Every parent has experienced the battle between “do this, it’s good for you” and the child’s “but I don’t want to!” So how do we encourage reading without pushing too much and facing resistance? Here are a few suggestions:
Avoid commenting on the level of the book.
Yes, there are times when your child will need to push themselves to read something harder or at their appropriate level for school reading, but if you child is choosing to a read a book on their own….let them! They chose to read. Maybe the book is too young for them, but maybe they find comfort in revisiting a favorite character. One of my children read the same book many times. I tried suggesting something else, but if she was going to read for her own enjoyment, she liked visiting those characters again.
Do a family read aloud.
Take turns reading the book out loud. See who can come up with the best voices for each character. Have your child sit next to you so they hear the story while looking at the words on the page. This is a great way to start a book a child might be hesitant to read because there are more words on the page or bigger words than they are used to seeing in books. If you don’t know how to pronounce a word, mispronounce it. Let them know it’s ok to not know how to pronounce the word. The first time I read Harry Potter, I struggled with Hermione. I had never seen that name before and had not yet seen the movies.
Check out library programs.
The library is an incredible resource. They have so many classes and programs that revolve around books. Tell a librarian your favorite book and they will have several suggestions of other books you will likely enjoy. Libraries have family reads, crafts revolving around books, prizes for summer reading, and it’s free!
Ask your child for a book recommendation.
Whenever one of my children would see me reading a book they recommended, it made them so happy. It reinforces that you value the books they enjoy, that you enjoy those books as well. It makes them feel pride in their book selection.
Read the book…watch the movie.
I love this one because a good movie night is always fun. Make popcorn (a special treat in our house is to put some m&m’s in with the popcorn) and watch the movie after you finish the book. Depending on the movie, you can take the theme as big or as small as you would like. Make a meal from the book if there is a lot of food mentioned throughout the story. Take advantage of pinterest…so many great ideas there to make the book come alive through some simple (and some complicated for those who like a challenge) decorations.
Model reading.
Read. Children notice what we do. They notice a lot of things we don’t think they see. Let them see you reading. Tell them about your book. Maybe the story line is not small child appropriate but tell them something about your book. Simply “my book is so good; I can’t wait to see how it ends!” Let them know you are excited to read your book. Children remember the things you dread and the things you enjoy. Showing them your love for reading helps foster their love of reading.
If you have other suggestion on how you make reading fun, please share them!