Tuesday, July 6
Getting your kids to read!
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Every time you go to the library you get a stamp on a bookmark, after 5 stamps you can get a kid's meal at Subway and a free skating session.
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Once a week you can enter a drawing to win a t-shirt or a book bag, Princess A won a book bag last week.
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Lastly each child get a poster and for every 20 minutes you add a sticker. Once you read for 10 hours the child can turn it in for a free pass to the zoo.
To go along with the library programs I let the kids go 'shopping online' (request books) on our library website. As soon as a book piques their attention I request the other books in the series. For example Princess G has been into It was you Blue Kangaroo by Emma Chichester Clark so we got the whole series from the library (it really is a cute book.) Princess A has been inhaling the I Can Read books (mostly level 3 and 4), Bella Sara and the Rainbow Fairies series.
We also get audio books from the library. Princess A just learned to embroider so she likes to listen to books
The library is wonderful but nothing beats having you own bookcase. We have a large bookcase on the landing and the girls each have a small book case in their rooms. There is just something about having you own book that you can read over and over.
For books that we buy I general buy them books with characters they already know and love (Fancy Nancy, Disney Princesses, Disney Fairies, Toy Story, Star Wars, Amelia Badelia) and books that we check out of the library over and over again. The girls kept checking out Fancy Nancy Sees Stars and Polite as a Princess so we recently acquired them to add to our collection.
As for getting them to actually read we have quiet time in the afternoon and they can either read quietly in their room or take a nap. Since they have not taken a nap since they were two they read instead. Right before bed I or their Daddy reads them some stories and then they also read before bedtime (and after bedtime as I have caught them many times trying to read via their nightlight.) They also read other times and sometimes all the time. I love reading and my girls see that so sometimes when I am reading they grab a book and curl next to me to read their own book.
I think the biggest trick to get your kids to read is to find books that they want to read, books that star their favorite characters or favorite subject!
Do you have some great tips or want to read some other tips join the Twitter Moms discussion: How do you get your kids to embrace summer reading? I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms blogging program to be eligible to get an "I Can Read!" book. For more information on how you can participate, click here.
How old were each of your girls when they started reading?
ReplyDeleteBoth of my girls love reading books and we read 10+ books every day - at their request! My 3-year-old also memorizes short books and "reads" them to us. I hope to work on phonics/reading w/ her more intentionally this fall.
stephanie@metropolitanmama.net