Encouraging reading isn't just for the kids. As parents, the best thing we can do is make the time for reading so we can set the example for our children. This theme page gives you a few articles to fill you with ideas and insights on how you can raise a family of readers. You'll notice that these reading strategies are mostly about creating the environment in your home to encourage reading. There's no curriculum to implement or teaching to do. Just have books in your home - preferably some on topics your kids enjoy.
The first article, "Natural Reading Strategies for Families," starts off ". . . waiting for the wonderful box of books to arrive!" You'll read more about how this homeschooling mom learnt from the best - her mom and dad. Many books are involved in this story!
In the second article, "Kids’ Bedtime: Prayer, Reading & Conversation," goes over the importance of bedtime routines and how it's the perfect time to get in some reading time with the kids. Make reading special bonding time that is set aside each day. You'll find this is a great way to connect and get to have conversations about the stories you read.
Do you know how to set the scene in your home to encourage your kids to read on their own time? You will find many great ideas that will work for your home in "Developing a Culture of Reading in Your Home" and "How to Raise Kids Who Like to Read." Appeal to their interests and their eyes!
Be sure to scroll down to see all the helpful content on reading strategies for children, and don't miss the More For You section that has additional resources to gain more insight on this theme.
I started budgeting and planning for this year’s curriculum many months ago—spending hours asking fellow homeschool moms and browsing Amazon and book sales for the lowest priced books. My child has been reading and rereading his current books (which is good as he retains more information after every rereading but bad because his thirst for new things to read needs to be satiated very soon!). So I finally made the purchases, and we are just waiting for the wonderful box of books to arrive!
Bedtime routines are a necessity when it comes to parenting little ones. It signals the end of the day and helps to encourage our little energetic children to wind down and get ready to sleep. It goes beyond just washing up, brushing those teeth, and getting them into their jammies. For your kids, bedtime prayer and some talking will give them just what they need for a sweet sleep.
One of the tremendous benefits of homeschooling is tailoring education to fit each child’s needs. Parents are experts on their children and know well that each unique child learns differently, develops differently, and holds different interests. What worked for one may not work for another. You have the freedom to customize your child’s education so keep this simple concept in mind as you raise readers through every age and stage: avoid frustration.
Have you ever been swept up by the beauty of “the white way of delight” with Anne Shirley? Have you found amazement with the power, strength, and love of Aslan? Have you envisioned yourself on the banks of Plum Creek with Laura Ingalls and family? There is nothing like being swept away into a book, the kind of swept away where you forget your responsibilities and what time of day it is.
More for You
The question of what stories to surround children with should be as important as the question of what food to put in their bodies. Find out how to raise a reader in this article by Elizabeth Citrowske.
SchoolhouseTeachers.com Member Pick
Do you have a struggling reader? Is your student missing out on the magic of reading? If so, Reading Remedies, a course with more than thirty units, is the perfect medicine! With text-based lessons, audio files, printable materials, and book lists, students of different learning styles can see progress as they seek to improve their literacy.
Do you have a struggling reader? Is your student missing out on the magic of reading? If so, Reading Remedies, a course with more than thirty units, is the perfect medicine! With text-based lessons, audio files, printable materials, and book lists, students of different learning styles can see progress as they seek to improve their literacy.
"A simple approach to character building in children is through reading stories. Stories engage our imagination and allow us to identify with characters and assume their actions, which I call positive character building."
Janis Cox is a Jesus follower. Her goal is to glorify God. She has written and illustrated two children's books, Tadeo Turtle and The Kingdom of Thrim, a Bible study colouring book, and a new series called Growing through God's Word.
"Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6).