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Use these tips to help build a love of reading in your child:
Read to him
Begin reading to your baby even before he can speak and keep it up as he grows older, for as long as he wants you to. This simple step usually creates a reader for life.
Let him see you reading
Your own reading shows him that reading is important and enjoyable to you, and he’ll likely do the same.
Get him to start a book club
Kids always find something cooler if their friends are doing it. Plant the idea of starting a book club among his friends. Take them to the library and get them to choose their books and name their club.
The benefits are great: your child will be reading and he’ll be spending enjoyable time with his friends.
Hit the road
Audio books are a fantastic tool for breaking up the monotony of long road trips. Decide as a family which books you’d like to read and listen to and then play the tapes on your trip.
Read everything
He doesn’t have to read just books. Newspapers and magazines often incorporate kid-friendly sections that make for easy reading.
- Get him to read out a recipe while you cook or ask him to read out instruction leaflets while you’re putting together a DIY project.
- The backs of DVDs and CDs are also great reading material.
- Take him shopping and make him write and read out the grocery list, ask him to read out signs on roads and so on. Even reading the back of the cereal box helps.
Offer incentives
If reading is a battle, offer a reward to help get him into the habit. A star chart might help. Make the goals small and manageable; a chapter a day for instance.
The Hollywood trend of remaking books into motion pictures can also be used to your benefit. After a book has been completed, reward your child by taking him to see the movie version. Discuss the differences on screen and on page.
