Create a Reading Habit

by Suzanne Loring

Bedtime stories are a long-standing family tradition in my family. Growing up I was read to every night before bed, a chapter here, a story there, and now do the same for my two boys who are three and five. Each night after brushing their teeth, my boys pick a couple of books off the bookshelf and the three of us hunker down in one of the big beanbag chairs we have sitting on the floor. We have a great time making truck noises, turning the pages, and pointing out funny things in the pictures. It’s important to me that we are carrying on a family tradition and having a lot of fun together, with books, every night before bed.

Creating a daily reading routine with your child is more than just fun: It helps build vocabulary and listening skills, develops your child’s imagination, and encourages a love of reading. It also creates quality time between reader and listener and can be a wonderful conversation starter. And in thinking about your child’s future a 2007 study by The National Endowment for the Arts, To Read or Not to Read: A Question of National Consequence, found that children who read for enjoyment score higher on reading and writing tests and have greater success later in life. Talk about a win-win-win situation.

If bedtime stories are your thing, that’s great. But bedtime isn’t the only time to make reading an integral part of life at home. Here are some ideas to get you and your kids reading together throughout the day:

1. Let your kids pick the books they want you to read to them or that they would like to read themselves. If it’s a topic they are interested in, they will have more fun listening or reading about it.

2. Read a chapter a day. Choose a time of day that works best for you. For many it may be bedtime, like it is for me, but for others it may be over the breakfast table or winding down after dinner. Read one chapter aloud (for younger kids, choose one book to read aloud). Setting aside a special time of day to read encourages kids to look forward to reading each day and helps create a reading routine.

A Chapter Here, A Comic Strip There

by Suzanne Loring

Bedtime stories are a long-standing family tradition in my family. Growing up I was read to every night before bed, a chapter here, a story there, and now do the same for my two boys who are two-and-a-half and nine months old. Each night after brushing his teeth, my two-year-old picks a book off his bookshelf and the three of us hunker down in one of the big bean bag chairs we have sitting on the floor. Even though my oldest climbs around during the story and my youngest usually tries to eat the book, we have a great time making truck noises, turning the pages, and pointing out funny things in the pictures. It’s important to me that we are carrying on a family tradition and having a lot of fun together, with books, every night before bed.

Creating a daily reading routine with your child is more than just fun; it helps build vocabulary and listening skills, develops your child’s imagination, and encourages a love of reading. It also creates quality time between reader and listener and can be a wonderful conversation starter. And in thinking about your child’s future a 2007 study by The National Endowment for the Arts, To Read or Not to Read: A Question of National Consequence, found that children who read for enjoyment score higher on reading and writing tests and have greater success later in life. Talk about a win-win-win situation.