We all hope to have children who is more in love with reading than video games. Despite celebrities and the First Lady touting the benefits on reading at a young age, kids are still more likely to follow the lead of their parents than a celebrity. Ultimately, it is us as parents who have the responsibility of shaping our children’s future. Here are a couple of things you can do as a parent to develop a child more in love with the written word than a video game system.
1.) Start the Reading Early- I’m talking about starting them really early. By the time your child in about one year old they are ready to start flipping through some books. Keep your expectations in check of course but there’s no reason at this age that you can’t start them in some Baby Einstein books or other books along those lines. By the time they reach toddler-hood, they could already be used to them reading to them at night and thus the foundation is set for a lifetime of reading.
Take an Active Intererest in Your Child’s Reading- Indeed, the best way to have your very own little reader is to be a reader yourself. Hopefully, you are alrady doing your own reading in one form or another. Children learn from watching their parents habits. If you are reading the newspaper or are an avid book reader, your child with follow suit with your habits and it is integrated into their subconscious very early on in life.
The key to developing a strong reader is to read with them and to start early. Get your child asking questions and loving books from the start.