Reading increases one’s vocabulary, stimulates one’s thoughts, and broadens one’s horizons.
Do your children enjoy reading, or do they view it as a task about as enjoyable as a trip to the dentist? If your children do not enjoy reading, what can you as a parent do to change the attitude of your children towards reading?
John Milton, Christian author of the classic Paradise Lost, said, “Good books are the lifeblood of a nation.” What is true of a nation is first true of the families and individuals in that nation.
In spite of the fact that Americans have greater access to a larger supply of reading material than any other people in history, we are a nation of nonreaders. As a result, we are missing many benefits of reading. Reading provides one of the least expensive means of entertainment, but there is far more than that. Reading increases one’s vocabulary, stimulates one’s thoughts, and broadens one’s horizons.
We, as parents, can do much to teach our children the joy of reading. Perhaps the following suggestions will help you in this worthy task.
1. Provide your child with an abundance of good reading material in your home.
Attend used book sales and yard sales to look for good but inexpensive books. The internet is also a good source for new and used books. Subscribe to a variety of good magazines. As a family, make regular use of your local library. Your children will not read unless the material is available to them.
2. Encourage your children to read about a variety of subjects.
Especially encourage reading in areas of special interests. Help your children to understand that books can open up a host of interesting topics. If your son is interested in sports, encourage him to read about various sports, biographies of famous atheletes, and “how-to” books that will help him improve his own abilities. If your daughter enjoys short fiction, introduce her to some of the famous short story writers, especially the humorous ones who often are left out of the traditional literature textbooks.
3. Guide you children’s reading, providing direction and purpose.
Be aware of what your children are reading. Not all materials are suitable or worthwhile, so help your children select materials that are consistent with biblical principles.
4. Prioritize your family activities so that your children have time to read.
Reading takes time. It is so easy to let jobs, clubs, entertainment, even church activities crowd out family reading time. No matter how many good books you may make available to your children, unless you afford them time to read, they will not be able to take advantage of the books. Make reading a priority in your home, even if you have to curtail other activities.
5. Participate with your children in reading.
Do not simply tell them, “Here are the books, now read,” while you go off to watch television or wash the car. Set a positive example for them by reading yourself. Nonreaders beget nonreaders. Children need to discuss their reading interests.
6. Read aloud to your children as often as possible.
Research shows that reading to children when they are preschool age actually improves their reading and listening skills. Read to your children to improve their reading fluency, reading rate, and reading accuracy. Oral reading relates positively to reading comprehension for children of all ages. Even high school children enjoy hearing their parents read a good book.
Broadening Horizons
Most of us will never leave our own country. Some of us will never leave our own local region. But each of us can travel to the ends of the earth and beyond. We can inexpensively visit Shangri-La, explore the ocean floor with Cousteau, or leap onto the moon with Armstrong. With a little creative imagination and uninterrupted silence, we can all live exciting lives of adventure, humor, or travel-with a good book.
Offer your children this invitation inscribed in the children’s reading room of the Hopkinton, Massachusetts.
Library:
- Books are keys to wisdom’s treasure;
- Books are gates to lands of pleasure;
- Books are paths that upward lead;
- Books are Friends. Come, let us read.
Conclusion
If your children do not enjoy reading, do not merely shrug it off with, “Well, that’s just the way they are.” Rather, begin to apply the previous suggestions, and with a little time you may begin to notice that your children have an increased interest in reading. Perhaps they will never become avid “bookworms,” but they will certainly read more than they once were.
If your children do not enjoy reading, do not merely shrug it off with, “Well, that’s just the way they are.” Rather, begin to apply the previous suggestions, and with a little time you may begin to notice that your children have an increased interest in reading. Perhaps they will never become avid “bookworms,” but they will certainly read more than they once were.
Dennis Peterson has taught various subjects including history and writing at the junior high, senior high, and college levels.
