
Experts and parents know reading is a crucial part of any child’s education. Your child’s future depends a lot on their reading ability —but it’s nearly impossible for your child to learn all they need to know about reading at school. You’ll need to help turn your child into a reader.
The good news: Whether you’re a parent who loves books or you’ve struggled with reading too, you can turn your child into a reader. These five strategies can help your child love reading.
Be an example
Read to them
Visit the library often
Surround them with books they like
Don't give up
Some kids take to reading quickly and easily. Other kids will struggle to really enjoy reading. Don’t give up. Just because your child doesn’t immediately love reading doesn’t mean you can’t still encourage reading. If your child avoids reading, try honing into what they like. For example: If your son loves sports, pick up some books on sports or help them read magazine articles about their favorite athlete. Tune into what your child really loves and feed them information about their interests in the form of the written word. Writing can also be an effective way to encourage reading. Have your child help you write to-do lists, write notes to each other, or start a journal.
Turning your child into a reader doesn’t happen in a month or even a year. It takes continual effort. The more your child reads, the more they’ll love reading.