In the last post, I talked about the importance of reading to your children from infancy in order to help make them readers. There is another key factor in helping your children to become readers--modeling. And no, I'm not talking about strutting around the house in the latest outfit you bought on Amazon.
Monkey see, monkey do. Kids are nothing if not impressionable, and the adults around them serve as models to imitate. When they see an adult doing something, they want to do it, too. If an adult is cooking, they will want to cook. If an adult is building something, they will want to build. Similarly, if kids see an adult reading, they will want to read.
If your kids don't see you reading, the concept of reading and books will be foreign to them. It's difficult to get them to do something if they don't see you doing it first. As they get older, your kids may even make the argument, "Why should I have to read if you don't have to read?" That's a legitimate question, in my humble opinion.
Reading should not be a chore for anyone, young or old. I know we're all busy and tired these days, but let's try to set aside 20-30 minutes each evening for leisure reading. It can be a thriller, a romance, a cookbook, a how-to book, a newspaper, even a graphic novel (hey, it's still reading). Just read and let your kids see you reading. And don't forget to read to or with your kids, especially when they're very young. When your kids are older, talk with each other about what books you're reading. It will give you a subject for conversation as well as an opportunity to bond and know each other better.
Wishing you many good family reading moments from the perch.
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