It’s never too early to foster a love of reading in your child’s life. When children learn to look at reading as an enjoyable activity, it helps to build a lifelong love of learning. Here are a few tips on how you can raise a reader who loves a good book.
Make Reading Part of Bedtime Routine
When we said it’s never too early to instill a love of reading in your children, we weren’t kidding. Your baby may not be able to follow a storyline, but research shows that when parents read to babies, they help set up the building blocks of communication, listening, and memory skills.
Reading before bedtime not only allows parents and children to end the day with quality time together, but 15 to 30 minutes of bedtime reading will help your child learn about the world around them and set the foundation for literacy skills.
Sign Up for Book Programs
Kids love getting mail, and one of the best ways to get them excited about reading is to sign them up for book programs.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has been sending books to children for over 25 years. It’s free to sign up, and from birth to age 5, kids will receive a new book in the mail each month! Bookroo and Highlights are other great book subscription programs. While they do cost, the books are often hardcover, and some subscription boxes include other things like puzzles and activities that correspond to the books.
Set Reading Goals
Setting reading goals not only helps your children make reading a regular activity but also teaches them the valuable life lesson of goal setting. Start small with something like reading three new books a week and work up to reading goals for the month, the summer, or even the year.
While reading is its own reward, it often helps to have an extra reward to provide a little motivation, like tickets to a movie or a trip to a local theme park.
Head to the Library
One of the best ways parents can help instill a love of reading in young readers is to make trips to the local library a regular thing. Dripping Springs has a great local library that offers a range of resources and programs aimed at young children and teens.
There are events like Mother Goose story time Lil’ Bookworms for the littles, and teen book clubs for older kids. There’s even a joint kids and parents book club where kids and their parents can read a selection of books together and share in open discussion with other members.
Create a Reading Corner
Nothing makes reading more enjoyable than a perfect spot to stretch out one’s legs and get comfortable. Designate a section of your living room or corner of your child’s bedroom as a reading nook. Just be sure to make it cozy!
Key reading nook elements:
- A comfy chair or pillows
- Good lighting
- Easy-to-reach book storage
- A warm blanket
Nothing beats reading a good book in your favorite chair at home. If you’d like to find your dream home, contact us today to learn more about available properties in the Caliterra community.
