Trying to come up with a New Year’s resolution before 2017 arrives? Here’s an idea: resolve to read to your child daily! When a child learns to love books at an early age, it paves the way for a lifelong interest in reading. As a parent, there are many things that you can do to foster that enjoyment of books, or print motivation. Here are a few things that can help:
-Get your child involved in reading by having her say repeated phrases throughout the book and asking her questions while you read.
-Don’t force your child to read when she’s not in the mood. If you have to cut a book short, you can always return to it later. You want to make all of her early experiences with books positive ones.
-Keep books everywhere—in the playroom, in your child’s room, on bookshelves, in toy boxes, in your diaper bag, in the car. You can never have too many books around!
-Even if it gets boring for you, read your child’s favorite book to her as many times as she wants. That repetition is great for her growing brain.
-Expand and change your book selection at home by getting books from the library.
Doing what you can to build a solid foundation during the early years will really have a positive impact on your child’s reading down the road. So dust off that library card, and get the new year started on the right track!
