Encouraging children to read has been a parental challenge since books were invented. In the modern world, it can be increasingly more difficult as children are more involved with technology than ever before. The ability to read though is still just as important as it ever has been and for some parents, encouraging their child to read can be a real challenge. This article is going to look at some of the most effective ways you can encourage your child to read.
Read together
There is an endless amount of research that indicates reading together will play a big part on your child’s enthusiasm for reading. Your interest and feedback will have a strong influence on how motivated your child is about reading.
Surround them with reading material
Nothing is more important in trying to encourage your child to read than making reading material accessible. Keep a collection of reading material at home for them to browse and read at their leisure. Studies have suggested that those with accessible reading material at home are likely to perform better in their academics – just make sure you have something that is suitable for their reading level.
Think outside the box
If they are somewhat against reading, think of other ways you can encourage your child to read. Magazines and comic books are two great examples of reading material that many children enjoy, despite claiming they don’t like books. By introducing other types of reading material, you will still be able to encourage your child to strengthen their reading skills.
Let them choose
Reading because they want to is very important. Children who read for pleasure will find this has a big impact on their school performance. Reading isn’t a chore and should never be treated as one. Allowing them to choose what they want to read gives them the control they want and means they’re likely to be more engaged with the words on the page.
Make the most of technology
Unfortunately, technology is everywhere and there’s no avoiding it. So there’s no reason why you should avoid it when you encourage your child to read. If they want to use an e-reader, then let them. In fact, an e-reader is a great tool and you can adjust the font size or the number of lines per page to help suit their needs. Additionally, smartphones and tablets have a whole host of creative apps that could help encourage reading so it’s worth exploring this.
Make it an achievement
If you want to provide an incentive to read then think about a reward chart for their achievements. Turn reading into a game and make it fun. By bringing the lighter side of life to reading, you’re reinforcing the idea that it isn’t a chore and is in fact something that is fun and should be enjoyed as such. There are a number of reward systems both at home and out and about – most public libraries will have some form of reading challenge.
Resources:
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/tips-encouraging-kids-read
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-ways-for-parents-encourage-their-child-read.html
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