First published: 25 January 2023 @ 6:00 pm
Reading books is one of the best ways to teach children about the world around them.
There are so many benefits to reading books with your children. Books can take children on amazing adventures, teach them about history and culture, teach them about interesting things, and much more.
Furthermore, reading books also helps children to develop their literacy skills, and critical thinking skills, as well as their brain development.
So, reading is such an important skill for kids to develop and this article will help you as parents to get kids to love reading books in a fun and exciting way.
How to Get Kids to Love Reading Books?
Although reading books is such an important activity to do for kids, in some cases, most parents find it difficult to get their children to love reading books.
This is because so many distractions, like smartphones or online games, make children probably not want to read anything else. It also can be so hard to get them to sit down and read a book.
Thus, to avoid too much playing in screen time at your home, you can encourage them to read their favorite book together. So, try out some of these 6 great tips to get them to love reading books!
1. Reading Together with Your Kids
There’s no denying that reading is important for kids. It helps them develop their imaginations, improve their vocabularies, and learn about the world around them.
But getting kids to love reading books can be a challenge.
One great way to get them interested in reading is to have a story time and read together with them. Not only will this give you some quality time together, but it will also help them see that reading can be enjoyable.
Start by choosing a book that you think they’ll like and take turns reading it aloud. You can also make it more interactive by asking them questions about the story and characters as you go.
2. Keep Books Around the House
One of the best ways to get kids to love reading books is to keep them around the house.
Please make sure there are plenty of books within reach, at their level, and that look interesting to them. You can even rotate the books every so often to keep things fresh.
It is also necessary to find books that interest your children. If you know what interests your children, it will be much easier to find books that will interest them as well.
For example, if you have kids who love dinosaurs, try looking for dinosaur-themed books or if your kids love cars, try finding books about cars.
In addition, if your kids see you reading, that’s even better. Set the example and let them know that reading is a fun and enjoyable activity.
3. Introduce Different Types of Books
One way to get kids to love reading books is to introduce them to different types of books.
There are so many different types of books for children out there, and each child is sure to find at least one that they absolutely love. Whether they’re into board books, audio books, cloth books, or even picture books, there’s a lot for them.
Board books and cloth books are suitable for toddlers, so these books will not get ripped easily. Audio books often come to teach children about many unique sounds, such as different sounds from animals, and so on.
Then, a book with pictures will also help your kids to imagine and gain their cognitive development as well as their literacy skills.
So, take them to the library or bookstore and let them choose and explore all the different options. By doing this, they can pick books that they’re interested in and are more likely to enjoy.
As a result, they’re sure to find something they can’t wait to get their hands on.
4. Make It Fun and Interactive
One way to make reading more fun for kids is to make it interactive. There are plenty of ways to do this, but one easy way is to use props.
For example, if your child is reading a book about animals, you can bring out some stuffed animals or toy animals for them to play with while they read.
This will help them to stay engaged with the book and make the experience more enjoyable.
5. Allow Your Children to Read at Their Own Pace
Some kids prefer to read slowly while others read at a much faster pace. Let your child decide how fast they want to read and don’t pressure them to read faster than they are comfortable doing so.
Besides, get your children involved in the book selection process. If you let your children choose the books they want to read, they are more likely to enjoy reading them.
This is especially important if your children are reluctant readers or if they have difficulty staying engaged with reading material.
6. Celebrate Your Child’s Successes when They are Reading Books
When your child reads a book and enjoys it, celebrate their accomplishment by telling them how much you enjoyed the book, providing them with some gifts, or doing something special together as a family.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, getting kids to love reading books doesn’t have to be difficult. By using some of these great methods, you can easily encourage your child to develop a love for reading that will last a lifetime.
Subscribe to our blog MatureParent for more useful tips about parenting, children’s development, and so on!
FAQs
What influences children’s love for reading?
There are several things that influence children’s love for reading. Some of these things include involving the whole family in the process, such as scheduling times to read together or having a designated reading area.
How does reading affect a child’s brain?
Reading stimulates the part of a child’s brain to grow and be more active, widening their vocabulary and helping with mental imagery, understanding, and language processing.
How do I know if my child has reading difficulties?
Signs of reading difficulty in children include a below-average reading level, difficulty sounding out words, or difficulty pronouncing words
Is reading better than screen time?
Generally, reading books is a much better way to spend their time than watching television or playing video games. Studies have also found that the longer a child is exposed to screens, the less active their learning and reading areas are.
What causes poor reading skills in children?
A variety of factors can cause poor reading skills in children, such as difficult text, ADHD, dyslexia, limited vocabulary, working memory deficit, and more. Other contributing factors include innate learning ability, home environment, and parental involvement.
