Encourage by Example
Kids very often do what they see their parents doing. If you want your child to develop a healthy habit of reading, let him see you demonstrate the same. If your family is a group of TV buffs, you may need to establish an evening family reading plan: The TV goes off half an hour before bedtime and everyone reads.
Encourage by Sharing Books
Reading should be enjoyable. For wonderful ideas about how to make reading a shared time with your child, read Reading Magic by Mem Fox.
Reading for a Reason
Kids need to see that reading provides a benefit to them. Hopefully, they will gain an enjoyment of reading books and other materials. It is important, too, that they learn that reading can provide them with information. Parents and teachers understand that through reading kids gain knowledge. Here are some ideas to tie the skill of reading into getting information.
- Write a note explaining an outing or privilege
- Ask your child to choose some snacks from a list of possible grocery items
- Have your child check the times of a movie
- Encourage your child to read and order from a restaurant menu
Encourage with the Right Material
If you want your child to read, make sure that you have a variety of reading materials available. Motivating materials might include:
- Magazines
- Newspapers
- Pamphlets on vacation destinations
- The internet (with supervision)
- High interest material (In some instances, the material may need to be low vocabulary material.)
Encourage by Providing a Reward
Let’s face it . . . We often need extra incentives to develop good habits. Look for ways to reward your child for reading. Schools often have reward programs to earn tickets for theme parks, tickets for water parks, or to get free pizza. You can establish a similar plan at home. If Sara reads for 30 minutes each night for a week, she may be rewarded with a movie rental or a trip for ice cream.
