Do you wish that your child loved to read? Are you concerned that your child is spending too much time in front of the TV and video games and not enough time reading?
This is a concern for all parents in the digital age, and perhaps in the midst of our busyness, we rely too heavily on our schools to develop reading skills for our children. However, a child spends approximately 900 hours per year in school and 7,800 hours outside of school. Where is there more time available for unstructured reading? Who has a greater influence on this part of our child’s education?
I get it that some kids are naturally drawn to reading while others are not quite as enthusiastic. However, what can we do to help our child develop a love of reading?
Have a Growth Mindset
- Do you have a growth mindset about learning? Do you believe that any child can learn, despite all kinds of obstacles and challenges? I do. Some readers are fast. Some are slower. However, every child can become an enthusiastic reader with some encouragement and an environment that supports reading.
- “Growth Mindset” is based on the work of Stanford University psychologist, Carol Dweck, and explains that students’ mindset (how they perceive their ability) plays a critical role in their motivation and achievement.
Students with a fixed mindset believe their ability and intelligence are just fixed traits that can’t be changed, no matter how hard they work.
Students with a growth mindset believe that their ability and intelligence can be developed through effort, good teaching and persistence.
Carol S. Dweck, Phd
- Fixed mindset: “I don’t like to read. I’m not a very good reader. I will never be able to read that thick book.”
- Growth mindset: “If I put in effort and read every day, I will grow as a reader. If I practice and learn strategies to read section by section just 20 minutes a day, I will be reading big chapter books by year end.” Environment and mindset make a difference when it comes to learning and reading.
Read Aloud at Home
- There is no app to replace your lap.
- Make positive associations between reading aloud and spending time together as a family each night. The hugs, the snuggles, the giggles. There is nothing like reading with a child in your lap.
- Try to have a family read-aloud book going throughout the year. Once we graduated from reading board books and early readers to our kids, we started reading a chapter each night from longer stories whenever possible.
Encourage Learning for Everyone
- Set aside time to read yourself (Amazon’s 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime is a great place to start.) Turn off the TV. Let your child see you reading for pleasure, for work, and for keeping up with current events. If books aren’t your thing, read magazines, special interest articles online, or read yesterday’s news in the newspaper.
- Learn with your child. A fun strategy could be to visit the children’s non-fiction section of the library with your child, just to learn about a lot of topics that you didn’t know much about previously. Read these books together. Jeopardy champion James Holzhauer, who admits he was “never a diligent student,” says if you want quick knowledge? Go to the children’s section. Since he couldn’t get interested in most adult reference books, he thought, “What is the place in the library I can go to to get books tailored to make things interesting for uninterested readers? Boom. The children’s section.”
Keep Books in the House and In the Car
- Put book shelves in the play room (Hello, IKEA!) and large book baskets in your child’s room (for easy tossing and clean-up). Keep books in your office and personal library space.
- The car may be tricky for kids who experience motion sickness. However, reading in the car makes our afternoon activity time much more efficient. Before taking off for dance lessons, basketball practice, or errand running, I’ll say, “Go grab some books.” The books get read out loud (during a sibling’s activity) or read in the car in transit. The minutes add up, and with books in the car, you have instant entertainment on the go.
Decorate Your Book Nook
- Make a book nook for your child. Put fun lights above her bed or on the wall. Add plush bean bags, or make a reading fort or tee pee.
- Make sure that your child’s room has a comfy chair that is large enough for a parent and child to sit and read.
Keep Books on the Brain
- Ask your child “What did you read today?” instead of “What did you do at school today?” Talk to them about the books they are reading at dinner.
- Pick out books to give as birthday gifts to friends.
- Have your child start a “book club” with fellow readers.
Go to the Public Library
- Make this outing a regularly scheduled event and books become a part of your child’s life. Have your child decorate a sturdy box (we use a banker’s box with handles) and tape an envelope to the side for library receipts. This box can be used each time that you visit the library. Our public library lets us check out up to 100 items each visit, so we need that receipt! We have had the box below for many years.
Download Overdrive and Libby
- Never buy books again with Overdrive and Libby. Overdrive is the classic app that transfers library ebooks to many different devices, while Libby is the newer, faster digital portal for iOS and Android. Link your library card to these apps, borrow ebooks, and then instantly send them to your child’s Kindle or other devices. In larger metropolitan areas, you might have to work hard “holding” books prior to check out, due to high demand.
Get Creative for Non-Readers
- Buy a Kindle or download books to an iPad for your screen warrior and visual learner. Swiping pages with large print can be tactile and interactive for kids who otherwise might not pick up a book.
- Listen to an audiobook in the car for more aural learners. Borrow audio books from the library or use the free app Audible.com.
- Sign up for a reading class. Our school offers a “Go Wild for Reading!” class after school that includes Skittles, outdoor play, and games that make reading fun! They had my child at Skittles.
- Read books aloud on a topic that your non-reading child loves. Read a Fortnite tips and tricks book for your gaming obsessed teen. Read aloud to your children while they do the dishes or other chores. There is no age limit to parents reading aloud.
Have Fun (Read Silly Books)
- Let your child read what he or she wants to read. Fluffy teen romance books are encouraged. And while Captain Underpants, Rainbow Magic Fairies, and The Great Hamster Massacre may not scream sophistication, there is a reason these books are so successful. Kids love them! The sillier, the better, especially for newer readers who can’t seem to find their niche.
Screen Books for Older Kids with Common Sense Media
- What catches a kid’s attention isn’t always what is best for them. For older kids, monitor and screen what they are reading by using Common Sense Media. This family-friendly non-profit reviews books, movies & TV shows, apps and games, so that you don’t have to – making sure to point out what is age-appropriate entertainment for kids.
Create Routine (D.E.A.R Time)
- Establish D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything and Read) time in your home, especially during the summer. If weeknights are too busy with homework and activities, pick a day, such as Sunday, for the whole family to sit and read for 30 minutes to an hour, as desired.
Do you have any favorite rituals in your home to get everyone reading?