6 Easy Ways to Foster a Love of Reading in Children

Both times I was home on maternity leave, I watched entirely too much TV, and it seemed like every five minutes, an infomercial was popping up about teaching my baby to read. There were literally babies under age two “reading”. As a new mom, I started getting panicked, thinking, “Should I order this?” “Should my baby learn to read before he can talk?” “Are other kids going to be reading Harry Potter by age 3?”

I came to a conclusion both times. I don’t care if my baby learns to read years before what’s developmentally appropriate, but I do care that he loves books and grows up loving to read.

We know that the brain develops most rapidly before the age of five, so it’s imperative that we as parents work extremely hard to expose our little ones to books, vocabulary, and enriching life experiences.

Below are six easy and inexpensive ways to foster early literacy and a love of literature in your own home.

1. ·       Be a model reader. Our children absorb everything we do, the good and the bad. If Mommy and Daddy are reading, they will become curious about books. This curiosity will peak their interest in reading.
2. ·       Visit libraries and bookstores often so that your children can see people of all races, ages, and socioeconomic statuses reading books. This will teach them that reading is cool beyond their own home.
3. ·      Increase vocabulary and background knowledge by constantly talking to your children about the world around them. Expose them to as many different experiences as possible.This will allow them to make connections when reading and enhance comprehension.
4. ·         Be spontaneous and creative. Read at the park. When on a summer trip to the beach or a lake, designate an hour every afternoon to turn off the technology and read. Listen to books on tape/CD when in the car for long periods of time. Give them bookstore gift cards so they can pick out their own books. Always let them know the feel a book in their hands, but also take advantage of virtual literature.
5. ·        Watch your children closely and know them as readers. What do they enjoy reading? When do they enjoy reading? Are they struggling with a reading skill? Do they favor a particular genre? All of this information will help you foster a love of books and reading in your child.
6. ·        Always, always have books around. The amazing public library system that we have in our country makes it impossible for parents to say, “We just don’t have access to books.” Yes, you do! We all do. A library card is free, the books are free, learning is free, yet so extremely important.

Children do not need materialistic items or expensive clothing or an overbooked schedule, but what they do need are knowledge and a love of learning. We can give these to them so easily and freely. Read to and with your children as much as you can. The impact on their entire lives is immeasurable.

 

I wrote a column similar to this blog post in the October 2013 edition of WNC Parent.