Raise Kids Who Love to Read

Reading is SO important for all children. Reading for 20 minutes each night with your child is an early indicator of future academic success. Children are exposed to new vocabulary, creative thinking, language skills, and so much when they read or listen to a story. If you are interested in finding ways to raise your kids with a love for reading, I have put together a few ideas to help you foster a love for reading with your little ones.

Take them to the public library

Okay… I have to be honest. It took me a little while to get the courage to take both of my littles to the library by myself. My husband works a LOT, so I am often on my own when I take the kids places. I finally mustered enough courage on a night the library was having story time when my littlest was 1 and my oldest was 3. Let me tell you… it was a wonderful experience!

{I think} since it was a new experience, my kids did amazing. They listened to the librarian read the story and loved it! I also ran into a few moms I knew from college and it was great to catch up with them!

Public libraries usually have a lot of events and things going on. Our library has story time weekly during the day, as well as one evening a week. Our library also has an iSpy activity for the kids that is changed out frequently, a magnetic activity table, and tons of wooden puzzles.

When I offer my kids a trip to the library, they are always so excited and can’t wait to check out new books. When we are finished, they often beg to read the books on the way home. It is the absolute sweetest thing to see my babies reading quietly on the way home.

Make a reading nook

This is something that is SO easy to create and it won’t cost you any money unless you are bougie.

Personally, I do not have the space in my home to create a dedicated reading nook. I periodically make a reading space that will eventually get taken down (I usually take it down in a few days).

Whenever I create a new reading nook, my kids are SO excited and eager to grab their favorite books to read in the space. 

How I create my reading nook:

• Gather pillows and blankets
• Create a “floor” with blankets
• Enclose the space with pillows and stuffed animals
• Done! 

If you have the extra space in your home and want to be supermom, here are some adorable ideas of reading nooks you can create in your home:

Read Every Night

This is the easiest one. Read every night to your child before bed. Put it into your bedtime routine. Bathroom, jammies, teeth, read.

Reading bedtime stories together is our favorite part of our nightly routine.

Snuggle up with your babies and read them stories. 

Sometimes we choose a book that has the most interesting illustrations and we talk what is happening in the pictures on each page. Conversations with your children is just as valuable as the words on the page.

Once this becomes a routine, your kids will anticipate it and they will not got to sleep without their bedtime story! It will become a beautiful way for you to connect with your child each night, I promise.

Keep books everywhere

We have books all over our house, our cars, the diaper bag. Here is a list of the main places we keep books and places we take them to:

• Each child’s room
• Living room
• Playroom
• Vehicles
• Diaper bag
• Church
• Doctor’s office
• Restaurants
• Anywhere you will be waiting for any period of time

Don’t force your child to read

Make reading a positive and fun experience. If you ask your child if they want to read a story and they say no, that’s fine! Let them play or keep doing what they are doing. We never want reading to feel like a chore or something they have to do. 

When your child says they don’t want to read, you can start reading the story to yourself. I usually say something like, “you don’t want to read? That’s okay! I wanted to read this story tonight so I will read it to myself!” 

I read it aloud to myself and my kids always stop what they are doing after a moment to come finish the story with me!  With that said, I have to add I only do this when we haven’t read any books yet that day.

If you made it this far, I hope you enjoyed reading this post and found helpful ways to foster a love of reading for your child!