Raising Readers

There are so many posts out there about raising readers, so I will keep this brief. 

Do you desire to raise readers? Here are a couple of super simple ways to do so:

1) Read, read, read. Use books like Honey for a Child's Heart, The Read Aloud Family, or The Read Aloud Handbook to find book recommendations that will captivate your child's imagination. Read aloud as much as possible, at least once a day, maybe more! 

Our family reads Scripture over breakfast, picture books after school, and we read aloud novels for 15-20 minutes before bed. We also do "popcorn reading" from time to time. Unlike the unpopular popcorn reading that happens in school, our version is to grab bowls of popcorn before settling down to listen to a novel. We do this frequently when in the middle of a book we can't get enough of! 

2) Flood your home with great literature (we put holds on books at the library to fill our shelves for the month). Place as many of those books facing out so your young readers can find their favorites with ease. Keep baskets of books around the house, comics in the bathroom, and stack up piles of books that you are planning to read. Show your children that books are important!

3) Talk about books over dinner, reference characters when a connection arises, and let your children ask questions after you read. But don't make it a quiz! Allow natural conversation to occur. 

4) During nap time or downtime, encourage your children to read or listen to audiobooks. Our family prefers the Yoto player for audiobooks. We download audiobooks from the library and place them on make-your-own cards for our children to listen to! 

5) Give books as gifts, writing a special message inside for special occasions. Visit book stores and spend hours at your local library!