Reading is fundamental to achievement in our modern world. It's also a source of enjoyment, entertainment, consolation, inspiration, and much more. Yet, sadly, many people are not regular readers. The statistics show that youngsters and young adults read far less than older generations, especially challenging newspapers, magazines, or books. Reading has truly degenerated for many youngsters to the 140-character limit of a "tweet."
What can a parent do? Here are some ideas.
1. Model the behavior you want to see your child do. If you want your child to be a reader, you must be a reader. Your child sees whatever you do as normal, common, and typical. So if you read the paper in the morning or a book at night, you child will assume that's what he or she is supposed to do. There's nothing more important than modeling behavior - and there's nothing more hypocritical than telling a child something is important, but not doing it yourself.
2. Libraries. Ever heard of the library? It's a building that has books that you can take home for free. It has books on lots of topics, and they are organized on the shelves. And there are these people who work at the library, called "librarians," who can actually help you find specific books or suggest books your child might enjoy. Amazing. One of the best things you can do is to designate a night every week or two that is "Library Night," when you take your child to the library and let him select books - using his or her library card, of course.
3. Have varied reading material available at all times. The more types of things are available to read, the more likely your child will pick one of them up. Maybe it will be a magazine, or a book, or a graphic novel. Maybe it will be a book about sports or a book of puns and riddles. Maybe it will be part of a series that gets your child hooked for a dozen books. The point is to have a lot of choices, and at different lengths and levels of complexity.
4. Show interest in whatever your child is reading. Kids want to talk about what they have learned and what they have experienced. When your child wants to read you a joke from a book or tell you the plot of a novel, pay attention. Don't say, "I don't have time for it now," or "That's not a very funny joke," Let your kid be in charge. It will show your kid what reading can do.
5. Create pleasant places to read in your home. Comfortable chairs with good lighting are enticements to reading. These spaces need to be quiet and far away from the distractions of television and computers. Good, solid reading can't be interrupted.
6. Don't criticize reading habits or styles. While having a quiet place to read is optimal, if your child's favorite way to read is by lying on his stomach on the living room floor, then that's OK. It's not optimal, but it's reading. Let it go. If your child's favorite reading material is "People" magazine and you think "People" is garbage, let it go. It's a start. When your kid talks about someone who she read about in "People," mention that she can learn even more by reading longer articles in other magazines or on-line.
7. Allow internet reading. Much of internet traffic is the written word. That's obvious at some level, but sometimes people forget it. If your kid is only checking out YouTube and Facebook, then there's not much reading. But if your kid is interested in something (rocketry, fashion, basketball), chances are he or she is reading online. Be supportive of it and treat it with as much respect as any other reading that he or she does.
8. Create an incentive for reading. I'm not suggesting that kids get paid to read, but rather that make it clear that you will support the purchase of reading materials. My uncle made a deal with his daughters that he would buy them any book they wanted, as long as they read it. He was able to afford this gesture, which generated huge interest in books on the part of his children, because they could go to a book store with him and pick out anything that looked interesting. If you can't afford to be that generous, offer a modified plan, such as one book store trip per month and a modest budget for the visits.
9. Tie reading into experiences. If your family has taken a trip somewhere, purchase books related to the place that was visited. These will have great resonance. If your child plays a sport, buy books about that sport. Also, since many books have been made into movies, suggest that your child read a book that was the basis for a movie that he or she enjoyed. This doesn't have to be the blockbusters like "Harry Potter," by the way. Everything from Nancy Drew to "The Phantom Tollbooth" has been made into a movie.
10. Find out what's popular with your kid's peers. When the "Harry Potter" series swept through the land, it was obvious to parents that their children might enjoy the books. But every year, there are other series that draw the attention of kids, just like any other fad. Sometimes these are new series, but sometimes it's a new generation of kids who discover an old favorite. So, ask teachers and parents what the kids are reading for pleasure, and make some of it available in your home. Your kid will want to be in touch with what the other kids are doing - and it's often the greatest spur of all.
The theme behind these ideas is that you, as a parent, need to demonstrate to your child that reading has a priority in your life and should in his or hers, too. Make books and other reading material accessible and enjoyable, and tie it into things that already are part of your child's life. If you do this, then your child will see reading as part of his or her life, too.