10 Ways To Motivate Your Child to Love Reading

Motivate Your Child to Love Reading

The process of learning to read will generally be easier for a child who already loves reading. This child knows that reading is enjoyable and informative and useful. This child knows that the words and pictures on a page communicate meaning. This child has had many, many positive associations with books and reading before they come anywhere near the process of learning to independently decode sounds and letters to form words.

Here are 10 ways to help motivate your child to love reading…

1. Read together throughout the day, everyday. Both as a part of your daily routine (for example, a book before bedtime) and at other times just because. This quiet shared reading time helps your child to learn that reading is pleasurable and relaxing. Continue to make time to read aloud together even once your child begins to read independently.

2. When reading together, read with interest and enthusiasm, even if you know the words by heart.

3. Read together with a purpose. Whether it be a recipe you are cooking, a catalogue as you make a grocery shopping list, or the instructions for putting together an Ikea cabinet. Let your child see that reading is useful.

4. Integrate ‘reading’ into your play. Add takeaway menus to your play cafe or a specials board and open/closed sign to you fruit & vegetable store. Train timetables, zoo maps, road maps, telephone directories, letters to post and deliver, magazines in the doctors waiting room; these are all simple ways to playfully ‘read.’

5. Scatter reading material throughout your house, in every room.

6. Visit the library and/or book stores regularly to make new reading discoveries.

7. Read both fiction and non-fiction titles together.

8. Choose books about topics, subjects or themes your child loves.

9. Make sure your children see you regularly read for yourself. This will help them to appreciate the importance of reading in their everyday lives. Let them see you reading for pleasure and relaxation, as well as for information.

10. Look for plenty of opportunities for Dads and other male role models to be involved with reading with children, an especially important strategy for parents and teachers of boys.

I would love to hear about ways that you and your children enjoy reading together.

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15 Comments

  1. Infant Bibliophile says:

    Great post! The only point I'd add is to start early… like, as soon as your baby's eyes are open. Even if they can't focus or comprehend yet, they learn to associate reading with comfortable snuggly time with mommy and daddy, and I think it makes all the difference. Also, visit your local library often, of course, and help your children learn how to find books about whatever their current obsession. Even if you think you'll faint if you have to read another cars and trucks book. 🙂

  2. Hi Thanks for the visit and comment the other day….love this post…and totally agree with it all.. I have encouraged reading from day one of them being able to read simple words..being dyslexic myself I know how important reading is and how enjoyable it can be… I do read with them ..having taught myself to read and we also listen to lots of books on CD as that's a bit easier for me lol…. they are now both great readers and my youngest has just been tested two lvls above her grade…

  3. Anne@LittleSproutBooks says:

    Excellent list! I also try to help my son make connections between the illustrations and text in his picture books, so that even though he isn't quite ready to read the words, he can still "read" the story to himself and enjoy the experience!

  4. you have a lovely blog here.

  5. Juliet Robertson says:

    Read environmental print – that's signs and labels when out and about – timetables to check when the bus arrives, names of shops, recognising cereal packets on supermarket shelves, etc.

    Always have a book in a bag for an emergency moment. I used to keep a stock of minibooks to take out and about with me.

    Have a puppet or toy that likes and enjoys reading with your child.

    Take your child on walks and trips and visits. Let him or her explore their local environment. The more children know about the world outside from first hand experience, the greater their vocabulary and understanding which impacts positively on their ability to read text when older.

  6. The longer the kiddos books get the more focussed I have to be with #2. When it's late and I'm tired and we're reading yet another fairy book I've found I can read a whole page without actually hearing a word I have said. But thankfully they all love reading (even my 17 month old!) xxx

  7. Busy Brissy Mum says:

    We try and have books in various parts of the house so the girlies can enjoy them wherever and whenever. I've just finished putting together a collection of Christmas stories for the girls to read leading up to Christmas. They can be found in one of the cubes in our play room.

    Books in the cubby are fun. Books in mum and dads bed is fun. Listening to stories on CDs over lunch can be fun sometimes.

    My parents give each grandchild a bookshelf as a gift at birth and then at each birthday and Christmas they add to the book collection. Let's just say we are running out of room for our books!! Might have to start a book rotation! Great post Christie! I've taken away some good ideas.

  8. Thanks for these great ideas and tips. Sharing books with young children helps them to love literacy before they have even started to 'read', and makes the process of teaching them the skills later on so much easier – they are motivated to keep trying when it gets tricky. We have been making books of our own about outings and excursions using digital photos, the printer and a stapler!

  9. Oh – and I have linked to this post – hope that's OK!
    Cheers
    Emily

  10. sunnymama says:

    Lots of great tips for reading with your child and number 9 is so important too. 🙂

  11. wonderful ideas!!! thanks so much for sharing these!

  12. Terry Davis says:

    My grandson learned to read from the computer. When he was three, I taught him to sound out Disney.com, Nickjr.com and Sesame Street.org. Every time he wanted to know another word, I would teach him how to sound it out. The more words he learned, the more he was able to do. When he was young, I read to him. Then we started reading together, every other page, then every other chapter. Now he loves to read to me. We are on the fourth book of Captain Underpants. He is currently 6 and in the first grade and his reading level is 2.9. Just the other day, when I was folding laundry, he hacked my facebook page and read me the entire thing “so you will know what it says.”

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  14. Truly, evolving an interest of reading in our child is a real initiation of seeing them to the way of a good reader. Much enjoyable and effective way of reading will get high favors from them, no doubts.
    Making our child read loudly (accompanied by parents, probably) is a great tactic. Let them read their choice; no matter you like it or not. It is their training and that has to be liberal enough to get them an environment which they would like the most to do their tasks (much playfully read things); yes.
    Surround them with materials; motivate them by having them visited to library sort of places – anything that don’t directly pinch them; but something that teaches them with great care & slow approach!

  15. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on motivating children to love reading. Parents are the first teachers. Kids learn everything from parents in early age. So if parents follow your 10 amazing tips I am sure it will make a huge difference in their kid’s knowledge and schooling experience ahead.

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