Encourage A Love Of Reading

The most solid way to encourage a love of reading in your child is to make sure books are a part of their everyday lives from day one, yes that means from the first day that cute little bundle of joy arrives in your home make sure you are reading to them.

When your child is first born it’s very easy to show picture books to them, the best pictures books for a newborn baby are those that include pictures of other babies. Your newborn will enjoy looking at facial expressions and gestures while you say what each baby in the picture book is doing.

The toddler years can make book reading really fun, because your child will now start to memorize their favorite books and in some cases actually be able to read the book to you.  Reading along with your toddler or preschooler is so much fun because it makes you, the parent, feel accomplished in the area of parenting. To think, all you did was put a book in front of your child every day for the whole of their life and now here they are reading to you!

As your child grows older they will come to realize that books can be fun, educational and enjoyable. Reading to or with your child for twenty minutes each day will encourage them to become better readers, learn manners and even learn how to express themselves.  Children books have been written in ways that make learning about life fun and adventurous.

Think about the last book you read to your child, was it a book that had hints of how to handle anger, did the book mention please and thank you? Reality is books have a great way of sneaking in hidden meanings and hidden actions that every child should learn. A love of reading will open many doors for your child as they grow up to be mature, well rounded adults.

So the only question left is … have you read to your child today?