Family Book Break. Set aside a weekly independent reading time for your family. Start with 15 or 30 minutes—with time, you may even build up to an hour! The most important part is that your child knows it’s time dedicated to *fun* reading. Let your child choose what they’d like to read and make reading part of your family routine to help set up that habit for life.
Reduce Screen Time. Set up screen-free time during the week and screen-free zones within your home. Make books readily available during this time and in these areas so that kids actively choose books.
Model Behavior. If you read for fun and demonstrate an enjoyment in books, you model that behavior for the kids in your life, making it part of their everyday lives.
Book Club. Start or join a family, school, library, bookstore, or community book club! When a group of people reads the same book and talks about it, they are more motivated to read, open their minds to diverse perspectives, gain a better understanding of what they read, expand their literary horizons, and build friendships and a sense of community.
Listen to Audiobooks. At every age, audiobooks improve active listening and attention span, expand vocabulary, support imagination and visualization, develop multitasking skills as a hands-free activity, broaden reading horizons, and provide relaxation.
Graphic Novels Are Real Books, Too! Sometimes full-length prose books can intimidate or overhwelm younger readers, but graphic novels are accessible, fun, and engaging. Graphic novels are a great learning tool for kids and are especially engaging for those children who may be neurodivergent or learn differently.
Read It Before You See It. Before seeing a movie based on a book, *read* the book aloud together. Then see the movie and discuss!
