My family loves to read– well, everyone except my husband. However, even he knows the importance of reading to our children and promoting a love for reading to them. This means making books accessible throughout our home, finding ways to read together everyday, and demonstrating how fun reading can be.
My husband reads a book to our children every night. He also has been known to point out signs or items our children know. He will spell for them, or show them the letters. As our kids are getting older, we have them help with reading recipes, the newspaper/ads, or the grocery list. Even though my husband doesn’t enjoy reading in his personal time, he enjoys reading Popular Science magazines, which is a great way to show our children one of the many ways everyone can enjoy reading.
My children, who are almost 2 and 4, are still reading board books and story books. Making an effort to find them books that involve something they are interested in is one of the easiest ways to keep them excited about reading. My daughter recently has an obsession with horses, so I found her a Dr. Seuss book about horses. If we’re in a reading rut, sometimes we’ll get their current favorite character books. Overall, picking books that are bright, imaginative, interactive, or silly is the best way to keep their little minds attention.
Here are 10 of our kids’ favorite books:
- Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae
- Pout Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen
- Moo, Baa, Lalala by Sandra Boynton
- Chu’s Day by Neil Gaiman
- I’d Know You Anywhere, My Love by Nancy Tillman
- Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast by Josh Funk
- Nibbles The Book Monster by Emma Yarlett
- Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type By Doreen Cronin
- Do Not Bring Your Dragon To The Library by Julie Gassman
- Too Many Carrots by Katy Hudson
Make Time for Yourself, Too
I have always loved reading; it has always been a way for me to relax, learn about something new, or escape into a different world. Since becoming a mom, I obviously have cut back on my reading just because of a lack of time. Recently, I have made a goal to get back into reading, including starting a book club with friends. This has been a great way to set a date, get together, read/talk about a book, and eat/drink some great food with great friends. I think it is important for my children to see that I also enjoy reading my own books and make an effort to do so. If you’re interested in finding a new book for yourself, here is a list of 5 of my recent reads.
- Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine
- Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
- A Spark of Light by Jodi Piccoult
- Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
- Two By Two By Nicholas Sparks
Reading is so important when it comes to raising our children. Finding what works best for your family is key but it’s also important to find what motivates you to enjoy reading, and sharing that as a family. I hope you found a new book to read from this post or motivation to find a way to read as a family. For more tips and advice for encouraging reading in young children check out this post.
What are some of your or your families’ favorite books?
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