When I was young, it was a family joke that I never went anywhere without a book. If I was sitting still, I probably had my nose in a book; I’ll never forget the time my second grade teacher told my mom to encourage me to “socialize more… maybe spend less quiet time with a book.” I consider myself lucky, however – there were no iPads or cell phones competing with books at every turn, and therefore books were the ultimate source of on-the-go entertainment. Today, not so much. In fact, over the past decade, the number of kids who read for fun has halved! So, what can we do to help books compete with screens and raise a new generation of bookworms?
There are two huge ways we can cultivate a love for reading in our kiddos, and they’re a lot simpler than you may think: modeling it ourselves, and giving them free rein on book selection. Let’s elaborate.
Step 1: Be a reading role model for your kids.
I discuss this one humbly, with the acknowledgement that I have not been the best at this in the past. When I would take my two littles to the local library, we’d load up a tote bag with dozens of new books for them, yet none for me. When I have time to kill, I often mindlessly scroll away on my phone rather than reaching for a novel. How could I expect them to fall in love with reading if I wasn’t showing it any love myself?
Now, I make sure to grab a book or two for myself when we visit the library, and I began forcing myself to read instead of scroll when I had down time (and I promise, it becomes easier and easier with practice!). If my toddler has “the sillies” at bedtime and can’t seem to get settled on my lap for a bedtime story, I will begin reading it enthusiastically regardless – I want to show him that I enjoy reading so much, I am reading our chosen book with or without him! I aim to show my children that books are fun, and reading is a lifelong hobby. After all, we all know how hard it is to trust someone who talks the talk without walking the walk – if you’re telling your kids that reading is fun, you should show them too.
Step 2: Let them choose the books that they want to read.
It physically pained me to let my daughter check out The Dinosaur That Pooped A Planet for the third time, but how could I refuse when it made her so dang excited to read every day?! Her current obsessions are the Captain Underpants and Dog Man series, while my son goes wild for any book about excavators, dump trucks, or ghosts. I’d love if they were interested in those ambitious mathematics or computer programming books my husband insisted on getting them, or even our feel-good books with inspiring messages, but they’re not… just potty humor and construction vehicles. These books might not teach them STEM topics or morality, however they teach them something invaluable: that reading can be humorous, exciting, and FUN.
I understand and empathize with the instinct to… encourage your child to pick up more enriching and educational books. Let’s be real, though: enriching and educational simply cannot compete with the technology at their fingertips. When you let your child read whatever they want (to an extent!), they have the opportunity to find the kind of books that will keep them coming back for more.
Unlike so many different parenting crises, this one has a relatively simple answer. Model good reading habits. Make books readily accessible. Let them read what they want. When a child is surrounded by book-loving parents in a book-filled home, the odds are in your favor.
