Reading is a vital part of literacy development. Here are 6 ways to become a reading family.
- Have a designated reading area. It needs comfy places to sit, good lighting, freedom from electronics (unless you are using an e-reader) and bookshelves or crates of books close by. Those books may be owned favorites, borrowed from the school or public library or friends, or recent purchases, but they need to be close by. For the fun of it, give each person a shelf or crate and let them organize and decorate it themselves. Try organizing books by a variety of ways: the color of their spines, in abc order, by book height, by category
2. Set aside 30-minute blocks each day for family reading. For children that haven’t learned to read, it will mean picture books or someone reading aloud to them. Perhaps designate one or more of the reading times as read-aloudswhere everyone sits back and listen together.
3. Take time to talk about what is read. Part of reading includes sharing a funny/interesting/important moment from your reading.
4. Take the family to book events, library and bookstore programs and book sales. Investigate Little Libraries around your community for books that interest them.
5. Give books as gifts.
6. Create a family book log where every title read is recorded. Provide each member of the family with several pages where they can record the title, author, and rate the book for future reference. It will become a great resource for future reading and it also provides an ever-growing record of what is read.