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Four Ways To Encourage & Make Reading Fun For Your Child

It is vital to get your kids on the right path about reading, encouraging them to read as a choice and a hobby as opposed to forcing them to do so like it is an extension of school.  The problem is that getting kids to put down their tablet and pick up a book in this digital age is not easy.

Knowing that reading is important to help kids with their language and comprehension skills, here are a few ways to make them more likely to pick up a good book as opposed to watching another video on their device:

Make reading fun

Digital reading is ok at a push, but that just feels like an extension of time on the tablet as opposed to something new and different. Books are great, but the traditional style book that you may have loved as a kid – and may still now – isn’t the only type of reading material that your kids should be introduced to.

A good mentor knows that magazines – yes, they still exist – are a great way to get your kids to read as their short format story style really fits in with the way information is consumed in the modern age. Graphic novels are another amazing source of reading material for kids, with this type of book now popping up in every genre imaginable as they have become more popular over the last couple of decades.

Find a series they love

Harry Potter made this easy for a generation, with each of the books being multiple weeks’ worth of reading material for people of the right age. While Potter is still a good option, there are hundreds of series reads out there that will interest your child immediately into reading more as soon as they are hooked on the general premise.

Reading the first book of a series together is also a great idea to get your child started. You could even read the book out loud at first if they need a little more encouragement to get involved. Any pastime that you can share together is a good thing.

Don’t pressure it but make time available

Kids lead busy lives. Often their lives are more busy than ours when you take into account school, band, athletics, and any other one of the millions of activities they have available to them. It’s not a good idea to sit your child down, and command it’s time to read unless you’re out of option as this makes reading feel like a chore and that is the last thing kids want to do.

Instead, make sure there is no pressure on your child to read. Make it relaxing and enjoyable and free from the pressures they would feel at school.  Be available in case your child needs help with a word or a concept and, be engaged in what they are questioning.

Create a reading nook

If reading has its own special place then reading will happen. Kids love a space to themselves for every activity, so create a reading nook or area that they will want to be in. Make sure that books and other reading materials are available nearby and watch as a child who use to dislike reading at home quickly becomes an avid reader thanks to the rearrangement of a few pillows and blankets in the house.

Article by Vital Guidance