How to Encourage Your Children to Fall in Love with Reading
Few gifts are as valuable and last as long as the love of reading. When children and people read and enjoy books, they are opening endless doors for themselves and their future. They are gaining skills and hopefully enjoying themselves in the process.
For some children, it may take time and encouragement to get them to enjoy and appreciate reading, reported the NYT. In a world that values screens, it can sometimes take getting used to the world of words and paper. Encouraging reading is more about creating positive, engaging and meaningful experiences. Passing on the magic of reading can be easier and simpler than you thought.
Creating a Reading-Friendly Environment
One of the most powerful ways to encourage children to read is by example. Children are more likely to read and enjoy reading if they see the adults and people around them reading, reading aloud and having fun with it. When they see reading as a pleasure and not as pressure, it will create positive associations and it is way more likely for them to choose to take a book off the shelf.
Speaking of taking books off the shelf, creating an attractive and accessible place for children to take books from and sit and read can be key. Children are more likely to go for reading if the environment fits their needs. Books on low places that they can access and a comfortable couch with maybe even a cozy blanket can do wonders to encourage young readers to spend time with books.
Making Reading Fun
Good Housekeeping also recommends having books on subjects that already interest your child are a great idea and a great way to encourage reading. If your child is into soccer or any other sport, find books on those topics or about famous soccer players. Every child and every person can have their own reading journey, which means that they don’t have to be into long novels or classics. If the goal is reading, the topic is less important. Reading is reading!
Younger children may enjoy books with lots of pictures and then maybe move on to comic books. Read-alongs can also be great for kids that are young and beginners, according to Parents. The magazine recommends using apps such as Audible to make books easily accessible.
Audiobooks are here to stay, and they can be a great way to get kids into reading and into the world of books and literature. Using technology that is available to you can be a great way to bridge the gap between getting a child from zero interest in reading to starting to warm up to it. Who knows, perhaps they will be enjoying it sooner than you thought.
Encouraging your child to read can take patience, but it can also be incredibly rewarding and worthwhile. By surrounding your children with books and honoring their interests, as well as celebrating their progress, you have a recipe to success. Over time, these small joyful moments with books can become meaningful positive habits and memories that can stay and support your child for years to come.
