Are you looking for ways to increase literacy and build a love of reading? These must try strategies will help you to build a strong foundation and guarantee you are raising a reader—a child who loves and enjoys books!
Learning to read is an exciting and important step in every child's life. You, as the parent, play a critical role in developing your child's love of reading As an educator, I know first-hand the importance of being a strong reader and I am giving you my absolute best tips for raising a reader.
These five tips will show you how to encourage your child to read and instill a lifelong love of reading in his or her heart and mind.
This post is all about raising a reader and how to instill a love of reading within your child.
5 EASY TIPS FOR RAISING A READER
1. Read, Read, and Read Some More
Experts say that you should read to your children every day starting from birth.
In those early newborn days, this is a tall order. You're exhausted, cranky, and already have a million and one things to do, You might be secretly (or not so secretly) thinking, "But my baby can't even really see yet! What's the big deal?" While reading to your baby seems to be yet another thing added to your never-ending to-do list, you can and should fit it in!
Reading to your child, as often and much as possible, is truly one of the most important things you can do for his or her cognitive development. Your child will learn so much from simply looking at the pictures, not to mention the myriad of benefits from reading the actual text: new vocabulary words, voice intonation, rhythm, and cadence of language. Modeling reading books also allows your child to get familiar with big concepts like, reading from left to right and turning the page.
Try to make reading books part of your routine. Naps and bedtime are a great place to start since baby will already be nestled on your lap. Another fun place to incorporate books is in the bathtub! There are plenty of bathtime books available and are a great way to mix up bath time play and incorporate some reading! When raising a reader, reading—anywhere and everywhere is the most important thing!
2. Read age- and developmentally-appropriate books.
There are quite literally millions of children's books from which to choose—it can be overwhelming. Introducing the right book at the right stage of development is important. For example, newborns' vision is quite poor, so bright, multi-colored picture books will be lost on them. In contrast, a toddler is very drawn to colorful images and is developmentally ready to follow a (simple) plot or storyline.
For newborns:
Start with thick board books with high-contrasting black and white images. Many of these books will have few to no words. That's okay! I absolutely loved these board books and so did both of my kids!
Of course, you will need to hold the book for your child. At this stage of development, your baby lacks the strength and fine motor skills to hold a heavy board book.
Another great option is soft, cloth books or books that crinkle. These are safe to give to baby, with supervision, of course.
For Toddlers:
As your baby grows so does the choice and variety of books you can offer him or her! From the classics like The Very Hungry Caterpillar to books about introducing new topics like becoming a big brother,—the possibilities are endless!
You know your child best! Choose books relevant to his interests. If you're not sure what those interests are, think about his favorite toy and find a book about it. For example, if he loves his stuffed giraffe, why not read Giraffes Can't Dance?
Choose books related to farm animals and farm noises which are great tools for your child's speech development. Choose books with relatively simple plot lines and not too many words per page as to not overwhelm your child.
3. Build your child's "library."
Begin building a library for your child with a variety of different books in all sizes, types, and colors, and most importantly have them readily available. Do not store the books on a high shelf or tucked away in a closet. You want them to be freely accessible so that your child can see them and acknowledge them as part of his or her everyday life.
It should go without saying, always store your books safely. Do not stack books in freestanding piles where your child may topple them over.
Low, cube bookshelves are great because they hold a ton of books and are safe for toddlers when they are anchored to the wall properly. We use these in our kids' playroom!
Another great option is a slim bookcase. Aesthetically these look better but in a practical sense they hold far fewer books and, in my experience, our kids had a much harder time getting the books in and out. But they are so darn pretty! Because of this, they make a great option to use in bedrooms or nurseries
Okay, but wait. Where do you get all of these books? Won't it be super expensive?
Not necessarily!
If you're anything like me you buy 99.99% of your things on Amazon. And yes, Amazon is a great option to find great books!
Where to find books for cheap:
- Your local dollar tree—These can be hit or miss but I have some great books with themes based on teaching honesty, integrity, and sharing
- Your local bargain stores—In my area we have a store called Ollies and they have TONS of discounted books. I don't go often, but when I do, I stock up on books for my kids!
- Your local library—Local libraries offer tons of resources! Not only can you borrow multiple books for free, many offer programs specifically designed for toddlers such as toddler story time or craft activities.
- Thrift Books—Thrift Books is an online bookstore that sells millions of new and used books. They have all genres and age levels, so while you're there, pick up a book or two for yourself. You deserve it, mama!
- Dolly Parton's Imagination Library—I truly saved the best for last! As if we need another reason to love Dolly Parton! Her Imagination Library program is amazing. Her goal is to provide every child with a free book every month from ages 0 to 5 years old to ensure that every child by the time he or she enters kindergarten has a library of 60 books. If you haven't heard of this program yet, go now. Don't walk, run! Click the link and scroll to the red button that says "check availability." Input your address and the website will connect you to your local chapter of the organization (if available in your area). Sadly, this remarkable program isn't offered everywhere yet, but they are constantly expanding so keep checking the website if you're area isn't registered yet!
Pro tip: Be sure to register each child individually. Children in different age groups receive different books (remember I talked about choosing a developmentally appropriate book for your child?) Every child is entitled to receive his or her own book every month. It is not limited to one book per household!
3. Allow your child to choose the book.
Another tip on how to read with your child is to allow him or her to choose the book. This is extremely important when raising a reader.
Do you remember, in high school, when your English teacher passed out a dusty old novel and assigned you to read it? A book that was way too thick—in your humble opinion—and had no relevance whatsoever to your drama-filled teenage life. Did you just groan a little bit? Or roll your eyes?
Even if you enjoy reading, being forced to read something is never fun. Sure, you might plow through and eventually come to like said book, but initially, there is always resistance. And sure, there is a time and place for assigned reading, but not when your child is young and still building a love for reading. Forcing books on a child is leeching the fun out something of that should be enjoyable. Remember our goal: raising a reader.
Allowing a child to choose a book will automatically guarantee (or at the very least, increase his or her interest) because it's what he or she chose After all, would you choose something to read if you weren't interested in it in some form or fashion?
In addition, book choice gives your child autonomy. Often, children feel that they have little say in what's happening around them—from being told what to wear, what to eat, and when to eat it—they don't have much say in their environment or their life. Absolutely, it's our jobs as parents to take care of and provide for our kids, but by giving our kids a choice with little things—like what book they read at night before bedtime—boosts their self-confidence and gives them a feeling of control.
And don't worry if your child constantly selects the same book or two. This is 10000% normal and how he or she learns! So while it may be a bit boring for you, your child is soaking it all up!
5. Practice what you preach!
Financial expert Rachel Cruze likes to say, "More is caught than taught" and it couldn't be more true. Your kids will mimic what you do not what you say.
Model what being a reader looks like. Don't stress if you don't consider yourself "a reader" or "don't have time to read." Reading comes in all forms, shapes, and sizes—reading the news on your phone while sipping your morning coffee, checking out a blog post online, or reaching for your favorite gossip magazine—it all counts! From books to Kindles to magazines and newspapers the point is to have reading materials ready and available. Allow your children to see you reading and then, share stories about what you read.
You will be surprised how much your child will pick up! My (almost) four-year-old son repeatedly reaches for my Kindle if I leave it within his reach and "reads" just like he sees Mommy doing!
This post was all about raising a reader and the benefits of reading to your child!
