My Parents' Advice on Reading to Your Kids

I am surprised how often people we meet through reBooked ask us, " How should I read to my child? " Or sometimes, their question is, " How can I get my kid to love books?"

As a 14-year old, I am probably the wrong person to ask. So I turn to the expert(s) in the family:  my parents! Here is their general advice :

· Be a role model! If you want your children to love reading books, make sure they see YOU reading and enjoying books.

Reading is about parents and children enjoying the story together.

· Make time to read together, every day, and try to build it into their daily routines. Even after your child is able to read by himself/herself, try to spend a few minutes each day to read a few pages of a book to your child. It's about you enjoying the story together.

· Treat reading as a positive experience, something to look forward to. If your child is having a bad day and is just not in the mood to curl up with a book, that’s fine. Try again tomorrow. 

· Try to read a variety of books to your child – but if your child has a favorite book that they want to keep reading (or you to keep reading to them), that’s absolutely okay too.

· Make reading fun and let the books come alive!  Use different voices to suit the storyline or characters. Be animated. Go ahead and be silly!

If you have any questions about their tips or if you have other suggestions, please feel free to comment.  We’d love to hear from you!