by April J.

Created on: October 26, 2009   Last Updated: November 11, 2009

Parents who have a passion for reading naturally want to pass that passion on to their children. Reading is not only a great hobby but also an activity that builds intelligence, comprehension, imagination, and good written, verbal and grammatical skills, so it is a great behavior to teach a young person. Unfortunately, the teens years have traditionally been a time when many children have chosen to set aside the books in favor of other activities such as hanging out with friends or playing video games. This has led many parents to question how they can encourage their teens to stay interested in books during their teenage years, and this article will explore some options.

START 'EM EARLY

When it comes to ensuring that your children become lifelong readers, some of the most important groundwork is set up long before the teen years. By making reading a part of a child's life very early on, a parent can help ensure that they develop a passion for it and get used to it being a big part of their lives.

What are some ways to do this? One way is to read to children as often as possible. Young children usually enjoy routines, and reading can be part of that. For example, part of the bedtime routine can involve mom or dad reading a story to the child in an animated way and discussing the story and its characters. When the child is old enough to begin learning to read, they can be encouraged to read parts aloud on their own as well.

Letting children pick out their own books early on can also help paint a picture of reading as an exciting pastime. Having a family library card is a great way to encourage reading for the whole family, and children can come along to pick their books out and go through the process of signing them out. A library membership helps enable children to read large quantities of books, because it is so affordable. Buying books can also be a treat where children can pick their own to purchase.

Reading is a great tool for finding information, and this can be emphasized early on as well. For example, when a child asks a question like "why is the sky blue", a parent can say "I'm not sure, but you know what - let's go to the computer and look it up on the Internet and find out!" This encourages children to seek out information to answer their questions, and fosters curiosity and intelligence.

MODEL THE BEHAVIOR

One of the very best ways a parent can encourage a desirable behavior in their children is to model that behavior themselves, and reading is no

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