How to Start a Home Reading Program for Your Child
Many parents want their children to read often, they want them to read good books, and they want them to enjoy doing so. But they wonder: How do I motivate my child to read? How do I get them to enjoy reading? How do I inspire a love of reading? What are the strategies? Where do I start?
Does this sound like you?
There are many answers to these questions, but one way to nurture a habit of reading, and get your child to love doing so, is to establish a reading program. If the word program is off-putting to you or your child, call it something else: a reading challenge, a reading adventure, what have you. Whatever you choose to call it, the purpose remains the same: When you establish a reading program, you are setting up a structure to encourage reading, nurture a love of reading, and reward progress.
Follow these six steps to start a reading program for your child
Establish the purpose for your reading program. To jump-start this reading adventure, the first thing you’ll want to do is clearly state the purpose of establishing your child’s reading program. You may have your own goal in mind, but invite your child to join you in creating one. The program is more likely to find success if the participant—i.e., your child—is on board from the get-go.
Choose the age range for the books. First and foremost, don’t get hung up on finding books that perfectly match your child’s age. Your child may be capable of reading, and comprehending, a book that publishers say is geared toward a child who is five years older than yours. Make your own judgement about what books are best suited for your child and follow your instinct. You know your child better than any publisher does.
Choose the books. The books that you choose to include in your child’s reading program largely depends on the goal you have established and what your child wants to read—what they’re interested in, what satisfies their curiosity, what sparks their imagination.
Set the pacing. The primary purpose of establishing a pacing guide for reading is to give your child a rough idea of how often they should be reading to meet the goal of the reading program. The pacing guide will also give them a better understanding of their speed as a reader. The pacing does not have to be static; you can adjust the pacing based on your child’s needs or the difficulty of the book or text being read.
Create reading prompts, if applicable. If you want your child to do more than read certain types of books in a certain amount of time—e.g., if you want to ensure they are comprehending what they read—then you should consider jotting down some reading prompts to pose once your child completes a chapter, or story, or poem, or book.
Determine your child’s rewards. Rewards help motivate children (and adults) to complete tasks, such as following through with a reading goal. Certainly, finding enjoyment in a book is a reward in itself, but sometimes external rewards can help motivate children to read to their fullest potential and perhaps even encourage them to read more stories, poems, or plays than they would have otherwise.
Remember, reading is for enjoyment and knowledge acquisition
I cannot stress this enough: the ultimate goal for establishing a culture of reading is to love reading and find value in the written word. If a reading program is too regimented, thus dreadful or a bore, it falls short (likely, very short) of meeting this goal. Before starting your own program for your child, ask yourself: Will my child enjoy undertaking such a task? If the answer is “no” then figure out another way to introduce your child to the wonderful world of books.