Eight Ways To Help Kids Read

Eight Ways To Help Kids Read

Because Choose Your Own Adventure has helped so many kids learn to read, I am often asked for my list of reading tips.  I thought I would devote today's blog to the topic.  Here's my list:

Eight Ways to Help Kids CHOOSE to Read

Routine: Make reading out loud to your children a part of every day life. Read together as part of your bedtime routine and other quiet, family times.

Expeditions: Go to the bookstore and library just for fun. Let your kids pick out their own books or other reading choices. Suggest a section of the library they’ve never used before.

Act on it: Be a reader yourself. Let your kids see you reading. Show them the ways in which reading is an important part of your life. Keep books, magazines and newspapers all over your house.

Discuss what you read: Talking about reading helps kids remember the ideas and events found while reading and connect them to their own lives.
Make up word games: Can you rhyme every sentence? Can you answer every question with a question? Use written clues for treasure hunts. Write secret notes. Play with language in conversation and in writing.
Options: Let kids choose to read without judging their choices, even comic books.
Reorganize: Make your bookshelves bigger and better than your television set. Put books in every room—even the bathroom.
Explore: Discover new authors and new kinds of reading with your kids. Track down poems, hunt for historical novels, seize science fiction. There’s a whole world of important ideas out there. Go for it!

~Ray