Raising Readers
Raising readers is so important.
But I often worried I wasn’t doing enough.
I didn’t read to our children every day as babies and toddlers.
Those early days of mothering are long and hard. For many of those years I was a married single mom - my husband was traveling for work - so it was all on me, and frankly, I didn’t have the energy at the end of the day.
Truthfully, I worried they wouldn’t be readers because I didn’t read to them every night.
I mean, here I was, a former LITERATURE teacher! I KNOW the benefits of reading to babies and toddlers and children and I wasn’t doing it! Something had to change. My priorities had to change.
Making reading a priority.
The only way to have the energy to read to all three of our children was to read to them all at once, and/or read in the morning. I started doing both. At first we chose some easy chapter books, like the A-Z Mysteries or Magic Tree House series. And then we somehow started the first Harry Potter, and the oldest two were hooked.
Reading aloud to children gives them valuable insights into reading skills (like fluency and pacing), and provides opportunities to discuss characters and situations with an adult who can guide the conversation.
Around this time I also decided our children should see me reading books for me. If it’s such a big deal, and I love it so much, it needed to be a priority for me, too.
It’s been 5 years since I decided to change my priorities, and I’m happy to say that it’s paid off. We are now a reading family, and it brings such joy to all of us.
We keep small amounts of books in almost every room of the house (and the car) and rotate them often. They are always accessible, but never overwhelming. And I love organizing them by rainbow color.
I carve out time to read aloud to our children almost every weekday.
I read as they eat breakfast. So far we’ve read all seven Harry Potters, Treasure Island, Pippi Longstocking, Because of Winn-Dixie, Anne of Green Gables, countless picture books, and a lot of others.
Personally I read about a book a month. Sometimes more or less, but it’s not something I stress about.
My favorite place to buy books is the thrift shop. Children’s books are about $1, and while the library is wonderful, we’ve had too many books dropped in the bath or chewed by the puppy.
We also have a “Mom’s Library” of books that I pull out every once in a while and the children can go “shopping”.
Mom’s Library — every once in a while I pull these books out and the children get to “shop”. Of course they think this is great!
Our children also now read independently almost every day. Even the youngest, who is juuuuust able to read simple books. He reads books he knows by heart (repetition is key!), puzzles out beginner reading by reading sight words and using picture clues, or reads by looking at pictures.
They often ask for all of us to read independently snuggled together on the sofa, and they love tea time… reading with snacks!
How to raise readers
make reading a priority - you might need to schedule it in, or set goals, or change your habits. You know it’s worth it!
read aloud to your children- even older ones
make books accessible so even young children can access them easily and independently
let your children see you reading - seeing you with a book in your hands shows you value reading
weave reading into your everyday lives
show your children that reading is everywhere: road signs, baking directions, bicycle assembly instructions, cereal boxes, grocery lists…
reference what you’re reading - when the dog jumps into the bathtub, ask, “What would Pippi do right now?” or when your child is sad, relate that back to a character you both know.
make reading fun and filled with love - read with snacks, or tell your children they can stay up as long as they want after bedtime if they’re reading; cuddle up, snuggle up, and choose books that make you both happy. You don’t ever want to make reading a punishment or let it become a power struggle.
Use a tracker to keep children motivated!
Our children are always motivated by trackers. We’ve done the 500 books before kindergarten tracker from our library and made lists.
This week I made reading logs!
There are 4 versions: a summer and non-summer 100 book challenge for young children (picture books), and a summer and non-summer tracker for older children (chapter books). You can print as many as you like :)
Grab your free-to-download reading log (all 4 versions) by popping over to the printables page.
Raising readers is a journey.
Sometimes you’re going to rock it. Sometimes you’re going to be exhausted. Focus on the long-term goals, not the daily wins or losses.
You’ve got this, mama!
Celebrate when your child’s reading takes off!
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