Need to inspire reading? If your kids are showing little interest in reading, there is hope. Sometimes us mums and dads have to get a bit sneaky!
Here are 3 top tips that you can implement tonight to help inspire a love of reading!
1. The Early Bedtime trick.
You might be thinking how more sleep can help get your child reading. Well, here’s the trick. You set bedtime for 30 minutes to an hour before they need their lights out.
It’s a brilliant and very sneaky way to get kids to read and hopefully something they don’t figure out until they have kids of their own.
Here’s how a bedtime routine like this could work for you. Kids brush teeth and use the bathroom etc. etc. Then mum or dad reads them their usual stories. All this is all done before their ‘official bedtime’. Then, you merely give them an option like this. Say it’s time for bed now. Would you like the lights out or would you want to stay up and read for a bit?
Unless they are exhausted, almost all kids will choose to read awhile. In fact, the kids will think it’s their idea, and most will grow to love their chance for a ‘late’ bedtime. Then, back off.
Don’t try to lead them in any way, or choose the books. It’s their time. They can decide whichever book they’d like and get to look at it however they wish until its time to kiss goodnight and turn the lights out. Try it. It works.
2. Reading Challenge.
You can sign up for summer reading challenges at almost any library in the country. However, if the local library does not have a program, then create one at home, regardless of the time of year! With rewards for reading books, you can use a Monopoly board and allow your children to move one space for each book they read. Or if you want to have more fun, let them roll the dice each time and have prizes available for passing specific points. You could make an activity out of adapting the board to suit your reading challenge.
Make sure the rewards are very desirable. If your child values time with you more than toys, then set a date together doing their favourite thing. If they appreciate a particular toy more, let them earn it. Just have fun with it, and kids will do too.
3. Read the book before the movie.
This one is a standard in our home. We won’t see any movie until we’ve read the book. Whether my husband and I read the book to the kids or they read it alone, each member of the family can see the movie after the book has been read and understood.
So, if your child wants to see a Narnia movie, or has suddenly developed an interest in Harry Potter, they’ll have to read the all the books first.
That is it. Three easy steps to turn your child into a reader for life.