10 Tips to Inspire Young Readers

Reading with children from a young age encourages early literacy. My mother made it a nightly ritual, and it made bedtime something to look forward to instead of something to dread.

Once my brother, sister and I had our pajamas on and our last drink of water, we would climb in bed and Mom would read. If we dawdled, we got half a page. If we were prompt with bedtime rituals, we would get to hear a half hour of an ongoing “chapter book.”

This family tradition enabled us to enjoy the whole “Little House on the Prairie” series, the adventures of “Robinson Crusoe” and the humor of “Charlotte’s Web.” My siblings and I fell in love with words, stories and books and were soon reading on our own. Story time had a lasting effect on us all.

So, it was a joy to carry on this tradition when I had my own children. Here are 10 of my favorite ways to mentor little language lovers.

10 Tips to Nurture a Love for Reading

1. Use different voices when you read to children, changing accents, inflection and cadence. Try whispering a sentence or two. It gets their attention!
2. Kids like to laugh. Find humorous stories and poems with great rhymes and silly characters. Soon your children will be reciting the best lines with you. Try “Fun is a Feeling,”a rhyming picture book by Chara Curtis, the classic “Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle,” or “Grandma’s Feather Bed,” an award-winning Dawn Publications book featuring the funny lyrics from folk singing icon John Denver and illustrations by Christopher Canyon.
3. Read aloud to children every day, putting it on par with getting dressed, eating dinner and brushing teeth. Like breathing, it wasn’t an option in my house. It was a natural facet of daily life – a fun part! I found that even babies like the sound of a reading voice. I remember my infant daughter settling contentedly in the crook of my arm each afternoon as I read to her older sibling – who would perch next to me on the armchair for our daily dose of books.
4. Get books on tape for car rides. Take advantage of your captive audience. I found these books were a miracle cure for tired, whine-prone little ones.
5. Find a topic that lights the fire under your child. If your son loves baseball, read a baseball story together. Try the “Jackie Robinson Graphic Biography.” You read a page, and he reads a page. Then go out and play catch with him for 20 minutes or plan an outing to a pro ballgame.
6. Find unusual places to read. One beloved fourth grade teacher I knew took his classes to stairwells to read books. The kids enjoyed the change in scenery, and their teacher’s voice echoed in all the right parts when he read. Other great spots to enjoy a book? Try a hammock, a tree fort or a refrigerator box with a doorway cut into it and stocked with a flashlight. Or, pack a picnic and a book such as “On One Flower: Butterflies, Ticks and a Few More Icks.” Then drive to a nearby park to read, explore and have lunch.
7. Use large print books for early readers. Use your finger to point out words or a 3×5 card to help train eyes to read. Cut a notch in the corner or use the straight edge and slide as needed.
8. Good illustrations capture the imagination. Pick out books with wonderful pictures – ones like those in “Little Yellow Pear Tomatoes.” Point out details in the illustrations to get kids more involved in the story.
9. A trip to the book store – whether virtual or on a local street corner – is a great way to reward a good report card or some other goal…and it doesn’t involve sugar. Give your child a gift card and let her pick out her own book and “pay” for it on her own. My two daughters loved this holiday and end-of-school-year ritual.
10.  Help children write the stories in their heads. Supply paper, pencils, markers and tape and let them go to town. Better yet, go digital. Help your child use the Big Universe Author Tool – a wonderful way to write a book while enhancing computer and reading skills. The website has printing and publishing options too, so your child can become a “published author.”

This list only scratches the surface. I’d love to hear what other parents, reading teachers, homeschoolers and library media specialists have devised over the years to make reading fun. Go ahead, spill your secrets. Inquiring minds want to know.

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* Clip art licensed from the Clip Art Gallery on DiscoverySchool.com