by Carl Conrad

Created on: June 09, 2009   Last Updated: July 20, 2009

One way to continue your young child's education through the summer months is by encouraging your child to read. And, without resorting to bribes or even negative consequences, you can often stimulate an interest in reading with some simple methods. The key, however, is to create a desire to read.

Reading usually results from having an interest in something. First, buy your child a book, or get them one at the local library about something he or she is interested in. Make sure it's written for the appropriate age or reading level, and try to keep it short at first so that there's a feeling of success from finishing it. Children's magazines, websites, big print books, or even comic books are often a good place to start.

A second important component in getting your child to read is to use plenty of praise and encouragement when they do it. If they want to talk about something in the book, take the time to listen. If they have a question or wonder what you think about something, always give them your attention. Often you can guide them in the proper direction or even help them to make sense of something that's confusing to them.

Tom Draper, a single parent with an eight year old, joint custody son, says that he even has a chart that he created for his son's reading accomplishments. I just designed a simple chart on the computer with a couple of columns for the name of the book or magazine, the number of pages in the article or book that he read, and the date started and finished. When he starts something, we fill in the column, and when he finishes it, we put that on the chart, too. When he's done, we even started putting a gold star on the chart next to what he read. He really likes that. He puts the stars on himself.

Another way to encourage your child to read is by making a special place for them to show off the books and magazines that they've been reading. Set up a book shelf for them in their room or make a special place for their books to be kept. If you check books out of the local library or read stories on a website, make a list that can be put on the wall of your child's bedroom or some other prominent place. It's important for them to have a sense of accomplishment as well as a sense of commitment. Just like putting trophies and awards out for others to see, making your child feel special for their reading efforts emphasizes your interest in what they're reading and the progress they're making.

Remember that reading is a definite link to learning, and that learning is a definite link to academic success. The next thing you might want to encourage your child to do is to start writing because writing skills are a certain link to college!

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