Ways To Motivate Your Kids To Read At Home
The National Assessment of Educational Progress has rated reading skills among children of school-going age. It said less than 40% of kids have reading proficiency.
A further breakdown makes it clearer to understand; 24% of children in the 8th grade across the country can read with comprehension. Meanwhile, 32% of 4th graders do well at reading.
Without a doubt, the statistics seem pretty worrying, but there is some hope, and that begins with you.
You can homeschool your kids and encourage them to read at home to build their proficiency.
Below are a few tips on
how to motivate your kids to read.
- Provide access to books
Making a conscious effort to make books accessible and available is an excellent way to begin.
First of all, create a home library your child can reach for. Apart from setting up one at home, make it a habit to step out to the community library with your children. Always ensure you choose an age-appropriate aisle or section.
According to reading specialists, if your child is below age six years, your focus should be on colorful picture books with a visual appeal.
Additionally, these reading books must have vibrant images or cartoons whose actions depict what has been described on each page.
Children learn through play, and you can make early reading an exciting play session at home. It doesn’t take much to come up with creative ideas to encourage reading at home.
- Get them into reading book series
There is nothing more exciting than creating suspense in a book, and that is what book series offers. This is particularly significant for your six to ten-year-olds.
Book series are reading materials that focus on particular characters engaged in different activities. Your child will build an interest in knowing what their favorite character is up to next.
Naturally, yearning for what comes next creates a reading habit your kids will grow up with.
Furthermore, reading more books builds their proficiency and expands their vocabulary. Sometimes, though, reading can be a real challenge for early learners.
This can be due to a learning disorder known as dyslexia. Once that is detected, there are several approved books for kids with dyslexia that you will find helpful.
- Look for a variety of reading materials
Even with kids’ books, there are countless genres to select from, but the key is to introduce each one gradually. You don’t want your children feeling overwhelmed with the number of genres available.
For example, comic books, joke books, graphic novels (they come in age-appropriate content), etc., will create an opportunity for your child to decide which one appeals to them most.
However, even though you want to motivate them to read, try to encourage an appreciation for all genres. That will build their reading capacity faster.
- Praise their progress and provide positive feedback
When you notice your kids making progress with their reading skills, let them see and feel your pride.
Positive feedback is a natural morale booster. In some cases, they are even more significant than physical rewards. Furthermore, as you continue to praise their progress, establish personal reading times for your kids.
Before you know it, they will become adventurous in their book choices.
Knowing how to read and do it with comprehension is the fundamental step to learning. Therefore, you have a responsibility to help your child build this habit at home.