What to do to raise readers?
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Anonymous
| DD 5 has started reading recently. We have a lot of books at home, and we go to the library for new books every other week or so. She is so happy and excited about reading and I want to encourage it especially as she gets older. I read to her every night for about 20 minutes, and she reads herself during the day (remote school now) and after I put her to bed. Anything else I can do? It’s so cute, I didn’t anticipate how fun this stage would be. |
Anonymous
| Just keep reading and finding her books. Don't reward her for reading--let reading be its own reward, as it is right now. |
Anonymous
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Advice: don't obsess about raising a reader. If its something she naturally does and enjoys GREAT. But dont fool yourself into thinking you are shaping her interest in reading. You are _supporting_ it. Which is great.
You would be surprised how quickly she is going to pick up on any aspect of you being overly concerned with how much she is reading. They are VERY perceptive at this age. It sounds like this is your first child so you don't know yet, but you will see. If she changes her interests, and reads somewhat less in exchange for another activity, DO NOT register disappointment in her or you could set her up for a feeling of failure around reading, something she used to enjoy. |
Anonymous
| You’re doing the right thing. My parents read to my kids virtually via the Caribou app and that also encourages them. |
Anonymous
| You are doing all the right things. Keep up the frequent library trips as she gets older and let her pick whatever she wants- even if it is below her level or not very educational or what not. You are fostering an interesting reading and at a young age, just having them being excited and enthusiastic about reading anything at all is the most important thing. |
Anonymous
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Do what you're doing ... lots of reading together, have unread books around so they're always available. Don't act controlling or judgmental about the types of books your kid reads -- just let her follow her interests. (Unless, of course, it is totally offensive or inappropriate for her age!)
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Anonymous
| Do you read for fun? Does she see you reading for fun? Do you read to her because you think it's good for her or because you like reading? Kids pick up on this stuff. Reading is more fun the better you are, and you get better by reading. So read to her and with her, without pressure. |
Anonymous
let her read and rearead whatever she wants, don't say "it is too easy for you," Display books in various places around the house with fronts facing out as much as possible. Just put out some baskets that the books can face out- kitchen, bathroom, your office is he/she hangs with you there. Just pick different spots. This leads to WAY more pick ups. You can check out books that she hasnt' read or some favorites- mix it up. Let your child pick out the books your read at tnight. You can keep reading aloud well into middle (and i know high schoolers who do books with parents some too- more current event, etc and it becoems more discussions, conversations. If you go to the library, get books about things that relate to something - holiday, car trip, fave animal etc. |
Anonymous
| Bring along books as your "go to" for waiting times -- restaurants, doctors offices, errands -- you know, back in the day when we left the house to do things. Better than giving them your phone. Now my kids regular bring books along for anything and it's their default boredom solution. |
Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
+! |
Anonymous
| Give her many opportunities to be bored. When kids are bored, they read. Don't ever let her fill boredom with screen time, that'll be the end of her reading (mom to older teens who both read a ton -- I limited screens as much as I could when they were younger because it gets much harder when they're teens.) |
Anonymous
Yes, in restaurants too, we never let my kids use screens, but they could always bring a book or coloring books. |
Anonymous
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That's great, OP!
The secret to having kids love books is to love books yourself. They don't need parents who read to them as much as they need to see those parents read for themselves, for pleasure, and choose to to do so when they could be doing something else. Imitation does the rest. So leverage that. Instead of reading to yourself, after their bedtime or when they're away, you read when they can see you read. I've messed up a few dinners because I couldn't put my book down. Quote passages to them, and explain what you love about them. My kids have actually fallen off their chairs laughing when I read aloud a few hilarious Bill Bryson lines, for example. |
Anonymous
| Books everywhere and minimal screen time. That way they pick up a book instead of a screen. Also, follow her interests in non-fiction and fiction. If she gets really into fish get her books on coral reefs. Vary the books you have on display in the house by season. I rotate ours every month or so. Keep looking for high quality literature for her, not just those fairy or puppy series but also poetry, myths, folktales from different cultures, the DK books about children around the world. Reading is about expanding the breadth of your experience and expression. Have fun! |