Get Your Kids to Enjoy Reading With These Tips

Ever hear "do I have to?" or "that's so boring!" from your kids when trying to get them to read? It's pretty common. A lot of kids would rather have their eyebrows plucked than read a book. It can be changed, though. How? It's not as hard as you may think.

Read to them. According to researchers, the single most important factor in building the knowledge and desire for success in reading is reading aloud to children. Introduce books early, even toddlers like to flip the pages and look at pictures. Rhyming books are very good for this age group. For older kids, pick a subject they enjoy, dinosaurs and knights come to mind, though by no means limit yourself to those topics. Read the stories to them, or alternate paragraphs or pages, letting them read parts and you the other parts.

For older children, another trick is to let them read to you. Follow along with them as they read, and help them with difficult words that they might not have encountered before. One handicap to reading comprehension is simply sounding out the word. Help with difficult words by explaining the context the word is used in and let the child try to decide what the word might be. You may very well have to sound it out with them, but if they understand what the word actually means as opposed to what it says, they'll be much better off.

Be enthusiastic. When reading to children, voice each character differently. Create a sense of drama or comedy where appropriate. Children will be more passionate about reading if they feel involve in the story. A simple, dry retelling just won't do the job; make the story come to life for your kids.

Re-read your child's favorite stories; younger children often ask for the same story again and again. Stop reading when your child loses interest. Young children have a short attention span; forcing them to read beyond that will do more harm than good. Short sessions can be very effective with young readers. Be patient with your child.

Praise your child. Making them feel good about their reading skills will make them want to read more, and be much more confident. Positive reinforcement makes reading feel fun; learning will be fun and rewarding.

Let your child see you reading a book. Children are much more likely to read if they see their parents doing so. Be a good example.

Ask your child questions about the story when you're finished, but don't be too hard on them. As long as they can tell you what the story was about, then they are at least paying attention. Give them time to comment on what they learn from the book. Try to relate the story to an experience the child has had.

Let your child pick what you read. Take them to the library or the book store and let them flip through the pages. See what piques their interest. For my 7 year old, it was the Captain Underpants series; he just went nuts over it. So see where their interest leads them; you'll be surprised and gratified by the change in their reading.

Another idea would be finding a magazine subscription geared toward their interests and age group. There are thousands of worthy magazines out there just waiting for your child to pick up an issue. Most children's magazines have informative but not over lengthy articles, captivating pictures and kid friendly layouts.