5 Ways to Help Your Child Become a Stronger Reader
Meeting someone that lived before your lifetime, learning about the penguins of Antarctica, understanding the political unrest of a country before a world war, learning about the German castle that inspired Walt Disney, holding a firefly for the very first time–you can experience all of this through literature! Books can take you to so many unbelievable places.
As a parent, there are so many things that I would like to pass on to my children. One of those items is for my children to be lifelong readers. As an elementary teacher, I know a bit about reading and encouraging the love of literature in young students. Here are some tips to help your child “catch the reading bug”, and become hooked into reading early, so that it carries into adulthood.
Build background knowledge
A trip to the museum, a ride in the car, a family vacation, going out for a meal, watching a weather report–these use every opportunity to help build your child’s background knowledge and vocabulary. Young children are very bright, but they lack life experience. Whenever you can, try to teach your child a new vocabulary word or narrate the experiences that are happening around them. Ask thoughtful questions that inspire your child to want to learn more. When my son was a toddler, I would take him for walks after dinner, and during this time I would teach him the names of trees. Building vocabulary and life experience for young students helps him or her to relate better to books and make life to book connections and book to book connections.
Take your child to the library
We moved to our forever home when my son was three and my daughter was one. I was so thrilled to discover that my district had two stellar libraries. Not only are these great resources for parents to connect with other parents, but they provide a literacy community for children. Librarians are gifted at making children feel seen, important, and demonstrating how fulfilling books can be. Taking your child to the library and giving your child the opportunity to make book selections that peak his or her interest provides children with the freedom to make choices. Who does not love to have some autonomy here and there?
Taking your child to the library and giving your child the opportunity to make book selections that peak his or her interest provides children with the freedom to make choices.
When my children were older, we would pick out books that aligned with the units they were studying in school. This helped them to gain a greater understanding of the material and reinforce what they were learning in class. I am so grateful for librarians and libraries; they are such a valuable resource to the community!
Read books from various genres to your child
I like to view reading as a diet. Cucumbers are a delicious, healthy snack. However, just eating cucumbers is not nutritionally complete. Think of reading in the same way–children should be encouraged to read books from each genre. This helps your child to develop the literacy skills that are specific to each type of book. For example–your child can be a fact detective in an informational book, whereas they can seek out the problem and solution in a fiction book, or they can study a graphic source like a map in a biography. This will help your child have a more well-rounded literacy experience!
My son’s fourth grade teacher told me that when she took her daughters to the library she had them choose a book from each genre. This is a great way to encourage and motivate your child to pick a genre that he or she normally would not be drawn to, and who knows, your child may find a new favorite genre?!
Be careful not to make reading a chore
Truth be told, this one I am guilty of, so I completely understand the struggle! As a parent, it is important that we do our best to make reading fun and interesting. Do all that you can to model reading from a book, to talk about reading in a positive way, and to eliminate distractions when your child is reading. I remember when I was in third grade I went to visit a relative that did not have a television. (Can you imagine??) To prepare for what I thought would be a boring visit, I brought my school library book with me. Soon enough, I found myself lost in the world of Amelia Earhart and her drive to be a successful pilot. To this day, I still find her fascinating–all because of that book, and because I was given the opportunity to read that book. Sometimes, it is okay to take away distractions in order to encourage children to read.
Sometimes, it is okay to take away distractions in order to encourage children to read.
Develop a family reading time
Model, model, model! Set aside a time where everyone in the family reads. It does not have to be long and it does not have to be every day. This will help your child to see that you also value reading and enjoy it. Afterwards, it can be helpful to talk about what you read or a new word that you encountered when reading. I tell my students all the time–each book teaches me at least one new thing!
Thank you for reading some of the tips that I have discovered along the way as a teacher and mom. I hope that you found all of this helpful. Now, I am off to read a realistic fiction book that takes place in Vermont. The images are so clear and beautiful that I may have to venture there this summer! Happy reading to you!
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