There are a lot of life skills that your kid will pick up in the first few months and years of their lives. From speaking to recognizing shapes and colours, asking questions, learning to walk and so much more. One area that you’re going to find yourself focusing on a lot – and that will accompany them through their lives is reading. Reading really is an essential life skill, as it will be used on a day to day basis. From school lessons to reading packaging, signs, books and so much more, it’s something that will prove hugely important. So, how can you get your kid into reading around their usual school classes and lessons? Here are a few examples that can help you!
Stock Up on Books
Start by having a variety of books for your child to choose from. Kids of different ages and abilities will require different types of reading material, from short stories to full blown kids novels. You should also choose subjects or characters that they are interested in, switching between fiction and non-fiction. You can store all of these on bookcases. You can buy small or large bookcase – just make sure that the one you choose is safely and securely fixed to the wall it stands next to.
Start With Bedtime Stories
Bedtime stories are a great way to get your kids into reading before they’re even old enough to read themselves. Not only can this play an important part in creating a comfortable, soothing nighttime routine for your child, but it can give them a taste for storytelling. There are bedtime stories suitable for every age, so whether your child is two or ten, you’ll be able to find something appropriate. You could even try making stories up yourself, incorporating pets, friends or your kids themselves. Bedtime stories can introduce narrative, help build vocabulary and expand their creativity and imagination.
Guided Reading
The next step will likely be guided reading. This is when you encourage your child to read with you. You can look into phonetics and sounding out sounds and read with them, guiding them as they go. Generally, it’s recommended to find out what teaching methods your kid’s school are using so that you can teach in the same way. You can even incorporatre writing into this too to help them advance in their writing.
Independent Reading
Your child will eventually want to move into reading independently. This is when they will read by themselves and don’t necessarily want to wait for you to have free time to read with them. Make sure that they are reading age appropriate content. If they are reading online, make sure that you have internet filters to block inappropriate content.
Reading really is an important skill for your little ones, so why not focus on it? Hopefully, some of the guidance above should help you to get your kids into reading to aid their development and for the sheer joy of it!
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