Tap Into Their Natural Passions. Do you have a son who enjoys building things or going on “adventures” outside with his trucks and cars? Find books about the same things and help him to realize reading will show him even more fun things to do. There are many books out there that have great illustrations on how to create robots, buildings and automobiles. If your daughter enjoys playing with Barbie’s or is into fashion look up the Barbie books available and fun fashion guides or stories about girls who created their own clothing.
Let them watch the movie. Many books have been made into movies. From classic literature to controversial and of course fun children’s tales. Invest in one of the more popular movies they enjoy and buy the book that it was based upon. Challenge them to read the book and come back with notes telling you what was different between the book and the movie. Where the Wild Things Are is one of my favorites to do this with. It is adventure, intrigue and poignant but all on a kids level.
Let them create their own adventure. There is an excellent series of books out called Create Your Own Adventure Books that allow the reader to choose what happens next. At the end of each chapter you find options to move on to one of 3-4 chapters that would continue the story in different ways.
Have them write their own story. Have them write their own story. Encourage them to sit down and write what they would like to read about. Telling a story or exploring an adventure of their own will help you to know what type of book they would enjoy reading. It is also a great way for them to develop their own writing and communication skills.
No matter what method you use, start early working with your children on not only learning how to read but also discovering a love for reading. Anything and everything they could ever want to know is at their fingertips if only they choose to open a book and read.
