Help your Child Enjoy Reading

Children today are often distracted by games and activities that are more fun or exciting than reading, but learning the importance of reading at a young age remains vital to a child's confidence and future success. Parents can help their young children enjoy reading in the following ways:

• Reward the child for reading: Although your child will soon enough learn that reading is a reward in itself, sometimes they will find encouragement in an incentive. One way is to take advantage of Hollywood: help your child to read a book or a story that exists in movie form before they see the movie; then rent or watch the movie after your child has completed the book.
• Try making reading easier: It might sound obvious, but a child is more likely to do something if it comes naturally to them. Unfortunately, reading doesn't come naturally to everyone. Don't be upset if reading is challenging for your child. Tutoring programs can generally help anyone of any level. Tutoring can also give your child more confidence in their learning environment, so he or she will feel encouraged to read more at school and at home.
• Incorporate reading into your other activities: At any time, reading anything is better than reading nothing, and reading can easily be incorporated into other activities. Reading exercises are everywhere, regardless of whether there's a book around. In the car, play games involving street signs or billboards; in the grocery store, give your child the responsibility of being in charge of reading the shopping list; and in the kitchen, let your child choose a simple recipe (without using pictures) for dinner one night each week.
• Make a habit of reading: Reading before bed or after school is a great way to introduce regular reading into a child's routine, especially if you encourage them to read a longer selection that they can look forward to reading over the course of several days. If you have younger children who aren't yet reading on their own, routine reading can be a fun and special experience,. Sharing a chapter from a children's book with them each day at the same time primes them for regular reading when they're older.

With these ideas in mind, reading can often seem more like a game or a grown-up responsibility than a chore. If you still need help, local schools and tutoring programs may be able to offer more tips on ways to incorporate enjoyable reading activities into your child's daily routine.