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Did you know that successful people are readers?
But a love of reading doesn’t happen spontaneously. You must nurture it and get guidance until it becomes part of your everyday life.
For kids to develop a love of reading, parents must put in the effort and practice because it’s something new to them. In fact, kids are more likely to read when they have control of how and what to read. That means you can’t force them. They must feel that their interests are being considered for them to read.
Reading is important in both education and the modern business world where almost everything has gone digital. For that reason, reading needs to be nurtured at a young age.
According to a study, kids who read for pleasure did better in vocabulary, spelling, and math.
Nevertheless, parents still find it challenging to involve their kids in reading.
Here are 7 easy tips for parents to involve their kids in reading.
1. Find Out What Interests Your Kid
As mentioned above, kids are more likely to read when they know their interests are being taken into account, so you need to start by identifying their interests.
Before you start anything, take your time to understand what interests or fascinates your kid. This way, you will be able to know what type of reading he or she likes and dislikes.
2. Start Small
This is where most parents go wrong. A study has shown that parents involve their kids in something they like. For instance, some parents will involve their kids in reading everything related to horseback riding simply because the parent likes riding horses.
The good way to start to involve your kid is to start small by, for example, watching a horse race with your kid. While watching, you can talk about the scores, the horse owners, and those who train the horses.
You can then proceed by watching films about horses the next day. After that, you can then find an article that relates to horse riding.
The idea is to start by making your kid get interested in something fun, and then give him or her something to read related to it.
3. Give Your Kid the Freedom
Your kid is more likely to improve their performance at school when he or she reads for pleasure. But getting your kid to love reading takes into account a lot more things than just giving them an interesting book to read.
Allowing your kid the freedom to choose what they want to read will make them become life-long readers. Whether it’s a novel, magazine, eBooks, or an article, your kid will more likely love to read something they are interested in. It does not need to be related to something they are taught in school. Just let them choose what they read.
4. Read to Your Kid a Lot
You should start reading to your kid at an early age. When you read to your kid, reading becomes a fun activity, and they learn a lot of things from you. When reading to your kid, try to add some drama to make them get interested.
As you teach your kid to read, encourage him or her to help you locate letters of a particular word. You can also ask them to find words related to a sound. For instance, you could ask your kid to show you words that sound like “tree” or “see.”
You could also listen to audiobooks when traveling in the car. Read to your child when they are still at an early age, and read something they love. The more consistently you do it, the more your kid will develop a love of reading.
5. Make Reading Fun
Young kids love fun. Keep reading fun for you and for your kid as well. Remember, to make them enjoy reading, you must make reading more fun and enjoyable. As you read with your kid, keep them engaged by asking questions about what you are reading. Keep silent when they struggle to answer.
Another way to make reading fun is to create stories related to what you are reading. Just ensure the stories you are reading are enjoyable, and then involve your kid in the story by asking questions and having them play the part of actor.
6. Set Time for Reading
Make it a habit for your kid that they read before they go to bed or when traveling, whether they read a novel or a magazine.
Of course, if your kid does enjoy reading, you can start small, with maybe at least 15 minutes of reading a day. Again, remember to read with your kid something he or she loves reading.
7. Do Not Put More Pressure on Your Kid
Sometimes people make a mistake of pressuring their kids to read at an early age. Some parents have found that at the age of four, a kid will more likely read on his own with very little instructions and guidance from parents.
Your aim is to teach your kid to love to read. In that case, it doesn’t matter if your kid expresses things badly at the age of seven. You just need to find ways to make him or her interested in reading, and with time, you will find your child wanting to read even without your presence.
Other Easy Tips for Parents to Involve Their Kids in Reading
Live as an Example
Ever noticed that kids will act or speak the way they see or hear? Yes, if you observe your kid keenly, you will notice some of the things he or she does are things they copied from you.
Kids mimic what we do. For that reason, let them see you reading. Let them know what you are reading. Try to narrate a story you read or are reading. If they see you reading every day, they will think reading is something worth doing every day and they will start to become everyday readers as well.
Try Shared Reading
Shared reading is when you make your child read with you. For instance, you could read one page and your kid reads the second page or you read one sentence and he or she reads the next sentence or even the rest of the chapter.
Shared reading is a very helpful method for reluctant readers. Most parents think that when kids grow, they are supposed to read on their own. That’s not true. Your kid wants to spend quality time with you, so take advantage of that time to involve him or her in reading.
Shared reading could also involve you telling the story of a book and your kid acting it out.
Use Gadgets and Apps
Technology has introduced plenty of creative apps you can install on your smartphone or tablet where your kid can read. But ensure that you do not expose them to online things that might affect their reading. Choose what your kid can access and read.
Praise Your Kid
Your kid will love to read if you show interest in what he or she is reading. Giving your child feedback about their reading can contribute a lot in making them love to read. Always praise them for reading even if it’s something not important or impressive.
Don’t Give Up
Sometimes even when you try your best, your kid still might not show a love of reading. This is where some parents will give up.
But never give up. Try to explore new ways when you see one way not bearing fruits. If you had been using poetry or magazines, try to use other resources.
We hope these easy tips help you with ideas on how to involve your kid in reading.
We would love to hear how you involve your kid in reading in the comment section below.
Happy reading!
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