5 Tips for Parents on Building Reading Interest

Need help on how to assist your children in finding books that they will love to read? Here are 10 tips to guide you:

1. Visit local bookstores that have reading places for children. As you walk through the children's section, pay attention to the books that grab your child's interest. As children show interest in specific types of books, point out other books by the same author or that are in the same genre. Boys often like nonfictional books that help them learn something while girls often like a good fictional story. Don't be surprised if this is the case with your child as well. Try different types of books until you find ones that seem to hold your child's interest.

2. Visit the Children's room of your local public library. Ask the librarian for suggestions that might be interesting for your child. Find out about any special programs or book talks that might be offered and attend these with your child. Be sure to model reading yourself by selecting and checking out your own books during your visit as well.

3. Set aside a special time to read to your child daily. This could be right after school, in the early evening or just before bedtime. For homes with more than one adult, share the job of reading so that your child sees that all of the adults in the home value reading. Take turns selecting the "book of the day" but don't insist on continuing with a book that the child does not enjoy. Reading should be an enjoyable shared time and not a time to argue or fight about the book being read. Your child may request the same book over and over. This is perfectly normal and helps build strong readers so don't fuss if s/he often chooses the same book. If you have more than one child, take turns allowing each child to choose the "book of the day" to read.

4. When you read, try out different voices for the various characters and put lots of emotion and expression into your reading. Reading is a time to have fun with your child so be sure to bring out your best acting ability! Be sure to laugh and have fun!

5. Because you will be reading the book and not your child, you can also choose books that are a bit too long or too difficult for your child to read on his or her own. This will build your child's vocabulary as well as provide good background knowledge that will help him or her expand his or her knowledge bank.

Above all, select books that are within your child's interest and attention span. Reading should not be a battle to see how long a child can sit and pay attention. It should be a fun time when children get extra attention from the adults in their lives.

See our recommended books link for some good books that preschoolers might enjoy listening to during read aloud time.

Reading to young children promotes not only good language acquit ion but also helps children learn to identify the sounds that belong to his or her language. When children enter school, the two best predictors of academic success are the size of a child's vocabulary and his or her mastery of the sounds of English. Being read to early and on a regular basis help both of these skills develop. Look for books that have repetitive rhyme, funny sounds, familiar concepts or books about people. Fantasy elements such as flying brooms or talking animals also stimulate children's imaginations so be sure to include plenty of these types of books as well. Wordless picture books also expand children's imaginations and allow them to create stories to go with the pictures so they are always a great choice. Repeating text and predictable plot books such as "Goodnight Moon" or "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" can help young children lay a strong foundation for beginning reading by learning to anticipate text.

1. Provide plastic books that can be taken into the bath.

2. Read the things you see in your environment with your child such as road signs, billboards, menus, cereal boxes, newspapers, magazines, and every other thing you can think of so your child sees print everywhere.

3. Sing songs with your child and make up stories to tell orally.

4. Read Mother Goose and other more traditional rhymes. They can contribute to a rich phonemic awareness in children one of the key foundational skills underplaying good readers.

5. Read slowly and "ham it up" as you read. Allow your child to participate in the reading whenever he or she knows what comes next.

6. Be patient when your child wants to "read the story" to you but only tells the story from memory and not by actually reading the words on the page. This is an important step on the developmental scale so encourage this behavior.

7. Allow time after reading to allow your child to talk about the story or ask questions about it if s/he would like to do so.

8. Don't assume that your child is not listening to the story if they do not want to sit quietly beside you while you read. Some children can focus better if they draw or play quietly while listening. If your child does prefer to do something else while listening, be sure to stop and show him or her the pictures before moving on so they can also enjoy the artwork present in most children's story books. Ask a few questions here and there to make sure that your child is in fact, paying attention to what is happening in the story while you are reading.

Help! My Child Can Read But Doesn't Want to Read

Reading is a participation sport - that is, like any other sport we are involved in, you have to DO it to become skilled. For this reason, children who read very little generally become less able readers over time. If you can figure out what your child's objections are, you may be able to motivate your child to practice his or her reading skills on a more regular basis. Here are some typical reasons that many reluctant readers give for not wanting to read:

1. It's boring. Many times children who think reading is boring have not found a "purpose" for reading. By knowing your child's interests, you can help direct him or her to books that better match his or her interests. This is where a good librarian comes in. Visit your library and ask for specific recommendations for books that fit your child's interests. Sometimes children can relate to new adults better than they can to their parents who know inside and out. Some parents find that leaving the child alone for a few minutes to search for interesting books with the librarian helps a child be more forthcoming in their real interests. If permissible at your library, go search the adult section for a few minutes while your child searches for books on his or her own or with the help of the children's librarian.

2. It's too hard. Children who have difficulty often use this excuse. Like learning a sport, learning to read can be tedious for children. Talk to your child's teacher to see if s/he has any suggestions for you. Again, model, model, model and be patient. The more your child finds material that s/he is motivated to read on his or her own, the better. Assure your child that learning to do anything is hard but well worth the effort it takes to learn to do it well.

3. There's no time. There are many competing priorities for children's time and kids today are busy. Help your child manage competing tasks such as homework, sports, school, television, sports and home chores so that there is planned time for reading built into an already crowded schedule.

4. It's not fun or interesting. Children have to spend a lot of time reading materials for school that may or may not be interesting to them. Sometimes all of this "forced reading" can make reading seem like a chore. The last thing some children want to do is spend more time reading. Finding materials on topics that interest the child is the key to helping them want to read beyond the things that are required. For some this might be a fun Goosebumps book while for others a humorous Harry Potter book might motivate them to read more. Still others prefer a "how to do it" book or a "how it works" book on a topic of interest. Again, knowing your child's interests will help motivate them to practice their reading skills on a more extensive basis. In any case, don't give up looking for things that might interest your child. The less s/he reads, the more difficult reading becomes as the material gets longer and the vocabulary more complex. Continue to be a good role model for reading in your own home and your child will be more likely to demonstrate more interest as s/he matures.

A healthy reading environment is one where there is an abundance of reading materials are present everywhere. Make sure there are books, magazines, newspapers, and catalogs for children to look at in your home. These can be borrowed from the library, purchased at garage sales or thrift stores or purchased at bookstores. Suggest that friends and relatives give your child books or book gift certificates for holidays or birthdays whenever you are asked for gift suggestions. This will help build a child's awareness that books are an important and ever present part of his or her environment.

Make sure that you set aside a spot for your family library where each member of the family can keep their own favorite books. Sturdy bookcases work well but even a plastic crate can store a family book library. A small collection of well-read and well-loved books is better than a huge collection of unread books so make sure that the selections in your family library truly represent the books that each family member finds special. Be sure that the family library includes books for all members of the family so that everyone has ownership of the family library. Books received as gifts can have inscriptions from the gift-giver so that the book owner can remember when and from whom they received each book. For longer chapter books, each reader can record the date the book was completed in the fly. This will not only help each person remember when they read the book but also remind them that books can be re-read for deeper meaning and more enjoyment. As your library grows, so will your children's pride in their own section of the family library.

When young children begin school, one of the most anticipated things that they know they will learn is how to read. Here are 5 tips to help your child get a good start on learning to read with your help:

1. Set aside a specific time each evening for reading. Your child's teacher will provide a suggested time for how long your child should practice and will probably provide materials that s/he wants the child to practice.

2. Identify a specific place and time where you and your child will work. This place can be at a desk, in a big, overstuffed chair, or at the kitchen table. If the place is consistent and free from distractions, your child will always know what to expect during this time.

3. When your child reads aloud and makes a mistake, it is ok to point out words that s/he misses and to help him or her read them correctly. Do this in a non-judgmental, matter-of-fact manner. Never criticize your child's mistakes or act impatient no matter how many times s/he makes the same mistake. After the child has corrected a word, have him/her reread the sentence to be sure s/he understands the content.

4. Ask your child to tell you in his/her own words what happened in the story. Ask why s/he thinks a character acted in a certain way. Ask the child to support his/her answer with information from the story. Ask the child what s/he thinks will happen next and why as they read. You can also review the book as well as help your child with sequencing by asking him to tell you what happened first, what happened second, what happened third and how the book ended. This will help your child both better remember the story and understand the idea that stories happen in a particular order.

5. When you go to the library or the bookstore, be sure to have your child help pick out the books that you will share together. When children are excited about the books the two of you have selected, they will be more interested in reading them by your side.