SLK Learning Center

1. Let your child choose what s/he wants to read.

There’s so much assigned reading that taking a break from it may be the kind of respite your child needs to enjoy the act of reading. You may not always approve of the books/magazines s/he chooses, but at least your child is enjoying the process at her/his leisure.

2. Subscribe to magazines that appeal to your child.

By doing so, it’s a sure fire way to get s/he to read. Show your child a list of subscriptions ranging in genre, and have her/him choose one or two. Put the subscription in her/his name—the anticipation will certainly increase the excitement of reading!

3. Make frequent visits to the library.

The library shouldn’t only be a place people run to when they have to prepare for a project. Make it as common to your child as the supermarket. It doesn’t have to be a foreboding place that kids find intimidating. The library is a wonderful forum for book talks by famous authors, storytelling time for developing readers, and book sales, among many other things. It’s a quiet space where you and your child can join a reading club, peruse magazines, browse old and contemporary books, conduct research, study, and read.

4. Allow breaks from reading—especially when your child finds it mundane or boring.

You don’t want your child to feel like reading is a chore. Taking breaks provides your child with the necessary energy to move forward.

5. Talk about what s/he’s reading!

Kids know their teachers are interested in what they read, but do they know parents are too? Not always. Ask questions about the new novel your child has started. What does s/he like about it so far? What make the character, the plot, the setting…compelling?

6. Read the newspaper together.

Set aside time designated for reading the newspaper. It gets both you and your child involved in current events in a way that allows you to talk about the world from an educated perspective. You can talk about an interesting story and encourage your child to read it too. Ask about a news article that interests her/him, and engage in conversation about this story—what’s your child’s opinion? How does this story change, inform, affect…her/his world view? What is the writer’s argument? etc.