Grammy & Grandpa Read

Monday, May 1, 2023

Making Your Home Reader Friendly

As parents and grandparents, we know how important it is to help our children develop a love of reading. In an earlier blog post, I talked about raising readers and gave some tips. Here are some suggestions for creating an environment for encouraging reading.

A fun idea is a floor mat or cushion that turns a corner into a reading nook or a tent with twinkle lights and a cute rug.

Keep books in easy-to-reach places, like a basket or low shelves.

Choose comfy touches like this abc pillow and the pigeon throw to make the reading nook inviting.

Reading with your child is very important in developing their love of reading.

A Kindle or e-reader gives the reader another way to read. Magazines, comic books, or other light reading may be better for the child who doesn't LOVE reading. A handy dictionary and thesaurus are also good when the child doesn't know a word.

Word searches and flashcards are a great way to practice reading. Games are another idea.

Google: Find a library near me
Letting your child help create the reading area will also help give them a sense of ownership.

As our children were growing up, we had a wide variety of readers. We had some that didn't want to read at all and one that got in trouble in class for reading. We always had an ample selection of books for the kids to read. Every summer, they participated in the library reading program. But I had never thought about using comic books as a way to encourage our kids that didn't want to read. They were much older when we started getting them comic books; they now like reading. I would offer advice to try to tune into what your child wants. Try different types of reading (books, comic books, games that require reading) and different ways of reading (a book or an e-reader). Each child is an individual and will need and want different levels of help with their reading. Make reading a priority in your home; this will serve your children well. Happy reading!