Ways to Instill a Love of Reading in Your Child

The question of how to make a child acquire the habit of reading books is inevitable for many parents. You have a great responsibility in this grueling but enjoyable journey.

So, what are the ways to make the child love reading? How can you encourage your little one to read? Let’s move on to our recommendations!

1. Be a role model for your child

It is a fact that children imitate what they see rather than what they are told. Naturally, the way to encourage children to read is to be a role model for them. The child, who sees that there are some conversations about family members reading books at home and what is read, can grasp the importance of reading at a very young age.

Therefore, the more books and people who read books are around the little one, the easier it is for him to gain the habit of reading.

2. Start reading from infancy

“How to make a child acquire the habit of reading books?” The American Academy of Pediatrics answers the question with a journey starting from infancy. According to the academy’s advice, you should read to your baby regularly from 6 months old on a daily basis. In fact, there is no reason why you should not do this from the pregnancy period, keep in mind.

By starting to read to your child early, you can become his child’s most trusted and favorite voice. Thus, your little one can associate the warmth of his voice with reading a book.

Make sure that the books you choose are appropriate for her level of interest and age. ABC books specially designed for little ones, books that start with pages with many pictures and few words can be interesting for the first stage. It is good to diversify the materials over time.

3. Create regular reading hours

Rituals are beautiful. Pre-sleep tales, which are started to be read from the pre-school period, have an important role in making children love to read. In this way, you can ensure that there are days when your little one wants you to run to bed early and read a book to him.

There is no doubt that a child whose imagination is fed by the books read to him and who grows up with unique stories will not drop his books in the future. Therefore, make sure to set aside time every day to read to your child.

4. Ask questions about book heroes

Instead of asking questions about the book directly, you can attract your child’s attention by asking questions about the characters of the story you are reading.

• What do you think will happen next?
• Why do you think the hero might have done this?
• Has anything like this ever happened to you? You can encourage your child to think with such questions.

Incorporating book heroes into your life improves both your little one’s thinking about what they read, the development of their verbal skills, and their ability to adapt them to their life and reason. We do not even mention that sweet chat atmosphere that will occur between you.

5. Have family reading hours

We talked about how children imitate their parents. But you can also take it one step further and turn reading into a family activity. Of course, you need to have established a foundation that your child will be enthusiastic about beforehand. Otherwise, reading hours may become obligatory and boring for your little one, which none of us would want.

6. Leave books and magazines within your child’s reach

The more books in sight and at hand, the better. Because the easier it is to reach something, the more it is possible to get involved. So it’s not bad to leave a few books on the table or armchair, even for the little one to flip through the pages.

7. Include books that have been filmed

You can also give a chance to the books that have been transferred to the big screen, although they usually do not produce satisfactory results for a true book lover. Thus, the child has the opportunity to see how the details he envisions are reflected on the screen. Besides being an exciting experience for him, it can also increase his interest in books.

You can also talk about the differences between the movie and the book, and discuss what’s missing in the movie. Thus, you will ensure that your child gains a critical perspective and develops his observation skills.

8. Don’t miss visiting bookstores when you go out.

Imagine a child visiting bookstores from an early age. Don’t you think that a child who sees the places where he will integrate with books when he goes for a walk, is one step closer to gaining a love of books? Yes, we seem to hear you say.

So when you go out together, don’t forget to stop by the bookstore from time to time and choose something together. It is important to include your little one’s preferences before purchasing a book. By involving him in this work, you help to strengthen his sense of trust.

9. Let him share what he’s reading with you

You know that sharing is as important as reading. So let your little one share what they have learned with you, listen with interest. After sharing with you the stories he’s heard or read himself, ask him questions.

Over time, you will find that your little bird is getting more and more impatient to tell you something. This is a productive process that also contributes to the mental development of your child.

10. Build her a tiny bookshelf

What could be more stimulating than a good library? Create a small library for your child at home, after a while adding new books to his library will be one of his favorite things.

Here are our recommendations for ways to get into the habit of reading books. Hope you have a little bookworm!