To make kids love Reading!

Children are born with an amazing amount of curiosity and I as an educator tap into that whenever possible. Children should be read to, with, and by at a very early age. Yes, probably since birth!

The way to get children interested in books is very simple. The more experiences the more likely they are to get "hooked." The first thing I would do is to take them to the library. Let them look at all of the books and at first they will pick what is appealing to the eye. That is great. Now the job of the adult is to preread that book to see if the story is appropriate for the child. If not, use the book to point out certain elements of the illustrations. This will cause a great discussion to take place. It is also good to start with books you liked as a kid because your energy level will also spark their interest.

If your child is already reading and you would like to nudge them a little, have family reading time and discussions about what is read or challenge the child to read the same book as you and talk about what you like or do not like. Children need to understand that they do not have to like every book and it is okay to not like certain aspects about a story. Asking questions about what they have read and how they may have written it different will encourage them.

By far the thing to do that will encourage them the most is to see people around them reading. Whether it is a magazine, newspaper, or information on the computer, if a child sees you reading when they are at an early age they will imitate you!