For the Love of Reading Books

Helping your children learn to love reading is one of the very best things you can do as a parent.  Early and varied exposure to language is the key to your child becoming a good reader.  The more you sing to them, read to them, play with them and talk to them , the more exposure to language they will receive. 

Read on a daily basis.  By reading to your child repeatedly, they will learn that reading is enjoyable.  They will look forward to that time during the day where you cuddle them on your lap and where your attention is solely on them. 

Encourage exploration.  If your child doesn’t want to sit on your lap and be read to, let them flip through the books on their own.  Just like playing with food is a precursor for babies to learn to feed themselves, playing with books is the first step to reading.   Buy books that are durable (board books) and have lots of different pictures and textures.

Back to Basics.  Words are made up of letters.  Encourage your children to learn the alphabet by reading books about abc’s, having alphabet magnets on the fridge, and letting your children play with alphabet puzzles and alphabet stickers.  As they learn their abc’s they will be even more excited about forming words and being able to read simple books. 

Make reading an interactive experience.  While reading to your child, be sure to point things out… the eyes on the baby, the flower in the basket, the bunny hopping across the grass.  Point to the words as you read them and your child will learn that the words go from left to right and that the print represents words and meanings.  As they listen, encourage them to look at the pictures and figure out what is happening.  As they do this, their vocabulary and reading comprehension will progressively increase.   

Go to the library.  A trip to the library is a great way to get kids excited about reading.  Let them pick out a bag full of books that they want to read.  Keeping a fresh batch of books in the house will give children something exciting to look forward to at reading time.

Books make for great entertainment.  The next time you put your child in the stroller, carseat, or shopping cart, bring a book along.  Teach your children that looking at books is fun to do and you’ll find that your trips have never been so enjoyable.