5 Tips to Help Your Kids Love to Read

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We all know how important it is to get our kids reading. But, how do we do it without sucking all the fun out of it?

Through my trials and errors, I have come up with 5 tips to help those of you struggling with this right now.

1. Stop Making Them Read

     My biggest mistake was forcing my son to read.  Young kids don’t care what good literature is, they don’t give a hoot about book reviews or what’s on our list of classics.  They want to read what interests them.  So, don’t worry if they choose a comic book.  It’s more important to get them wanting to read than to force our picks down their throats.

2. Read To Them

Read alouds are a great way to expose your kids to some of the books on your list while spending time together.  Don’t stop reading aloud to your older kids.  My son is going into 5th grade and I read to him and his 5-year-old sister almost every day.  He still loves it as much as he did when he was small and I get to choose to read some of those books I want them to hear. Don’t forget to add in some great picture books either.  I promise your older kids will love it, especially if you throw in some funny voices.

3. Don’t Worry About When 

     This is probably the hardest one.  As a parent who attended traditional school, I had to let go of my preconceived ideas about when learning was supposed to happen.  My son reads for hours every night.  For him, the best time to read is in his bed before he falls asleep.  He usually heads to bed around 7, snuggles up under the covers, and he will read until about 9 or until we make him turn out his light.

4. Go to the Library

    It can be hard to get to the library as regularly as we should.  Life gets busy and it can seem like a hassle.  Who wants to deal with late fees because your preschooler shoved a book into the depths of a toy bin?  But, if you commit to making it a habit it will pay off.  Every time we go, my son, fills his arms with books.  He doesn’t always read them all, but that’s not the point.  The point is giving our kids access to as many book choices as possible and then letting them run with it.

5. Read Yourself

     This one’s hard.  Finding time to read a book as a homeschool mom is just downright laughable sometimes. However, I’ve found that it really does encourage my kids to pick up a book too. And, the newspaper or your morning Bible time count.  My biggest challenge has been in picking up a real paper book.  I read constantly on my phone, but my kids can’t see that it’s reading when it’s on my phone. Our kids will do what they see us doing.  I’m trying to make reading one of those things they pick up from watching me.

    What has been your biggest struggle with helping your kids love reading? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Heidi