Do you feel like you have a neverending to-do list as a mom? Lots of things you have to do right, lots of things you have to teach? Not only do you have to teach the basic, day-to-day stuff like brushing your teeth and washing your face, but you also have those big skills. Like tying your shoes. And then there are big vague things we’re supposed to instill- like raising chivalrous but not chauvinistic boys, fierce but feminine girls. Kids with a “growth mindset.” Big thinkers who still know they need to show up to work on time. And, of course, raising kids who love to read. Even if you don’t care too much about “shoulds” you know your kids need to learn how to read. There are some habits we’ve instilled in our home that I think have helped our kids love to read.
I’m a reader and my husband is a reader and we both come from reading families. So the fact that my kids are all readers isn’t too surprising. But I do think there are a few things we did, some purposefully, some not, that helped our kids become readers too.
Reading Habits
- Make reading a part of your bedtime routine. We have always had a bedtime routine, even when one or more of our children was not following through on the sleeping part that should follow said routine. If you don’t have one, start now. Even if your kids are older. Chances are you have your own bedtime routine even if you don’t realize it. Encourage it for your kids. And make reading a part of it. This way, even when you don’t fit reading in earlier in the day, you know they will get reading time every day.
- Read a chapter book at night. This was my husband’s idea when our oldest was a baby and I thought he was crazy. I’ve become convinced he was right. It’s natural to go for a picture book with babies and toddlers and those are certainly the best kinds of books during the day. At night, though, picture books can be stimulating. Chapter books offer a chance for them to just listen. Whether they comprehend what you’re reading or not doesn’t really matter. I thought our daughter would fight it, but she didn’t. We’ve done this with all of our children (and in the process, we’ve read some great books ourselves) and it’s been such a nice part of our days. Check out this post for some ideas.
- Have books and magazines around the house. Just hanging around. On the coffee table or end table. In the bedrooms. Even if you’re a neat person, make an exception! (Check out this list of the 100 Best Chidren’s Books from Time Magazine!)
- Don’t underestimate magazines. I think this is especially true if your child already isn’t much of a “reader.” National Geographic has a great one and there’s always Highlights and High Five. If your kid loves legos, you can get a Lego magazine. American Girl has one, too. If they’re into sports, get sports magazines. Even if they don’t read the articles, they might get into reading habits- flipping through the magazine, making inferences from pictures. The same goes for comic books. We have a beloved collection of Calvin and Hobbes comic strips, my kids love old Peanuts comics, and there are comic books and graphic novels for all kinds of characters. If your kids resist books, try comic books and graphic novels.
- Limit technology. My kids love technology as much as any kids, and I know this can be a struggle. Yes, we have an XBox and my son plays FortNite and my youngest learned how to watch weird Play Doh videos on YouTube at an absurdly young age. But we limit the use of technology- no XBox or iPad during the school week, never in the morning. So, out of sheer boredom sometimes, our kids read books! We also limit technology on car rides. Our minivan DVD player doesn’t get used unless we’re going to Virginia or farther.
For babies and toddlelrs
- Read from infancy. It might feel silly but do it anyway.
- Get lots of board books. They double as books and toys.
- Re-read the book. For the hundredth damn time. You might dream about the book, you might memorize all the words in the book, you might want to throw the book in a fire. If your kid wants you to read it again, read it again.
- Always make reading fun. Don’t let the desire to get your child to learn to read turn reading into something boring, or worse. Keep it fun.
- Let them see you reading. Little ones love to imitate. Let them see you read books and magazines, not on your Kindle or phone!
My children are not geniuses and they weren’t reading super early or anything crazy. They are all different, too, in when they learned to read. (My youngest isn’t as much of a reader as the other ones, but I also read to him less, let him watch more TV, and allowed technology at an earlier age. However, he learned to read earlier than my middle two, go figure!)
But they love to read. Like sometimes it’s annoying how much they like to read. Like sometimes I actually have to say the words, “Stop reading.” Or, “Put the #@*&%$* book away!” Just kidding, I don’t curse at them. Even if I’m thinking it and kinda want to.
They love to read and they do it willingly. I don’t get too caught up in how this will improve their blah, blah, blah. I just know that reading is a gift and I’m happy they have it, being good readers will help them in all areas of school, and it’s good for their brains. Especially in this world we live in with all the technology all the time.
I also know reading can be a terrible, painful cause of frustration and worse if your child struggles with reading. I’m not saying reading books to your baby or Charlotte’s Web at nighttime will prevent or dispel any reading difficulties. But I know and love a particular someone who struggled with reading, and he became an avid reader! Maybe that can offer some hope that loving reading is possible for kids who don’t get it right away (or for a long time).
Are you a reader? Are your children? We’re always looking for good book suggestions!
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