Belinda J Mooney - edarticle.com

Getting Kids To Read

Ten Terrific Tips

Teaching kids to read opens the world to them. They can go anywhere and do anything through books. But in today's age of high-tech gizmos and video games often the last thing our kids want to do is read. But there are some easy and fun ways you can share your love of reading with your kids. Implement these few simple ideas and your kids will be engrossed in a good book before you know it.

Read to Them

Kids love being read aloud to. Cuddling up on the couch with a good book is a wonderful way to spend time with your child. Even older children like to be read to, especially while they are involved in other hands-on type activities.

Have a Hide Away

Make a reading corner in your house. Fix up a cozy corner with beanbag chairs, or a large overstuffed pillow, a small bookcase. You won't have to look far when they get quiet to find them.

Scatter Books Around the House

Leave books lying around. Place books in the bathroom, on their nightstands, in the living room and even in the kitchen. When they are bored they will pick them up out of curiosity.

Get a Library Card

Get them their own library card. Children love having their own library cards and checking out books they choose, on their own.

Got to the Library Often

Visit the library often. Schedule a regular library day, and just let them sit and read for a while in the library. Take advantage of your local library's programs, such as story times, to help capture a child's interest in books.

Throw Out Book Teasers

Drop tantalizing hints about a book. Start reading one yourself that your children might like and "share" some tempting tidbits. When they want to know what happens - say , "Oh you will have to read it for yourself, you won't believe it!"

Add Some Fun Extras

Extend the book. Add fun activities that go beyond a book. When reading Heidi, look for the countries on a map, eat Swiss cheese for lunch or make some soft rolls for grandmother.

Pull Out the VCR

Watch a video about a book. Then say, "I wonder how close that was to the book? Maybe we should read that."

Make Your Own Books

Let them make their own books. Younger children especially love this. Something as simple as plain paper stapled together becomes a timeless treasure when they write their own stories. Let younger children tell you the story and you write it out and they illustrate it.

Set An Example

You cannot expect your children to love something you don't. If you want your kids to be readers you have to be too. It can be books, magazines, or even lovely coffee table books full of pictures. Just let them see you reading and read often together.