Children and adults experience a common joy when reading together. When you hear a child giggle or gasp at events in a story, you know that you are engaging in an invaluable activity for your child. Most parents want to raise readers. The way to do so is straightforward. Yet in our era of screens and busy schedules for our children, we have to be proactive to ensure that we are passing along the joy of reading to the next generation.
Here are some good strategies to raise children who love to read:
Make frequent trips to the library
Teach your child that time at the library is as valuable as time as the gym or baseball field
Read books together aloud and talk about them
Keep age appropriate books around the house
Encourage reading before bed rather than watching television or playing video games
Make reading a habit from the beginning of your child’s life. Board books introduce colors, rhymes, and many new things for your child to notice. Here are some classic books to start with, many of which were probably read to you as a child!
Ages 0-3
Board Books
Humpty-Dumpty and Other Rhymes by Iona Archibald Opie
This delightful book contains rhymes and wonderful pictures for your child to enjoy
The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
The Very Busy Spider is a well known classic, but it is also a great tactile book. Kids will love to feel the raised grooves on the pages as the spider winds a web.
The Wheels on the Bus by Jerry Smath
This book brings the popular nursery song to life with fun illustrations.
On the Night you were Born by Nancy Tillman
The text of this story uses simple rhymes to celebrate the wonder of a newborn baby
Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? by Dr. Seuss
This Dr. Seuss classic uses onomatopoeia as Mr. Brown mimics the sounds of the things around him
Picture Books
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
Lower-case letters climb up a tree and tumble out! The book goes letter by letter describing the injuries.
Have You Seen My Duckling? by Nancy Tafuri
Each page in this book has a duckling hiding for your child to find
I Went Walking by Sue Williams
This is a funny, read-aloud book that talks about a boy’s walk through the countryside
Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems
If your child has ever misplaced or lost a prized object, he/she will relate to this story!
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems
Laughter is nearly guaranteed when you read this hilarious book with your child!
Ages 4-8
Picture Books
Corduroy by Don Freeman
A teddy bear leaps off the shelf in a toy store and goes on a journey to find his missing button
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
This book is about a boy, Peter, walking around his neighborhood after the first snowfall of the season
Best Word Book Ever. by Richard Scarry
This book teaches children about letters and numbers while entertaining them with human-like animals
Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin by Lloyd Moss
This story introduces kids to 10 musical instruments and is filled with unique pictures
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
This classic is filled with minimalist pictures, but contains a valuable lesson, making this a book that children and adults remember for years
As your child becomes more and more independent as a reader, it is still important to take time and read with them. Helping a beginning reader takes time, and we need to be patient and positive as we watch our children’s literacy skills develop.
Books for Beginning Readers
Thank You, Amelia Bedilia by Peggy Parish
In this story, Amelia Bedilia prepares for Great-Aunt Myra’s visit. When Amelia Bedilia tries to follow the instructions she’s been given, laughter is sure to ensue.
The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne
These stories follow Jack and Annie Smith, two normal children who go on amazing adventures and conquests thanks to their tree house
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
This book follows 4 orphaned children who create a home for themselves in a box car.
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle by Betty MacDonald
This book is about a lovable widow who lives in an upside down house.
Are You My Mother? P.D. Eastman
Another classic story about a hatchling searching and searching for her mother.