Inside: How to Get Your Elementary School Kid Hooked On Reading. Collaborative post.
There are a lot of reasons why kids start to love school. For some, it’s the social aspect. For others, it is their favorite subject, or maybe they just want something new. Whatever the reason, people have one thing in common: adoration towards learning and books. I
t’s science! Kids are born learners, so if you can find ways to help your child love reading and life learning early on, it will be much easier for them later. No matter what your kid likes doing, here are a few ways to get them hooked on reading and help them learn at the same time.
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Open The Door To A New World
It can be difficult getting children into literature these days, especially when so many other media out there competing for our attention, like TV series and video games (and let’s not forget about cell phones).
However, when you give them good materials that will make them see the world from another perspective through someone else’s eyes, they might open the door to a new world of books and knowledge.
It All Starts With The Right Book
One great way to make your child fall in love with reading is by making it fun. If you find the right book, they will be begging for more. It might take some time, but once they get hooked on that story, they will start noticing other good materials by themselves without any prodding from you.
Sometimes all kids need is something interesting enough that can catch their eye, then maybe one day, when they are older and have already developed a taste for specific genres, they would want to read more challenging novels like classics or even philosophy texts (if your kid likes this kind of stuff).
Reading dozens upon dozens of easy children’s stories won’t do them any favors, so if you want to get them into reading for pleasure, give them a good book, something that will make them think and question the world around them.
Easy Stories Are Still Important
That’s not to say that you should never give your kid easy stories, though. In fact, it is very important that they read these kinds of books to help with their development. Easy stories can give kids a sense of accomplishment, showing them that they are able to read and understand materials meant for their age group.
It also helps increase their vocabulary, giving them an advantage when reading more difficult texts. Constant reading and sight words recognition will only stimulate your kid’s brain, and soon enough, they will be reading like a pro. So how do you know if a story is too hard or too easy for your kid?
An excellent way to measure this is by looking at the Flesch-Kincaid readability index, which gives a score to texts based on the complexity of words and sentence structure.
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Lead By Example
Make sure you spend time with your kid reading as well. It is very important that children see their parents enjoying books. It will give them positive reinforcement every time they pick up a good book from home or school.
Also, don’t forget to ask for recommendations from other people about what kind of materials they enjoyed when they were younger. Kids often enjoy things by association (for example, if someone close says, “Oh, I loved this story, maybe you should check it out too”).
Finally, if all else fails, try going through the classics together. Everyone knows how difficult these kinds of stories can be, but parental guidance always helps make these kinds of books more accessible.
It Might Not Match-up, But It Works
Now that you know how to get your elementary school kid to love reading, start looking for good stories and make sure they are hooked on the right material.
Reading is a great hobby that can help shape children into better people, so don’t be afraid to give them some good titles even if their age might not match up with what we consider “young adult fiction” (which usually means something like Harry Potter).
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The elementary years are crucial for setting the foundation for future success in school. By helping your child develop a love of learning early on, you’re giving them a huge advantage. With a little effort and some guidance from you, your child can thrive in school and build a foundation for a bright future.
You know your kids best – figure out how they learn best and what motivates them before middle school arrives when peer pressure starts becoming even stronger than ever. The most important thing is to start early and make school a positive experience for your kid – they will thank you later!