Right now, it's pretty easy for me to get my kids to read. They're so young, they don't have much choice:) (As a reminder, I have a nine-month-old and a 33-month-old.) They really do enjoy reading though. We just make sure that our kids see us reading, too - and we make reading fun. My husband gets really imaginative when he reads, using great voices and inflection. It's enough to keep the baby entertained even though she doesn't really know what's going on. We've also got our toddler participating in the stories too. We'll ask her questions, and when we're reading her favorite books, we'll encourage her to "help" read by letting her do the repeated words, or the ends of rhymes. She loves it.
I know as kids my brothers and I were all different. My youngest brother didn't really like to read, and my other brother and I loved it. So my mom didn't really have to "try" to get us to read, like she did with him. Here are some strategies that she used with him, and also strategies that friends and family members of mine have used. (Some of these strategies are expansions of what I posted a few weeks ago).
- Use books to barter for screen time. My cousins love watching TV and playing video games. They now have to read books for as long as they want to have screen time. They actually have read way more than they've watched anything (my aunt says they have a "bank" of several hours right now).
- Tie it to relevant privileges, like being able to read 15 minutes past the official bedtime.
- Sign your kids up for local reading programs. Many libraries and bookstores have them, including Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Half Price Books. Attend local story time too, at bookstores or libraries, to make the books come alive.
- Get your kid really into the books. If you're reading a book that takes place in a certain time period, then help them find out more about what life was like at that time by visiting a museum. If certain foods are mentioned, try cooking them. If it's a book about a certain country or culture, then try to find ways to learn more about the culture, by interviewing someone, going online to do research, finding a museum, or more.
- Let your kids watch movies based on books - but only after they've read the books. Then, play movie critic. Which was better? Why? What was different between the book and movie? Did the movie match the mental picture your child formed from the book?
And make sure your kids see you reading, too!
“I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms blogging program to be eligible to get an "I Can Read!" book. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”
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