My husband and I love books. It was only natural that we would take every opportunity to cultivate the same attitude towards books in our children. There is a big difference between teaching your children how to read and teaching them to love reading. For example, someone could know how to read, but hate it and avoid it. Then, there are others who know how to read and love to read as often as they can.
I believe the difference between those two examples originates in childhood. Even before your kids learn how to read, you can teach them that reading is fun, exciting, and full of imagination by reading to them! Learning how to motivate your kids to read and cultivating the love of reading in them can be done in a few simple steps.
This post is sponsored by Buddy Books. My time was compensated however all opinions or my own.
Start Early
How early, you ask? From day one! Reading to your baby is one of the best and sweetest things you can do for them. In the early days, even when they can’t see clearly, they can hear and will love the soothing sound of your voice as you read. As they grow and start to be more aware of their surroundings, you can buy touch-and-feel books with large pictures in them so that you can help guide their hands to what you’re reading. Buy books for every stage so as they grow older, you’ll have books that will engage them.
I loved reading to my kids as I nursed them or if I were on the floor playing with them I would help them feel the touch and feel books with their tiny little hands. Those sweet moments created such precious memories for me and the baby.
Put Books On Display
Buy a bookshelf to display your kids’ books so they can have easy access to them. The more they see their books, the more they will want to read them! Yes, even when your baby is crawling you want them to just grab their books to open up! You can start building your child’s library little by little. Ask family and friends to buy books instead of toys, that’s what we do!
Read When They Ask
I know sometimes we are tired and don’t feel like reading, but the best thing you can do is take the time to read books when they want to read. I know this could get hard, especially if you’re in the middle of doing something, but the good thing is that you’re helping them spark their interest in reading. I love the look on my kid’s faces when they come running to me with a book in their hands!
Visit The Library
I love the wealth of knowledge that libraries hold under one roof! Going to the library is a fun and exciting experience for kids! They get to choose the books they want, take them home, and do it all over again next week. I love how my kid’s faces light up in the library!
We especially LOVE going to library book sales! Local libraries typically have book sales quarterly or semi-annually to make room for new books. This is a great chance to build up your home library for cheap! We look forward to every sale and the kids and I pick up great books for our library like these:
Read Every Day
Reading before bed is not only a great bedtime routine but it’s also a great time to read! You can keep a few books beside your kid’s bed in a bin so it’s easy to grab them as you’re tucking them into bed. You can also keep a book of bedtime Bible verses to read in addition to a bedtime story!
We like to make sure that we do read-a-loud time daily. I read our morning Bible study and then we move on to whatever read-a-loud book we’re reading. We also do family worship time in the evening where my husband does additional reading and catechism review.
Read Around Your Kids
Instead of opening your phone, open up a book! There’s no better example of getting your kids to love to read than for them to see you reading! The more you read, the more likely your kids are going to enjoy reading too. I just love it when my kids and I are sitting on the couch together reading our own books. And it’s even sweeter when I’m cooking or busy doing something else and instead of playing, I see my kids on the couch reading a book. It’s so, so sweet!
Reading Tools
Sometimes there are times when you need to add in extra things to help motivate your kids to read and that’s okay.
Buddy Books
If you have a child that is struggling with reading or has an IEP or is dyslexic, Buddy Books by ObjectiveEd is an option. This program uses a computer program to listen to the child read and then alternates with reading out loud to the child one sentence at a time. As your child reads, the program also analyzes speech patterns and then provides accurate feedback.
Using the parent dashboard, you select the books that you would like for your child to read as well as see their progress.
Buddy Books uses Bookshare which is a free book service until the age of 18 for qualified students with dyslexia or an IEP. BuddyBooks offers a money-back guarantee on the cost of NeuroLearning screening for parents who purchase BuddyBooks. If the tested child is not eligible for Bookshare, BuddyBooks will refund the $50 for the screening.
If the child is eligible, the child would have access to the entire Bookshare library at no cost until the child is 18. Bookshare books can be accessed from within BuddyBooks by entering the Bookshare username & password into BuddyBooks. Bookshare books are also available using Bookshare’s web browser reading app, but that does not provide any of the features of BuddyBooks.
Buddy Books has a generous offer of $100 off using the code JQ-AFD
This coupon expires on June 16th, 2023 so be sure to check out Buddy Books for this offer.
Reading Eggs
Reading Eggs is an online program that makes learning to read fun and engaging for children 2-13. The program offers reading games, and activities as well as a math program called Mathseeds for ages 3-9. According to their website, “The program is carefully designed to engage children, build skills fast, and nurture a love of reading from an early age.”
Learning Dynamics
With a 98% success rate and backed by University research, Learning Dynamics Reading Program is a complete system that comes with all the tools you need to teach your child how to read. This system is completed in only 15 minutes per lesson and includes a lesson manual, 50+ full-color books, 30+ songs on a CD, an app, an activity book & workbook, letter rewards, and flashcards.
The concept behind Learning Dynamics starts with the roadmap to reading which is: Challenge – Reward – Success – Confidence. The purpose is to build your child’s interest while giving them a new concept right when they need it. With each lesson, they are challenged with a new concept, and with your help, they will succeed in understanding it. Then, they are rewarded with a prize related to the concept that they just learned.
The Crafty Classroom Sight Words Of The Week
Sight Word Of The Week is a 40-week print-and-go program for preschoolers and Kindergarteners that covers all 40 Dolch 220 Pre-Primer sight words. This is an ebook PDF format download and it will cover one single sight word each week with fun and engaging worksheets, activities, games, and hands-on resources. This 386-page program includes 8 Activities for each sight word, an ASL sign chart, playdough mats, sight word search, student assessments, and more.
Rabbit Trails Homeschool
Rabbit Trails Homeschool Membership is a literature-based curriculum full of beautiful award-winning living books. This faith-based, family-style program also incorporates scripture and you can teach it with the entire family at the table. Each month the focus is on a different author/illustrator. For each person, you’ll read through their literature or take a look at their illustrations and learn more about them. The lessons include Bible study and scripture memory cards that complement the lesson, a beautiful lesson planning calendar, and a read-aloud of the main book.
Leapstart Learning Success
The LeapStart® Learning Success Bundle is a complete learning system that helps bring books to life using colorful pages and interactive audio. The levels of the interactive books go from preschool to first grade and feature replayable activities which are designed for children to play at their own level and move up when they’re ready.
The system includes touch-and-talk games, puzzles, and creative challenges that help build math, reading, problem-solving skills, and more in every book. While a computer with an internet connection is required to download books, it works with all LeapStart® books and works on the go. With LeapStart, kids can learn skills such as letters, numbers, phonics, and problem-solving.
How Do You Motivate Your Kids To Read?
The best thing about homeschooling is that we can tailor our children’s education to meet their needs. While I believe the first way to motivate your children to read begins with you modeling it for them, these tools are a great resource.
What are some ways you have cultivated a love of reading in your children? Comment below, I’d love to hear it.
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