Make Your Child a Reader

By Missy Ruzicka

“Everyone is a reader; some just haven't found their favorite book yet. ~Anonymous

Reading is one of my favorite things to do but that wasn’t always the case. When I was younger, I hated reading! My mom still can’t believe her nonreader became an elementary school librarian. One of my favorite parts of my job is watching kids find that one book that turns them into a reader and *click* just like that, they love reading.

Education has seen a shift in how we approach reading with kids. Gone are the assigned books and book reports with deadlines. We give the kids choices, everything from which book they pick to how they report on it. We find kids are more likely to finish a book they picked because it’s interesting to them than a random book their teacher picks. Giving kids the choice sets them up to explore the different genres to see what they like and find the endless amounts of adventures in that genre.

Did you know that children who read a mere 20 minutes a day are exposed to 2 million words a year? Research by Scholastic Books shows us that those same kids are likely to score in the 90 th percentile on standardized tests. Just 20 minutes a day can make all the difference in a child’s education. Now don’t get me wrong, I know that sometimes getting those 20 minutes is like pulling teeth, but repetition becomes habit, and healthy reading habits are imperative for boosting your child’s love of reading and their comprehension.

You can do the “Five-finger read” to help your kids get that just right book at their reading level. Have them grab a book they think they will like and open it to any page. Read that page and keep track of the words they don’t know on their fingers. After reading the page if they have one finger up, that book is too easy for them and they can keep it for a dessert book (a book for fun), but they should try to find something a little more challenging. If they have two to four fingers up then that book is a just right book and perfect for them. If they have five or more fingers up that book is a little hard for them and kids who pick too hard of books can become frustrated and discouraged. If they really have their heart set on that book, read it with them. Reading an adventure together fosters a love of reading for the whole family.

Screen time doesn’t have to be the enemy of reading time, there are a lot of really good award-winning reading apps for kids. Mom’s Choice award-winning Tikatok StorySpark by Barnes and Noble is for your pint-sized publisher. Kids can write and illustrate their own story and publish it for $3 on tikatok.com. There is also Parent choice Gold Award winning Tales 2 Go which streams on-demand unlimited access to more than 1,000 stories for $10 a month. Screen time with educational apps teaches kids a new media to enjoy reading through.

Children learn and grow differently so don’t get caught up on “milestones.” Focus on the adventures your kids are going on while reading, ask them to keep you updated on what’s happening in their stories, ask them to predict what they think is going to happen. They are likely to stick with a book, if they see you are excited about it too. It’s never too late to fall in love with reading and kids who see parents reading are more likely to pick up a book. Remember, “Everyone is a reader; some just haven’t found their favorite book yet.” - Anonymous