Encouraging Your Child to Love Reading

Literacy is one of the fundamental building blocks of a child’s education. As a child progresses in his or her academic studies, the necessity for a high-level of literacy becomes increasingly important. Also, literacy fosters imagination and creativity which will prove beneficial for children. When a child is continually exposed to reading, books, and literature, he or she develops a love for it, and in turn, a love for learning. Because of these things, Glencoe Learning Center begins teaching the foundations for reading at an early age by using A Beka Book curriculum. At the young age of one year, our students are learning the alphabet— the most basic step in the process of becoming literate. From this point on, students in each class are learning letter recognition, letter sounds, blend sounds, and they are gaining phonetic awareness, eventually allowing them to read fluently and effectively. At Glencoe Learning Center, the teachers use phonics as the foundation for teaching children to read. You will find a list of the six steps A Beka Book uses when teaching phonics and promoting literacy.

Phonics 6 Easy Steps to Reading
1. Learn to recognize the short vowels and their sounds.
2. Learn to recognize the consonants and their sounds.
3. Learn to blend.
4. Learn to sound one-vowel words.
5. Learn the sounds of the long vowels. Learn to sound two-vowel words.
6. Learn the special phonics sounds.
To see more, download Phonics: Six Easy Steps to Reading

While there are many ways to encourage children to read, the best way is for parent involvement in the learning process. Be creative and find ways that work for encouraging your child to read. Below are several things parents can do to encourage a love of reading in their children.

1. Lead by example- Young children are imitators. They love to do “grown-up” things. If your child sees you reading, it’s likely that he or she will want to pull out a book and read, especially if they see you reading often and, most importantly, enjoying reading.

2. Read with your child- Children love to hear great stories read to them. Also, at least two great things can come from reading aloud with your child: a) you get to spend more quality time together and b) your child is encouraged to read. Even older children love great stories and children are never too old to be read to (Yes, even teenagers). Chapter books are a good choice because you can read a chapter or two each day and it will keep the child coming back for more.

3. Involve other family and friends- Get other people in on the fun. If your child is staying the night with his or her grandparents, send some books for them to enjoy together. If your child has older siblings who can read, have the older child read to the younger child. This encourages both reading and bonding.

4. Incorporate other fun things- If you read The Very Hungry Caterpillar to your child, take him or her on a nature walk to search for caterpillars. If you read Stone Soup, let your child help make soup for dinner one night. Also, many books are recreated as movies. Before allowing your child to watch one of these recreations, encourage him or her to read the book. If your child can’t read on his or her own, read it aloud with him or her. Once you’ve finished the book, schedule a family movie night to enjoy the movie together.

5. Library visits- Take your child to the library often. Allow him or her to get a library card and check out books as much as possible.

6. Reading zone- Create a special space for the child to sit and look at books or sit and read together. Even a corner with a bean bag and a bookcase will work. Incorporate the child in choosing the spot and setting it up.

7. Dramatic play- Children love to act things out and mimic things they hear and see. Let your child create a play or skit based from a book and perform it for your family. Allow the child to be creative and draw pictures or dress–up like the characters.

8. Reading in the car- If your child is able to read, leave a few books in the car for him or her to read. Rather than listening to music, let your child read aloud to you as you travel to school, to church, or even to the grocery store.

Feel free to tell us the ways that you encourage your children to read by posting a comment.