Research suggests that children who think reading is a fun and valuable activity have an advantage when it comes to learning to read. During the preschool years, parents play an important role in communicating a value for books and reading. Here are some things you can do – or may already be doing – to enhance your child’s print motivation.
Let your child see you reading. As in so many areas, our own actions speak volumes. And research suggests the best way to bring up a reader is to be a reader. When we read in our free time, our children are more likely to be interested in doing the same. When we demonstrate how books and online resources can provide answers to their questions, we are showing them how reading can provide useful information.
Allow children to select books about their current interests. Reading about the topics they care about makes for more engaged kids during reading time. It doesn’t usually take much prompting for kids to show preferences for certain books. My older son often walks into the library with an idea of what he wants to read about. The younger one is pretty predictable too. Road construction stories and farm animals are always a good bet for him.
Read with enthusiasm and make reading interactive. Ask your child to make predictions about what might happen next in the story. Talk about the pictures. Answer their questions. If you’re reading a book that has a repeated refrain, invite your child to repeat it with you. If you’re reading a book that has a rhythm, clap along. If you are reading a book that you’ve read many times before, allow them to finish some of the sentences or to supply the rhyming word at the end of a line. Use your creativity to make reading times fun.
What are some of the ways you share an enthusiasm for reading?