How to Encourage Your Children to Read More
One of the most important skills that children can learn is to read.
Reading skills isn’t just about understanding ABCs or learning how to understand and cite a word; it’s about developing vocabulary, increasing attention span, and promoting stronger analytical thinking.
Children’s reading is one of the most exciting things for grown-ups to see.
Not only is it because we used to frequent libraries and to hold up with books when we were kids, but because seeing your kids reading, you know that they’re about to develop the most amazing imagination.
Diving into the worlds of other people and diving into the world of their characters, children have a chance to explore, learn, and understand way beyond their comprehension at school.
The problem is that most children don’t like to read in an age of screen time and digitization. The good old-fashioned book is long becoming a thing of the past.
Being able to sit and listen to the Magic Story personalized storytelling app is one way to help them with reading, of course, as technology DOES have a place if you know where to find it.
The Kindle, for example, is popular for a reason. But if you can’t encourage your kids to actually open a book, what do you do next? Not every child actually loves to read in the first place.
Some children feel like reading is a chore, or they have difficulty with the idea. Other children can read a story but not be able to picture that story reflected in their mind’s eye.
You need to make reading fun so that your children can develop that habit and love of reading. Let’s take a look at some of the ways that you can encourage your children to read more.
1. Give them a space to do it
A reading area for your child makes a massive difference in how much they decide to read. A beanbag chair and a couple of massive throw cushions can really make a comfy space to read.
As long as you have good lighting and some bookshelves stuffed with their favorite books, it’s a good place to begin.
The very own cozy reading nook is going to make a big difference to their experience of reading, and that’s what you have to do. You have to give them an experience, not just a book.
2. Teach them how to do it
We’re not talking about going across the ABCs and the words on the page; we’re talking about teaching them how to sit still and pay attention to the book that they’ve got.
Apart from making them a comfy space to sit in, like we just mentioned, you could encourage them to take a snack and a drink with them into their new realm.
Diving into a book is the same as diving into an adventure in a movie. They’re going to be able to see everything unfold in great detail that they can create for themselves in their heads.
3. Encourage them to read everywhere
Reading is not just for books. We talked about the Magic Reading app earlier, but reading is also for menus, movie names, and road signs.
They can practice reading with game instructions. It’s so important that you show your children that reading is everywhere, and it’s not just something that they do once or twice, but wherever they go.
4. Set the example you want them to see
You need to be the role model here. So if you’re trying to encourage your children to read, then why aren’t you cracking open a book from time to time?
Watching you read magazines, newspapers, and books shows your child that really is interesting and important.
All children want to do is impress their parents, and even if they don’t intentionally do it all the time, they want to do things that make you happy.
If they see you sitting around reading a book, they’re going to want to crack one open to be just like you.
5. Bridge the gaps
You can help your children apply what they’re reading to their everyday lives
When they’re reading certain books on puberty, teenagers, or love, you can help to answer questions and develop their understanding of what they’re reading.
Making those connections and bridging those gaps between reality and the book lands are going to make a big difference to how your children perceive books and reading in general
6. Build your own library
We’re not talking about building an actual community center with a library, but what we’re talking about is building your own library at home with shelves full of books that range from all ages.
Giving your child easy access to books and other reading materials at home is a good way to help them understand that reading isn’t just something that they do at school.
Making reading fun is the whole point, and if you can give them access to books that may even be beyond their current comprehension, they can build up to it.
7. Visit the library
There is no real excuse to say that they can’t have new books when libraries allow you to borrow them for free.
Making reading fun is so much easier with a library card because you don’t just get access to books; you get access to audiobooks, book reading groups, and craft groups.
You can take advantage of the selection at the local library and allow your child to pick out books that catch their attention.
8. Talk about what they’re reading
After they’ve finished a book, have a conversation about what happened and ask them what their favorite part was.
Talk about their favorite characters and help them to enhance their comprehension skills. If you make reading a family activity, they’re going to be more likely to dive into it.
9. Read to your children every night
If you make reading part of your child’s nighttime routine, they’ll be learning how to read with you.
They will follow along with your voice and the words on the page, and they’ll start to make sense of the letters and the sounds that they make.
This is a habit that helps your child learn to associate reading with relaxation.
