1)
Read with your child – Taking the time to relax
with your child and read a chapter or two is a great way to show your interest
in their books. If your child is at the
age where reading with you is not “cool”, then sit with them and ask about what
they just read. It is a great exercise
for them to transfer what they just read and articulate it into a short
version. The other benefit, you are
spending quality time with your child.
2)
Let them read what interests them – Not every
child wants to read “Tom Sawyer” or “To Kill A Mockingbird”. Trying to force your child to read something
that does not interest them will only make the experience an exercise, not
enjoyable. You may not think the book is
educational, but if your child wants to read a book about sports or the Justin Bieber
story let them. It is the behaviour of
reading that you want to create, not every book has to be educational. Practicing reading is the key; any book can
provide that for them. Sometimes even a
good comic can provide the same goal.
3)
Get your
child to ask for suggestions – Teachers, librarians, and even their friends can
recommend books that will be of interest and will engage them.
4)
Use any opportunity to make them read – Having
breakfast with your child, ask them to read you something from the box. Don’t make it an exercise, ask them to help
you by reading it while you are busy doing something else. See a great article on Twitter, get them to
read it to you while you are cleaning up after supper or while doing something
around the house. Again, if you approach
it as “can you help me while I finish this…”, your child will be willing to
read it. Even the smallest reading
experiences help with their overall comfort with reading.
5)
Don’t nag them – Do you like when someone hounds
you? Even if you know something must be
done, do you like when someone continues to pressure you? So what makes you think that nagging your
child to read is going to make them like it?
Put the fun back into it by picking up a book of jokes or humour, and
reading it together at night. Let them
know that it is their choice, but if you use some of the tips above they will
enjoy spending 15 to 30 minutes reading every night.
It is hard to be a parent and
compete with all the fun things a child can do.
Getting your child to read takes effort on your part, but once you have
created a habit that they enjoy you will have developed an avid reader. Then you can sit back and enjoy a book
yourself.
