Give Your Child a Love for Reading

Do you enjoy spending your time reading? Do you have a difficult time putting a good book down? Many people often find a good book helps them to escape their problems for a little while. If you want to pass down your love of reading to your children, you will want to start early.

When your child is young, even an infant, get them set up on a reading schedule. Start out with your infant by reading to them every evening at bedtime. Even if they do not understand what you are reading, they will find your voice comforting. You can read anything to them at this age: the newspaper, a magazine, or a book you will enjoy. By making it a habit to read every night, you will find that your child will look forward to it.

As your child becomes a little older, around one or two, you can pick out books they will enjoy reading. While it is always best to buy their favorites, you will find a visit to the library will be an exciting weekly ritual for your child. Many libraries will often hold special reading sessions for younger children and other events where they may even be able to dress up as their favorite book character.

To help your child have a love of reading, you can set up a special reading area in your home. This area should be a quiet space out of the way of the busy traffic in the home. The area should provide comfortable places to sit, such as a small sofa or even beanbags scattered around. In the reading area, you can place a bookcase where all their favorite books can be displayed, as well as some special comfort toys, such as a teddy bear. By creating a warm, relaxing atmosphere, you will give them a quiet space where they can escape into the world of the books.

When helping your child to read, you will want to help them to sound out the words slowly. There are also many education programs you can purchase for your child. When my son was in first grade and my daughter was four, I purchased Hooked On Phonics for them. Within a six month period, my son had improved his reading by at least a grade level and when my daughter entered kindergarten, she was reading on a sixth grade level. Now, at ages 22 and 20, they both still love to read.

Even if you can not purchase any educational tools to help your child learn how to read, you will find that by instilling a love of books in them, they will be motivated to learn how to read themselves and will look forward to reading to you instead. The most important thing you can do for your child is to give them a head start and give them escape by giving them a love for reading.