Every parent wants to turn their little one into a big reader, and there is much talk about how this can be done.  Experts stress the “don’ts” as much as the “do’s”, and after much research, yours truly has compiled a list of the major points:

Don’t

Create associations between reading and stress.  Turning reading into a goal, a treacherous bridge suspended between success and failure, will only make a child resent books.

Present learning as toil or pressure.

Compare them to their peers.  For example: “Did you know Suzie is reading Moby Dick!?”  Every child will have an unique relationship and struggle with words.  Honor that!

Do

Take advantage of a child’s natural interest in the world.  Point out the written word wherever you go.  Read street signs, plaques, license plates.  Treat learning like play rather than work, and you may learn something in the process too.

Incorporate reading into daily activities.  Cooking with a recipe or a bed time book will not only familiarize a child with the act but also its joy and utility.

Provide a good example.  Read the paper, read online, read while waiting, read out loud.  Children are natural learners, constantly absorbing what they are exposed to.

Trade letters with your child.  This not only nurtures writing and reading skills (which are complimentary by the way) but it also strengthens the bond between parent and child.

Make weekly trips to the library, and present them as a treat.  Explore the shelves together and ask questions about what kind of stories and characters they like.

And most importantly,

Keep reading this blog : D

“There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.” - Jacqueline Kennedy