How to get kids to enjoy READING

While some kids can easily lose themselves in a book, others have more trouble and need to be hooked. Plenty of tips and tricks can help encourage more reading at home.

“One of the best things parents can do is model reading, showing their children they enjoy reading themselves,” said national literacy consultant Kathryn Starke, a former elementary school teacher, author of “Tackle Reading” and the founder of Creative Minds Publications, a reading educational company. “The key to hook children on books is to match a book to their child’s interest. If a child likes basketball, find books about basketball; if a child likes fairy tales, seek out those.

“Remember that reading magazines, comic books, nursery rhymes and poems is still reading,” Starke said. Other options include audiobooks and graphic novels, she said.

Choice is the key to growing lifelong readers, said reading expert Laura Robb, director of language arts and curriculum coordinator for Powhatan School in Boyce, Virginia, and author of “Reading Strategies That Work.”

“Letting children choose what they want to read can transform a reluctant reader into a motivated reader,” she said. “When parents take their child to their school or public library to find books, it’s helpful to set aside 45 minutes to one hour so students learn to browse through books, spot-read to find ones they feel are good fits, and then check out a stack they can’t wait to devour.”

Create the best environment

Parents can bring a book to life by making reading a fun, learning experience, Starke said. One example is making a food item or treat that matches the book, such as marshmallow snowmen after reading Mark and Caralyn Buehner’s “Snowmen at Night.” Or, take a trip to explore the topic or setting of the book, such as to the zoo, museum or a new city, Starke said.

Also, “subscribing to magazines or the newspaper that arrives daily, weekly or monthly shows that reading is important at home,” she said.

Creating book nooks, such as a bookshelf in a common living space or children’s bedroom, promotes a love of reading at home, Starke said.

“Creating special reading spaces around the house and spending at least 20 minutes a day reading to and with children help make a book-friendly home,” she said.

Obviously, the local library is a great resource.

“Taking kids to get their own library card and enjoying weekly visits to the library or bookstores encourage a love of reading. The library offers story time and summer reading programs while bookstores provide local author visits and book clubs to explore,” Starke said.

Find the right level

When choosing books, settle on ones that are a good fit and not too challenging.

“There is a misconception that children will learn to read better when given a challenging book when it actually has the opposite effect,” Starke said. “When a book is too hard for a child to read, the child will become frustrated and disinterested in wanting to read. Instead, it’s important to provide a book that matches a child’s interest level and reading level once they are in elementary school.”