Creative Ways to Encourage Your Child to Fall in Love with Reading

By Amy Williams

Everyone always says that reading to your children is one of the most important things you can do as a parent, but how necessary is it really? Well, as it turns out, it really is as vital as they say! Reading helps develop creative thinking skills, helps kids practice critical reasoning, gives them examples of morality and wrongdoing, and instills a strong sense of creativity. Even better, all of these goals can be accomplished before your child is even old enough to walk!

How can you get your child to fall in love with reading? Making your children sit down and read for a set amount of time each day is certainly not the answer. Getting your kids to become passionate page-turners takes a bit of work. Fortunately, we have a few ideas to make your job a lot easier!

Be Colorful Pick books that are colorful, sturdy, and have lots of visual features, such as illustrations. This will help to keep their attention tuned into the book, instead of whatever may be happening on the other side of the room.

Tag Team It Once your child is old enough to begin learning how to read, ask them to read along with you. You can take turns reading one page after another, ask them to read to a sibling, or even ask them to spell out words that they don’t understand. You know your child best so rely on your intuition in figuring out what your child needs the most!

Make It Cozy Do you have an independent reader? It might be time for you to create a reading nook where they can go to enjoy their favorite books and stories. Soft cushions, a well-stocked bookshelf, and a cozy blanket can go a long way when it comes to turning your children into lifelong readers!

Cuddle Up Kids love physical contact (and depend on it)! Take advantage of your snuggle time by using it to fill your children’s brains with words. Even just a short book can help grab their attention and get them thinking. Remember – a little bit of reading adds up to A LOT of knowledge over time!

Take A Trip There’s nothing more exciting for a child than being let loose in any kind of store. On the next rainy afternoon, take your children to the local bookstore or library and allow them all to pick out one or two books. As soon as they have finished those, you can make another trip to the bookstore or library!

Set An Example Remember – you are the best possible example for your children! If they see you reading often, chances are good that they too will become avid readers. Talk openly about your favorite books, and encourage them to start a collection of their own personal reading treasures.

Raising readers is one of the best things you can do for your children. It will benefit them in both their education and careers, and we can guarantee that they’ll thank you for it down the road.

Amy Williams is a free-lance journalist based in Southern California and mother of two. As a parent, she enjoys spreading the word on positive parenting techniques in the digital age and raising awareness on issues like cyberbullying and online safety.  

Raising Well Balanced Children: 

How to Best Support Their Journey

By Susie Walton

 

Often times when given advice as to what to do when parenting, we're left wondering, but HOW do I do this...or that?  It seems as though what may come easily to one parent, may not come so easily to another parent.  This article will be giving some suggestions on (HOW) with   Heartfelt Optimum Ways one can begin to implement some parenting skills to expand their parenting toolbox!  Or one can simply think of it like adding recipes to their existing recipe box.

 

Let's start with the most reliable predictors of adult success; according to Daniel Goleman, PhD., the most reliable predictors of adult success are not grades in high school or even a collegiate pedigree, but rather these six qualities of emotional intelligence:

1. Empathy
2. Optimism
3. Flexibility
4. Good sense of humor
5. The capacity to function as a team player
6. The ability to respond to setbacks

Before I go through each one, it's important to note that it will be easier for your kids to attain these if the parents model them:

 

Empathy

• Understand before being understood
• Be Heartfelt ~ see through your heart
• Acknowledge ~ empathy creates connection

Optimism:

• Celebrate Mistakes ~Mistakes are wonderful opportunities to learn
• Gratitude feast: each person shares what they are grateful for
• Look for the gift ~ the silver lining

Flexibility:

• Go with the flow
• Keep things simple
• Self Care ~ taking care of yourself helps you become a better parent

A Good Sense of Humor: 

• Have fun
• Keep it light
• Don't take yourself too seriously

Capacity to Function as a Team Player:

• Discover each family members strength 
• Encouragement feast ~ each person shares what they love about each person
• Mind Trust ~ when you have a problem with a family member you go to the person

Ability to Respond to Setbacks: 

• Allow Children to Have Their Feelings
• Natural Consequences ~ If We Allow A Child To Experience The Consequence Of His Acts, We Provide An Honest And Real Learning Situation
• Self Reliance

Allowing your children to have their feelings sets the foundation for their self-reliance!!  Why?   Because as children go through life, their ability to respond to setbacks is primarily based on their ability to move themselves through all of their feelings.  When a child can move themselves from one feeling to another, they are building a very rich and strong internal guidance system.  This guidance system is what guides them to move closer to or away from someone or something.  It is what guides them into or out of situations that are healthy or unhealthy and when in an unhealthy situation (or setback) to move themselves through it.  Over time, and with enough experience, their trust in their command of their feelings develops self-confidence!  This process is done primarily through Natural Consequences...so let those consequences (when in good reason) play out.  This requires the parent to be aware of his/her feelings in order not to mix their own emotions into the child's process.  Parent's often times want to make it better or take care of the child (hoping that their child doesn't have to experience sadness, disappointment, anger, hurt, etc.) and the result is a robbing of their children's rich opportunities to build their own emotional muscles!!!