How teaching children to love reading the written word

Every parent wants his or her child to learn to love reading.

Without reading a person can not do much of anything.

If a person does not like to read,they will not read even

what is essential for every day life.

The child that learns to love reading will enjoy a life

filled with wonder and continued growth personally.

and academically .

It is not always easy to get a child to like to read.

Some take to books naturally,but others will do just

about anything to avoid them.

This can be discouraging for parents and teachers a like.

However, there are things you can do, to try and help

each child fall in love with the written word.

The first and most important thing you must do is to be

an avid reader.If you do not read and do not allow the child

to see you reading,the child will have difficulty making

the connection between reading and enjoyment.

Inevitably, children are watching your every move,which 

makes it even more important to set an example that reading

can be an enjoyable part of your daily routine.

If you don't make reading a part of your own life you will have

much more difficulty emphasizing the importance of reading

in a child's life.

Here are a few suggestions to make sure you're not missing

the boat on raising  a successful and wide-eyed reader: 

Read everything.

Novels, biographies, non-fiction pieces,magazines,

newspapers are just some examples of the things

you can read in the presence of your child.

Let them see you responding to what you are reading

If it is a funny story, laugh and tell your child you enjoyed 

it because it made you laugh.

If it is a sad news report.act sad and explain why you are

sad to your child.

If is a how-to article that you have learned from,let your

child know you just learned something.

Make a special time that you and your child read together.

 

Every second you spend reading with your child will

make a difference.

Not only will you be reinforcing good habits and

comprehension skills to help them succeed, but also

making amazing memories along the way.

At least four times a week, get comfortable in a

favorite spot with your child.

Let him or her pick out what they want to read with you.

Talk about what you are reading and discuss any pictures

or points of interest that come up while you are reading.

By talking about it and asking him or her questions about

how he or she feels about what you are reading you are telling

your child that this is important and you value his or her opinion.

This kind of positive reinforcementwill create warm and comfortable

memories that elicit a love of reading

Make reading fun.

Use funny voices while reading a story.Encourage your child to use 

funny voices.

When your child asks you a factual question tell him or her you

don't know,but you'll help him or her look it up.

This gives you the opportunity to instill in your child the invaluable 

skill that reading really is.

It gives you both time together to talk and discuss any information

that may be important to one or both of you.

By creating this kind of intimacy with your child you are allowing 

him or her to feel safe in coming to you with his or her questions.

You will also be showing your child that reading is not only enjoyable,

but purposeful as well.

When you want to give a reward for something your child has 
accomplished ,let it be reading time with you.

Or, even let it be a trip to a bookstore to buy a new book.

Picking out a new book is always exciting and this will give you a chance

to observe the kinds of things your child wants to read.

Then take the book home and read it together.

Picking out books from the library is just as exciting as picking

books out at a bookstore.

Except that your child can usually pick out a lot more from the library

than the bookstore.

Being a member of the library usually means access to storytellers

and reading programs as well.

These are both great motivators for creating a love of reading in children.

Another great motivator is stuffed animals or dolls that represent

characters from favorite storybooks.

When you have one of these toys, you can use them to help you read

the story to your child.

And, your child can use them to help him or her read it to you.

This makes reading fun,and gives your child the opportunity

to exercise his or her creativity.

Make your own puppets to use when reading.

These puppets can help your child get excited about reading.

Again, the creativity in your child will come out as he or she is using

the puppet to read a story to you.

This will make the story even more exciting and enjoyable for you both.

Teach your child to treat his or her books with loving care.

Explain that it is important not to bend the binding of a book or leave it

laying open face down.

Let them know that you care what happens to the reading material in your

house.

Show them how not to write on top of books or inside of books in order

to keep the nice and help them last for a long time.

Make sure you treat your own books in the same manner you expect

your child to keep his or her books.

When a child learns to respect his or her books,he or she will also learn

to respect what is inside the book.

No matter how you go about teaching ,Never use reading as a 

punishment.

Doing this will link negativity to reading and create a resistance to

reading in your child.Keeping your child's reading experiences

positive and fun is important in order that your child views reading

as an enjoyable pastime