How to Make Reading a Regular Habit for Your Kids

Learning to read is an exciting activity for a young child, and it promotes future academic success by stimulating brain growth in key areas such as word recognition, pronunciation, and concentration. A busy family life can make reading time hard to squeeze in, though, and many children lose their enthusiasm for reading when they start school and no longer see it as a fun activity. There are many tried-and-true ways to keep books interesting to your kids, so experiment with a few of these and see how easy this healthy habit can be to develop in your household.

Ten Ways to Keep Them Reading

Reading can be fun at any time of the day. You could try reading to your child as the day starts, instead of when it is time for bed. Many children are more alert and attentive at the beginning of the day and might find this a better time to explore a book.

Kids love to imitate adults and are always noticing and modeling your behavior, even when you don’t know it. You should be reading books, too, and do it in an area of the house where your kids can watch you.

Reading should never be associated with anything unpleasant, or children will be conditioned to avoid it, so don’t make them sit in a corner and read if they have been misbehaving.

Family outings to the library can be a great way to bond with your kids and will help them develop the reading habit. Plus, they will be exposed to a wide variety of books, and the special programs at the library will make reading more entertaining.

Giving books as gifts will accentuate the importance of reading and also make a book seem like a valuable and interesting possession. 

Try reading a book at the same time your child reads it so you can talk about it and even read parts aloud to each other. You will discover many ideas and imaginings together while doing this.

Join a book club to share your favorite books with others and their children and learn about new ones from them. Discussing what you like about books will deepen the experience and enhance social skills of adults and children alike.

Children love rewards, so if they read a whole book, do something special for them; maybe go out to their favorite restaurant or give them a little gift like some bookmarks with their favorite characters on them.

Reading doesn’t need to be passive. Encourage kids to craft their own stories and then read these original compositions to each other.

Holidays are great opportunities to incorporate reading. Develop a tradition of reading special books during those times.

Personalize the Reading Experience

Reading with your child or having children read to one another builds interpersonal connections that enhance social skills and make the reading experience richer and more engaging. Today’s digital media makes this easier than ever, since you can order books to beprinted that have your child’s personal stories, people, and experiences tailored into the story. Check online to find fun ways to do this, and reading will become your child’s new avenue to self-expression.