The best way to get children to want
to read is to create an interest in books before they’re even old
enough to read. Part of creating this interest is to simply have a wide
variety of picture books in the house for them to look at and explore.
But an even bigger part is to read to them from those books on a
regular basis. Reading stories at bedtime is a great tradition that not
only helps children to settle down for the night, but it helps foster a
love for books and reading.
Even when children are past bedtime story age, it doesn’t mean it’s too
late to begin reading to them. Reading aloud to your children can
become a family activity on weekday evenings, a Saturday afternoon or
to help pass the time when going on a long road trip. When my two
oldest children were in grade school we began reading the Harry Potter
series together. Even though we were all anxious to get to the end of
the books, we made a rule that none of us could read ahead. That time
reading together became a special time for us that strengthened our
relationships and further fostered their love for reading.
As mentioned in an earlier blog post, studies have shown that children
who love reading often have that love for reading continually nurtured
by their parents and other family members. One of the best ways to
nurture that love, if not the best way, is to read aloud to your
children on a regular basis. If it’s not a tradition in your house
today, make it one starting tonight.
For more insights into the benefits of reading aloud to children, read
my
booktalk
interview with Lisa Von Drasek on The Importance of Reading
Aloud to Children.
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