What do you do to encourage in the children in your life a love for reading?
Many find it easy to read to our children when they’re little. Or experience the joy of children sounding out their first book words.
But what do we do to foster that love for reading once they learn to read?
How do you encourage in older children a continued love for reading?
Please share your ideas or questions here for others in this discussion.
Here’s a few tips I’d like to share after raising two sons into adulthood. I encourage and welcome discussion and disagreement over any of these tips.
Do’s
· Let children see you reading for your own enjoyment.
· Get a library card for yourself and your child as soon as you can get one.
· Let children pick whatever books they want at the library.
Don'ts
· Tell a child they’re too old to read a certain book.
· Tell a child they’re too young to read a certain book. Read it together. Or tell them you’ll read it first and then they can after you’ve finished. If you are concerned that they’re not ready, this is a good time to have an open conversation with them and help them find an alternative.
My motto in life is: Try to learn something new every day. So I reserve the right to change my opinion and thought. But it takes folks out there helping me to see a different point of view. Thanks for reading! I hope it inspires you to do your part to encourage literacy in this age of social media and waning social discourse.
Reading the leaves of a book can let us fly. (my photo of a 2 caterpillars)