"Let them see you reading. Let them see you love and enjoy print. Even if you're not a reader yourself, you can still communicate to your child that books matter"
~Phyllis Hunter National Fellow of the Institute of Learning
I love to read! There is nothing I like better than getting lost in a book and reading for hours. Unfortunately, since becoming a mom 4 years ago the whole "stay in bed all day reading a book on the weekends" thing has taken a backseat to the "Mommy, read me another story… I'm hungry… Can we go to the park" thing.
I want my children to have the same love for books I've had all my life. Fortunately, I have come across some tips for raising passionate readers.
Tips for Preschooler Parents:
- Read early & often. A child is NEVER too young to be read to.
- Read with your child every day.
- Tell your child just how much you enjoy reading with him.
- Make it fun! Use different voices and faces for each character in the story.
- Ask your child questions about what happened in the story. Make up alternate endings together.
- Know when they've had enough. Stop reading when they stop engaging.
- Read it again, and again, and again, and again.
- Point out text wherever you see it. The Stop sign, store signs, street signs. Open your child's eyes to the words all around them.
What is your preschooler's favorite book?
Katie is the editor of Homeschool Bliss. Her current favorite books to read are Fancy Nancy & Thomas & Friends: Railway Rhymes.
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I started reading to my kids when they were still in the womb, and continued right up until they were teenagers. Now they're reading to their children and instilling the same love of books. I think my granddaughter's favorites right now are Lance Waite's books about dads and daughters spending time together. She loves it when her dad reads A Day with My Dad to her and will go to bed willingly for another chance to hear the story again.
After reading to my children daily since they were born I knew I had succeeded in raising avid readers when my then 10 year old son came to me at 10:30 at night came out of his room and in a very urgent voice pleaded, " Mommy, Mommy! We have to go to the library RIGHT NOW! I don't have anything more to read!"
I have so many favorite books that I just couldn't pick one. I highlight many of them on my websites. I love Fancy Nancy for her celebration of uniqueness and creativity. I love The Kissing Hand for the love and compassion the Mother shows for her son. I love Bus by Christopher L. Demarest for the way it uses short rhyming phrases in large print to evoke the sites of the city for a toddler on ones lap.