Five Ways You Can Relight The Reading Fire In Your Home

Children are currently growing up in a world of screen time. Whether this is in the form of a tablet, smartphone or television, the popular gift for any child is currently something that surrounds screen time. While technology does have its place in our world, there’s nothing that tops the feeling of cracking the spine of a fresh new book, smelling the ink on the printed paper and diving into the daydreams of another.

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[ctt template=”4″ link=”WUj49″ via=”yes” ]While technology does have its place in our world, there’s nothing that tops the feeling of cracking the spine of a fresh new book, smelling the ink on the printed paper and diving into the daydreams of another. Here's how to relight the reading fire.[/ctt]

The usual problem in most families, however, is that children aren’t as readily exposed to the works of Daniel Handler or Enid Blyton as they are the genius behind Steve Jobs. Apps for reading, writing and arithmetic are available constantly to download, with apps like Disney Life being able to bring words to children that they can follow. There is a good merit in apps that can teach children to read, but they don’t necessarily grow that love that comes with diving into a new story. So, how can you get your kids to fall in love with reading?

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1. Choice. When you go to a bookstore, you peruse the covers and read the backs until you come out with something that captures your interest. Children need to be free to do the same. It doesn’t matter if their story of choice is ‘The Dinosaur That Pooped A Planet’, it needs to be their choice what they read.
2. Store. Whether you buy from a store or you initially head into a library to borrow books that’ll tempt them with something to read, you need to make sure you’re going to the right places. Some stores specialise in children’s books, whereas others will just be all about everything.
3. Authors. Most people tend to stick to the authors that they know, falling in love with the style of their writing and loving how they angle their plots. Children will do the same. Some will love the older styles of Enid Blyton and her 1940’s world, others will fit into the rhythm of the imaginations of J.K. Rowling. Let them pick their favourites.
4. Influence. You can’t recommend a book to your children to read, if you haven’t read it yourself. Recommending Charlotte’s Web is no good if it wouldn’t fit the personality of your child. Read it first, before passing it on. You’ll be able to judge better whether the book is the right fit for them.
5. Lead. If you want your children to fall in love with reading, you’ve got to get off your own smartphone or tablet and start cracking open the books yourself. Leading by example is so important, here, as children will want to be just like you. Seeing you read can encourage them to seek out new books and do the same.

A printed book is swiftly going out of fashion, but it doesn’t have to if you and your children are a part of keeping them alive. The more that you read and buy books to fill up the shelves in your house, the more physical books will be sold!

This is a contributed post.

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