by Kristine Mitchell, M.Ed.

Encouraging Your Child to Read

Your child may have devoured books through 3rd grade, then gradually seemed to lose interest. Maybe the time involved in extracurricular activities or the dreaded homework monster is cutting into reading time way too much. Maybe you hear the wails, “All the books are boring!” or “All the books are too long!” Maybe your child reads during the school year, but stops for the entire summer. Maybe your child cannot find a book that will compete with the latest Wii game. So now you’re asking yourself, “How do I encourage my child to read?”

I’m always telling students, “Once you know how to read, the only thing you need to do to get better is to read.” So here are some ways to get kids reading:

1. Read yourself! Create a culture of reading in your house. Read newspapers, books, magazines and talk about what you read. It is hard to encourage your children to read if they never see you reading. Or worse, hear you say how much you dislike reading. What you do is so much more important than what you say in this instance.

2. Encourage a variety of books—fiction, nonfiction, manga, graphic novels, activity books, magazines, digital books, comic books—even the newspaper.

3. Limit “screen time”—that means TV, computers and hand held games.

4. Read with your child or read aloud to your child. Attend story time at the library. Teenagers may enjoy digital audio books or books on CD. For older readers, have a reading contest. Both of you read the same book, and using bookmarks, track who is reading the most each day.

5. Provide access to books. Explore local book stores, the school media center and the public library. You don’t have to buy every book.

6. Think about joining a book club. Some schools sponsor book clubs during lunch period or after school. Local book stores offer clubs for elementary readers. The Columbus Library Teen Department hosts a wide variety of teen-friendly events.

7. Find an exciting book series to read. Kids of all ages love books in a series.

8. Explore author web sites and blogs. Go to author events and book signings. Meeting and interacting with a favorite author is a great way to encourage readers of all ages.

9. Look into eBooks. We are living in a digital generation. The Columbus Public Library offers free, downloadable eBooks and audio books that will play on your computer, mp3 player or iPod. Many school media centers also offer eBook checkouts and digital audio books.

10. Take time to discuss the book your child is reading. Ask questions about their book while they are reading. You’ll have fun talking with your child, and they will love sharing a great read. Who knows, you may want to read the book when they finish! Remember, when you read for fun, you don’t usually pick up a college-level text. Children need to read a wide variety of material, and sometimes it will be very easy stuff that is fun to read. It’s all good! For more ways to encourage your child to read, drop by your school and public libraries. We’ll be glad to help!

Kristine Mitchell has worked as an educator for 16 years and holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Columbus State University and a master’s degree in library media from Auburn University. A media specialist at Blanchard Elementary School for nine years, Mitchell avidly peruses magazines, professional journals, listservs, blogs and online newsletters looking for great reads for herself and her students.

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