Encouraging Home Reading

BE INTERESTED: Be actively interested in children’s home reading for enjoyment, for information and for hobbies. Let your child(ren) see you reading for pleasure and purpose

OFTEN! MAKE ROOM FOR READING: Give books a space in your home that includes room for children’s books.

BUILD A GROWING LIBRARY: Begin to build a children’s library early so that your child associates enjoyable experiences with books she knows and loves. Add to the library regularly at birthdays and on special occasions. Teach children to care for books, how to keep them in order, and how to refer to them for information.

READ TOGETHER: Read to and with your children, no matter how old they are! Help them with challenging words. Explain new words and concepts. Have a story time where each member of the family reads or tells a story to the others.

VISIT YOUR SCHOOL AND PUBLIC LIBRARIES REGULARLY: Become familiar with the local library and its services. Take children on a tour of the library. Make one day a week “Library Day” for checking out and returning books.

AUTHORS: Interest children in learning about the authors of their books. Watch for new items by or about favourite authors.

PROMOTE BOOK GIVING: Books are the perfect gift for everyone, especially children. Ask your public library for lists of good books for children.

LOOK IT UP: Children are full of questions that can be answered by consulting reference materials. Get in the habit of using reference materials at home Have an age-appropriate dictionary readily available. Older children can use a thesaurus as well.

A BALANCED DIET: A balanced diet of reading is as important to growing minds as a balanced diet of food is to growing bodies. Children like to read old and new books. They enjoy stories written in past generations, books that link them with the grown-ups in their lives. They also want new literature, written directly for their own generation. Remember to encourage non-fiction and how-to books in their collections.