Both of my sons love books almost as much as they like video games. Almost. 🙂 That is why parents and teachers often ask me what Reggie and I are doing with them at home. In all honesty, the answer is “not much” at this point. For the most part, we stopped reading to our kids about five years ago. We did read to them in their early years though so I’m primarily sharing these 5 foundational tips on how to raise boys who love reading for those of you with younger sons.
1. We read a lot.
I read a lot. I have loved books since I was a little girl, so I’m constantly reading books and magazines in addition to online material. My husband Reggie mainly reads textbooks (he has been a student and/or teacher as long as the kids can remember), the Bible and Sports Illustrated. When they are little, kids tend to follow their parents’ example.
Update: I actually read less and my husband reads more. I’m going through a podcast/audiobook phase. Meanhwile, my husband has found the types of books that keep his interest – biographies and autobiographies of great men.
2. We read a lot to our sons before they learned to read.
Almost every night, Reggie or I would read to the boys before they went to bed. They memorized their favorites to “fake read” before they even learned the different sounds that letters made. We would dramatize their little books as we read. We all still have fond memories of Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb. We used to “drum” to it as part of the reading. Those moments created such great memories. We parents really are our kids first teachers.
3. We read with them.
Once the boys started learning the different sounds that letters made, we would co-read stories. They would read the small words and we would read the bigger/more challenging ones.
4. We let them read to us.
The boys would grab a book and ask if they could read it to us. (The answer was almost always, “yes”!)
Update: I found this video of my oldest son Michael reading a book to me when he was five. Oh my goodness…where did the time go?!
5. We let them read what THEY want to read (beyond what is required for school).
In order to do this, we expose our sons to a variety of reading materials. Trips to the comic book store, libraries, and local bookstores are still common occurrences. I remember being a bit embarrassed when Michael chose to read a comic book for “Read Aloud Day” in Kindergarten, but I let him stick with his choice. By first grade, he was reading Harry Potter. (I would ask, “Do you understand what you are reading…and he did!)
Sean, on the other hand, was initially more of a reluctant reader. “I’m a writer, not a reader,” he would declare. “The best writers tend to be readers,“ I would respond. He didn’t buy that. Oh, well. Beyond what he needed to read for school, I didn’t push the issue. He started really enjoying books in the first grade though. The turning point for him was when his older brother Michael finally “allowed” him to read his Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series. Harry Potter was next. You just never know what will spark a boy’s love of reading!
In any event, I hope these five tips help your sons to love reading books and other written material. I would add letting them make up their own stories, write them down and illustrate them can be fun for them too. Also, ask them what they like/don’t like about the stories that they actually do read. That will help you to know what types of related books to expose them to in the future.
Most of all, I would say to encourage reading but don’t stress your kids out about it. Beyond what is required academically, pushing reading really is an unnecessary battle/steals the joys of the written word. Every boy is not going to love to read, but I think that following these tips will definitely help tilt the probability in your favor.
{Updated/Originally from December 2013}