens or hundreds of thousands of books in any genre and subject. Fiction Me has a large selection of children’s books, novels and mysteries. It’s easier to read novels online, because you can do it at any time when your child is bored. This is how he instills in himself a love of reading and it becomes a conscious choice.

2 Let Kids Choose Their Own Books

Over 90% of children gravitate towards books they select on their own. Initiating a conversation about their prevailing interests and steering them towards literature in those fields can be immensely beneficial. For instance, if traditional novels fail to capture their attention yet they exhibit a keen interest in historical or scientific subjects, exploring nonfiction or biographies might be the right move.

Furthermore, the likelihood of a child continuing with a series after enjoying its initial installment is high. This opens up an opportunity for them to explore a broad range of topics within the comfortable and familiar setting of a preferred series “universe,” including those they might not have spontaneously chosen themselves.

3 Read To And With Your Child

Reading with your child fosters not only an understanding of the basic rules of reading, such as moving from left to right and from the top of the page to the bottom, but it also significantly expands their vocabulary. By simply using your index finger to trace the words as you read them aloud, you highlight to your child the critical concept that these printed symbols carry meaning. Over time, you can start engaging your child by asking them to recognize different letters and the sounds associated with them.

4 Make Reading Real

Bridge the gap between your child’s reading material and their real-world experiences. If, for instance, you’re immersed in a tale about basketball, prompt discussions about their own experiences learning to play basketball and draw parallels to the characters’ journeys in the narrative.

You might also explore activities that bring the stories off the pages. Should kites make an appearance in their reading, encourage your child to think of exciting kite-centric pastimes, such as crafting a kite themselves. Engaging in these practical activities helps maintain a child’s interest in the subject matter.

5 Dig Deeper Into the Story

Encourage your child to immerse themselves in a narrative by posing inquiries regarding the motivations, deeds, or emotions of the characters. For instance, query, “What leads Jack to believe purchasing the magic beans is wise? What emotions does his mother experience upon discovery?” Motivate your child to relate to the tale by drawing parallels to shared experiences.

6 Play Word Games

Introduce word games to enhance your child’s phonemic awareness. Engage in pronouncing playful tongue twisters such as “She sells seashells by the seashore.” Enjoy melodies laden with linguistic creativity, similar to the tunes of Schoolhouse Rock’s “Conjunction Junction.” Further, experiment with altering single letters in words to craft new terms. For instance, by modifying the initial letter of “map,” you can create “nap” or “rap,” transform it into “man” by changing the last letter, or “mop” by adjusting the middle one.

7 Make Reading Creative

Revitalize your child’s reading routine by leveraging their interests and strengths. If your youngster is passionate about drawing or crafting, consider collaborating on a homemade book project. Simply fold and staple some paper to mimic the structure of a book. Then, combine your efforts to compose text for each page, allowing your child the freedom to enhance the story with their own drawings or pictures. Wrap up this creative activity by enjoying a reading session of your joint creation together.

Conclusion

To support your child’s academic success, it’s crucial to lay a strong groundwork in language and literacy skills before they begin school, fostering an eagerness to discover the joys of reading.

During the fundamental years of education – specifically from first to third grade – your child will be on a journey to master reading, a skill that varies in difficulty from one child to another. It’s important during this time to maintain a balanced approach toward reading instruction, encouraging frequent practice without placing undue pressure on the learning process.