This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BreakfastAndRead #CollectiveBias If you want some easy ways to get your kids to read every day, you need to read this post. I, like most parents, want to instill a love of reading in my kids, without fighting with them to make it happen. There are some ways you can do this and create a daily habit without it being something that’s fought about or over. Keep reading.
Every normal parent wants their kids to read more. In the age of technology, it seems we fight screen time and books are pretty low on the entertainment Totem pole. If you’re getting creative with ways to get your kids to read every day, and you don’t want to fight with them, here are some ideas to make reading happen every day.
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I not only want my children to read more, I want to them LOVE reading. Reading has always been a huge part of my life. I loved it so much as a kid, and still love it so much now. I even taught kids how to read as a college student through our local literacy council. I enjoyed teaching my oldest how to read (she’s 8) and look forward to teaching my 2 year old when the time comes. Reading shouldn’t be a fight, but should be enjoyed by all; a time of bonding, imagination, and relaxation.
9 Ways to Get Your Kids To Read Every Day
Read When They Come Home From School
When most kids get home from school, they want a snack. Make it a habit that they grab a snack from the snack basket, and grab a book at the same time. They can wind down from the stress of the school day, have a snack, and read a book at the same time. If you choose, you can also read to them instead of them reading to themselves. We try to keep snacks that will keep their hands pretty mess-free (like these little individual packages of Cheez-Its® or Nutri-Grain Bars®.)
We’ve been making a point to get Kellogg’s® snacks for our snack basket as of late because they’re doing this amazing program with Scholastic for free books. Every box of participating Kellogg’s snacks you buy through 9/30/18 = one free book from Scholastic! It’s not just snacks, but includes breakfast cereals too.
The snacks that qualify are Pop-Tarts, Pringles, Cheez-Its, Fruit Snacks, Nutri-Grain, Townhouse Crackers, Keebler Cookies, Famous Amos, and more! I didn’t list all of them, but if you want to see all the foods included, click HERE. It’s super simple to get your free books too. You just go to the website, upload a picture of your receipt showing you bought one of the products above, and then it will give you a credit for a book! You can get up to 10 books per participant, and have to use the credits by 12/18/18. If you don’t want the books, or have all the titles listed, donate them!!!
Earn Screen Time
One of the most effective ways to get your kids to read every day is screen time. Have reading time earn them screen time. Maybe for every 5 minutes they read, they earn 1 minute of tablet time, or something similar. We’ve also labeled certain books worth a certain amount of time. This worked out really well for us, and my oldest begged to read for this express purpose. They want that screen time, so use that to your advantage!
Require it Before Screen Time
I also like the idea of, instead of earning screen time, that kids have to read for a certain amount of time before they’re allowed to have screen time at all. That way they know it’s something they need to do before burying themselves in a screen.
Enroll Them in Reading Programs
One of the easiest ways to get your kids to read every day are incentives. There are tons of reading incentive programs through different restaurants etc. I know off the top of my head that Barnes & Noble, Pizza Hut and more have programs that are free to participate in and will give your kids free coupons, products, or books just for reading. This is a great way to keep your kids motivated and excited about reading!
Start a Book Club
Have your kids start a book club with their friends! They can choose the books together so it’s something they are all interested in, and then meet weekly, or bi-weekly to discuss what they’re reading. Kids love being in charge and this can help them feel like reading is something fun and interesting, instead of just something required.
Give Incentives
If you don’t want to, aren’t able to, or your kid isn’t interested in any of the existing reading incentive programs, make up your own! Give them goals (whether it’s number of books read, number of pages read, time spent reading etc) and when they meet them, give them some sort of incentive! This can be gift cards, a pizza party, etc etc. Get creative with what your kid likes most!
Read Every Night Before Bed
Whether you have your kids read every night for a certain amount of time before they go to bed, or you read to them, this can be an excellent way to instill a healthy habit in them from an early age. Kids, even older kids, love to be read to aloud. Establishing some snuggle time, and reading from a chapter book each night has been fun for my oldest and I.
Read When They Read
One of the ways to get your kids to read every day, is to read yourself! Kids who see their parents read on far more likely to see reading in a positive light. Adulthood is busy. I don’t read as often as I’d like to, but my children still see me read for pleasure often. If you want to encourage them to read daily without a fight, then have a designated family reading time. You may find you enjoy the 30 minute pause to relax and unwind each day as well. Be the example.
Find Topics They’re Interested In
As adults, we read what interests us. I don’t have to beg my husband to read news articles on new cell phone tech, or technology advancements, because he enjoys reading about it and wants to read them. If you allow your children to read about their current interests, or to choose books that they want to read, you will move reading from a chore, to a treasured hobby. My husband always said that the reading program in his school ruined his love of reading because they required you to read certain books at a certain grade level for it to count toward your goal, and it made reading a requirement and not something he enjoyed. Change them game, let them choose.
No matter how you find ways to get your kids reading every day, just make sure you do. The younger kids are exposed to books, and reading, the more likely they are to succeed in education and life and to have a love of learning even into adulthood. Have some more ways to get kids to read every day? Share them in the comments below!
