Did you know that February is “I Love to Read” Month? I can’t think of a better time of year to embrace reading and escape the mid-winter blahs. February, for all its hype on love, is rated as one of the least favorite months of the year.
Here are my suggestions for raising readers, along with some hacks for using my favorite resource for books and more – the public library.
Promote Reading
If you’re not convinced that reading is necessary, do searches for ‘why reading is important’. Do the search for children and also for adults. There are so many good reasons – learning, creativity, memory, intelligence, and more. There are even claims that it makes you more attractive. 🙂
I’ve talked before about how important it is to model what we want our children to do. Reading is no exception. If you don’t read, chances are your children won’t either. Ultimately though, I hope you end up reading because you enjoy it, not because it’s a chore.
Don’t be put off by the thought you should be reading ‘important’ books. Read books you actually like. Encourage your children to do the same. And read books out loud that all of you enjoy.
Note: If you or your children struggle with reading, contact your local library and ask what resources they provide for assistance, collaborate with a local learning disability specialist, or search for resources through the American Library Association.
Books for Younger Children
There are SO many good books for small children. Our library does limit the number of items you can check out – only 99 at a time. (!) I don’t know anyone who ever checked out 99 in one visit, but I do know a few who accumulated that many over multiple visits when they didn’t return books from previous visits. How awesome is that? All those books you can enjoy for free (and story hours too).
Yes, I get it that you’re dealing with car seats, strollers, and diaper bags. But get a load of books anyways. I promise it will be worth the hassle. You and your children will discover unforgettable stories, people, animals, places, and more. You’ll get rhymes stuck in your head and the characters will become your friends. Some of the most memorable will stay in your brain forever.
Reading Aloud
Even as your children become independent readers, I encourage you to continue reading aloud. Sharing stories is such a fun way to connect. You’ll find yourself referencing characters in your conversations and using words or phrases that you remember.
Our family tends to like a combination of adventure, humor, and history. Favorite authors over the years for us have included Beverly Cleary, Gary Paulsen, Richard Peck, Ursula LeGuin, John Erickson, Rick Riordan, Brian Jacques, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and… oh gosh, so many more. We’ve read in our living room, read when we’ve traveled, and listened to audiobooks in the car.
Many kids are happy to just sit and listen to books. Others might like to draw, do a craft, or make a snack while you read. We went through a stage when our boys put together legos while we read. That worked, although it got a little noisy when they pawed through lego bins looking for pieces.
Older Children
As they get a little older, don’t overlook comic books and random fact/record books. When they don’t have a lot of reading endurance, a Garfield comic book or a book that lists random weird facts or world records can be just what they need to keep the process enjoyable.
No matter the age, it’s not that uncommon for a child to go to a library and say they can’t find any books. Seriously. And I get it. It happens to me too. You’re surrounded by books and occasionally none of them will appeal to you. I do feel like this becomes more common as children get older.
Ask a librarian for help. Tell them what you or your child like and they’re bound to have suggestions. Or look online. There are tons of ‘best of’ book lists out there for every age group and genre.
In the meantime, just pick out some books that might be okay. Venture out of a preferred genre. You or your children might try a cookbook, a mystery, something by a local author, poetry, a book about a favorite celebrity, or a historical novel. You get the idea. If nothing else, you’ll get a good workout hauling those books back and forth to the library. Or go digital if that’s your thing.
And, guess what? You don’t have to finish every book. Neither do your kids. Life’s too short to read awful books unless it’s assigned reading (and sometimes you don’t even need to read those cover to cover).
Beyond Books
While you’re at the library, check out what other resources they have. Librarians LOVE to help you find information beyond book titles. I guarantee your library has resources you’ll want once you know about them. In addition to accessing the digital databases your library subscribes to, you can borrow some fairly random items – check out this list of 18 Weird Things You Can Borrow from the Library.
A few of the extras I’ve used from our library include a State Parks pass, trail maps, access to newspaper articles that would normally require a paid subscription, and Culture Passes (free entry to some area museums and attractions).
Books You Love
While February is “I Love to Read” month, there’s no mention of what books you’re supposed to be reading. I’m sure that someone has a list of 21 books to read in 2021. Or the ten most important books your middle schooler should read. Use those as a starting point. Then, read what you want to read. Encourage your children to find books that interest them. And don’t forget the comfort of re-reading books you love.
Happy Reading!
