Guest Post: Tips for Encouraging Readers

Reading expands imagination, builds thinking skills, prevents boredom, improves writing ability and vocabulary, and gives the child plenty of conversation material. The best part? Children reap all of these benefits without even realizing it! Here are some helpful tips to foster a love of reading in your child: 

^{Visit the library often. Many libraries have summer reading programs, and may even offer prizes.}

^{Choose books about subjects they love, whether fiction or non. Horses, mysteries, history, etc.}  

^{Limit their time at the computer and encourage them to read instead.}

^{Read aloud to your children, even after they have learned to read.} 

^{Make reading together a cozy, comfortable time.} 

^{When reading to younger children, change the voices of the characters. Be goofy. Make it an adventure. Bring it to life! And don't worry about sounding silly; your kids will love it!}  

^{Finally, I think the most important thing a parent can do for their child is to fill their home with good books. God chose to put His Word into writing; that should tell us something of the power of the written word.  Silly, goofy books are fine and I enjoy them, but children shouldn't have a constant diet of literary nonsense any more than they should eat only sweets. What your children read will have a profound impact on the way they view life in general, so it's crucial for them to read books that are Biblically sound. Although I haven't read these books, I've read some good things about them: the Elsie Dinsmore series for girls, and G.A. Henty books for boys. (I would check amazon.com or ebay for these as they can be pricey.) Max Lucado has written some excellent childrens' books. I especially like his book Because I Love You which is also available as a small board book for little ones. For interesting Christian biographies, check out YWAM Publishing. Two more books which I think every child should read are The King's Daughter and Other Stories For Girls, and Tiger and Tom and Other Stories For Boys. Home schoolers, as well as teachers, librarians, etc. can find discounted books at Library and Educational Services and Christian Book Distributors.}

 

^{Blessings to you, and enjoy your reading adventures...together!}

^~Jessica~

Jessica Geise is a follower of Jesus Christ, the wife of an amazing husband, and the mother of four children who are the loves of her life. She is passionate about homeschooling, enjoys spending time with her family more than anything else,  would rather buy a new book than new clothes, is always starting on a diet, and thinks that chocolate is the next-best medicine to laughter. Other than reading, her favorite hobbies are music, decorating, blogging, and making attempts at photography. She blogs about this, that, and the other at www.itsthelittlethings4.blogspot.com.