It’s January, so everyone is thinking about New Year’s resolutions. One that I hear a lot among my mom friends is wanting to read more, whether it is them personally, or their kids. I have been an avid reader since, well, since I learned how to read. So, I never had the issue of being expected to read more while growing up (if anything, my parents probably wanted me to read less!) But I know it is something many of us want for our kids. With my own experience as a mama to wiggly, impatient kids, and the brief stint I worked for Usborne, I’ve come up with 5 tips to help get your kids reading more, and actually enjoy their time spent reading!
- Make time for reading.
I know everyone is busy, but anyone can find just five minutes in their day to set aside for reading. The important thing is to pick a time and add it to your routine. Maybe you will read one book right before bed, or right after dinner. Pick whatever will fit best into your family’s schedule. Of course, impromptu reading time is great as well, but if you have a specific “book time” you know you will get it done. - Make it easy.
By this, I don’t mean that reading isn’t hard. I just mean remove any obstacles to getting to the point of reading. Making time to read is harder to do when you have to go out of your way to find something to read.
-Have books in several rooms of the house (or all the rooms!). We have books in the living room and the boys’ bedroom on purpose. We also end up with books in the kitchen almost 100% of the time, and Sam will often take a book to bed so he can sleep with it.
-Take advantage of the different formats. If you love the feel of the book in your hands and turning physical pages, make sure your bookshelves are stuffed. If you are a family that uses tablets and e-readers, or don’t have a lot of room (hello apartment living), make sure you have tons of ebooks downloaded onto devices. - Make reading fun.
There are so many ways to do this.
-Poet Maya Angelou said, “If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.” Start by finding books on topics your kids enjoy. In my house, it’s dinos, trucks, and dragons. And whatever other thing has their attention for the week. Let your kids read things that they can get excited about! Take them to the library, get them their very own library card (a very big kid thing to have!), and let them pick out the books they want to take home.
-Make reading a family activity. For younger kids that don’t know how to read yet, reading aloud to them can be a special bonding time. But even with older kids, you can either read your own book next to them or, if they will let you, read aloud to them. Studies show there are many benefits to reading aloud to kids years beyond when they learn how to read themselves.
-Do fun voices, let your kiddos act out the story with their stuffed animals, or let them take the lead in turning pages. These are all ways to bring your child into the story more. -
Be patient.
Especially when reading to younger kids, patience is very important, and often very hard to hold on to.
-Don’t make them sit still through the whole story. Typical story time at my house involves the boys running around playing with other toys. I know they are listening though, because I get yelled at if I stop.
-If your kiddos DO sit with you and want to turn the pages, let them. Even if they turn three at a time. Kids LOVE getting to be in charge, and if you just need to get the full story, you can read it again after they are on to the next activity. (I’ve reread my share of picture books that the boys don’t let me fully enjoy!)
-And finally, don’t get upset if you can’t finish the book. We all know kids can jump to a new activity in moments. They will come back to the book when they are ready, or it can just wait until next time. - Don’t make it a chore or punishment.
How children view reading comes in large part from how those around them treat reading. If they see you reading for fun, they are more likely to want to read for fun. If you use reading as a chore (you HAVE to read 5 minutes every day) instead of a fun activity, they will not view it as something enjoyable. If you have rules like ‘you must read before you can have screen time’, reading is practically a punishment. Though I would love to have that be a rule in my house, I’d rather that my boys choose to read first, or know that they will read later, because they have been shown how enjoyable reading is.
I hope you found something useful for your New Year’s reading goals. And though this was geared more towards getting children to read, just about all of these can be applied to us adults, too!
I’d love to hear any other tips you have, or what works with your family. Send me an email or comment below!