Encouraging a Love of Reading in Your Child

Kids learn to read at different rates and at different ages. When a child learns to read has little to do with how good of a reader that child will become. The amount of reading either done by the child or with the child has a substantial effect on how good a reader a child is and how much that child will enjoy reading. So, how can you get your child to become a good reader AND one who will learn to love reading?

The first and most important thing you, as a parent, can do, is to read to your child. Read early and read often. Yes, even babies enjoy being read to. Even before baby is born, many parents are reading to their baby. It doesn't matter what you read. Read the newspaper aloud. Read baby books. If choosing the latter, pick durable board or fabric books that the baby can handle without destroying. Let the baby explore the book and learn to love it.

As your child gets older, continue to read. During the preschool years there are many, many great books. Children often like to read the same books over and over again and this is okay. Preschoolers don't have terribly long attention spans so keep it short but regular. For example, read to the child before naptime and before bedtime for 3-5 minutes at a time. It adds up and fosters the love of reading. Don't stop reading to the child as they continue to age. Even when they can read themselves, most children still enjoy the time they spend with parents or loved ones reading a good book.

Modeling the love of reading is also a good way to help your child become a book lover. Let your child see you reading. Again, you can read anything from the newspaper to a magazine to a novel. Make a time in your daily schedule for reading time where everyone in the family has to be reading or looking at books. It can be a time for read alouds or individual silent reading. Just make it a happy time and a time that children will look forward to.

Visit the library frequently and check out books. Find books on subjects that kids enjoy. It may be comic books or it may be picture books. It may be novels about things the kids enjoy or it may be non-fiction on subjects of interest. It really doesn't matter as long as the kids are reading and involved.

Sometimes kids need an extra boost or incentive to help them read more or more often. Pizza Hut offers one such incentive program through schools. Homeschooling parents can also sign up their children for this program by going to the Pizza Hut Book It Website, http://www.bookitprogram.com/ .

In this program, children have to meet reading goals set by their teachers. If the child meets their monthly goal, they are given a certificate to go to Pizza Hut and get a free Personal Pan Pizza. The pizza can be eaten in or taken out of the restaurant and no additional purchase is necessary so it is a win-win situation for everyone.

If your child is not enrolled in this program through his school or if his school does not participate in the program, you can make your own program at home. You can set realistic reading goals for your child and give some sort of prize for meeting the goal. For example, you can set a goal based on the number of books a child reads in a month by telling them how many they have to read or you can set the number of minutes a child must read each day to meet the goal. Whatever works best for your child is good. Prizes can be things like a pizza night or a small present, perhaps even a book! Again, whatever motivates your child is the choice that will be best for your child and family!

If you are not sure what your child should read or if you need suggestions, there are many options for you. You can do an internet search for book lists based on the reading level of your student. You will find many lists of good books. If you are not exactly sure of your child reading level, you can talk to the child's teacher. The teacher may even be able to suggest some books that will be appropriate. Book stores often have lists available of books on different reading levels that you can use to pick out books. Of course, children's librarians are a wealth of information and are usually very willing to help you find the best books for your child, based on interests and reading abilities.

Read with your child and have your child read often. Whatever way you can, it will be an asset to them wherever they go in the future!