10 Steps to Raise Readers Who Love to Read

I love to read, my kids love to read, and my grandkids love to read.

The joy that I have when I watch my children reading to their children and passing on the gift of loving to read, there is not a better feeling in the world!

So how does this happen?

The first thing is to give books for baby shower gifts. It won’t be the “flashy” gift but later Mom’s will come up to you and say, “That was the best gift I received, thank you so much!”

The next secret is to read truckloads of books to children from birth on. Books become second nature. They are “toys” that bring a ton of joy. When my kids were younger I would go to the library with a suitcase. The hardest thing, I found, was to have enough books when they were young.

Have books everywhere! In the car, in the bathroom, in a child’s bedroom, the basement, outside, and any other place you can think of to put books.

Give books as gifts. Books are a treasure and to open a good book as a gift is always exciting. Purchase books on vacation too, when you have just experienced a great experience buy a book that will further the adventure!

Make reading books fun! Dress up, use silly voices when reading out loud, snuggle up, make dinner around a book, dance as you read, make books come to life, let your imagination run wild, and have fun reading.

TIPS TO HELP RAISE A READER:

1. Read Every Day to Your Child
   It is just part of the day. It may be in the morning, outside in the afternoon, at bedtime, or all three times, anytime is a good time to read.
2. Be a Reader
   When your kids see you reading they will want to do the same.
3. Keep Books Everywhere
   When books are everywhere it is an easy choice, kids head straight for the books.
4. Make the Library Part of Your Routine
   Going to the library is always a treat. We would spend a lot of time discovering new books. After words we would stop and get ice cream and start to read our favorite book.
5. Listen to Audio books
   When we would go on vacation it was usually driving so everyone got to pick books on tape they would like to listen to. Over the years I have listened to books I never would have picked but ended up enjoying them and learned something in the process. The various audio books are still refereed to when we talk about trips, “Remember the time when we were listening to the book…”
   When young children are first learning to read and before kids learn to read, they love to listen to books on tape. They love to follow along and turn the pages. They are doing it on their own, gaining book and word knowledge, and listening to fluent readers.
6. Pick The Right Level Books
   Once kids start reading pick books that are just right for them and subjects they love. There is nothing more frustrating than reading books that are to hard or boring. Let kids see you stop reading a book because it was not right for you. Talk about why you stopped reading the book; the characters where not interesting, the writing was not your style, you thought the book would be about something different, or you just did not like the book.
7. Book Conversations
   At the dinner table (breakfast or lunch too), talk about books you are reading. Ask questions about the books kids are reading. Read the books your kids are reading and the conversations can get really lively.
8. Go to Book Events
   We were REALLY lucky to have the “Harry Potter” series come out when my son was growing up! We would search out just the right place to go to purchase the book at midnight. Through the years we dressed up as characters, had parties, went on a train ride, played games, and anticipated the “new” books arrival. This could still be done with various series of books with friend and family. Book events and parties are always a fun activity!
9. Subscribe to Magazines
   My daughter loved fashion so we would subscribe to various magazines she enjoyed. She would devour the magazines and share tips with us. Whatever kids like to read…let them read it!

Expand A Child’s World! You can go anywhere in a book! So read, discover, explore and read some more!