16 Tips to Raise Kids Who Love to Read

As a supplement to Joanne's series on Children's Authors, I wanted to pass along this quick list with excerpts from a book that I have (almost) finished reading - Tony Reinke's Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading Books (more on some of the other great aspects of this book later). For now, hopefully you can be encouraged and inspired by his advice on raising kids who love to read - even if you don't enjoy it yourself. :-)


16 TIPS TO RAISE KIDS WHO LOVE TO READ
by Tony Reinke

1. Fill your home with books. Many of history’s most prolific readers, writers, leaders - and Theologians - were raised in homes filled with books.
2. Read to your kids. We all begin as readers who require aided discovery - that is, initially we need parents, pastors, classrooms, and teachers to help us to learn from books.
3. Don’t stop reading to your kids. Parents should read aloud to their children from birth until college, the point in their lives when literacy plays the most important role in their educational success.
4. Read your books in front of your kids. Young children prize what they see their parents prize. . . . Let it be obvious to them that books are cherished in your own life. (Blogger's Note: If you don't really "cherish" books yourself, start by reading Reinke's book Lit! - Some great tips on how to enjoy reading - and why as a Christian you should.) 
5. Teach young children to read. Every child will learn to read at a different pace, but try to teach your children to read early.
6. Push entertainment into the background. It is not impossible to enjoy reading and entertainment, but your priorities must be settled first. In our home, reading is the priority over video games and television and movies. This is modeled in how we talk about books and how we limit electronic media. 
7. Listen to audio books in the car. Over the years we have logged many miles on the road for family vacations. We have grown to anticipate these road trips and the opportunity they present for the entire family to enjoy audio books. 
8. Hunt for the best books. Take time to plan books by season, by personal interest, and even by school studies. Talk with other parents in your church to find reliable recommendations. 
9. Anticipate new books. My wife and I seek to connect our children’s reading interest with specific authors. Once we discover an author that our child really enjoys, we watch local book signings and new book releases. 
10. Celebrate the classics. Find ways to get significant dates from your favorite books, and the birthdays of your favorite authors, into your calendar so you can celebrate.
11. Cultivate your child’s moral imagination. Find books that picture moral lessons in the imagination, and savor those books with your children. (Blogger's Note: For two great articles on why this is important, read theologian Russell Moore's post on "Why Christians Should Read Fiction" and David Mill's article on "Enchanting Children.")
12. Help interpret worldviews as you read to your children. Reading literature together allows parents to read about sin and evil and goodness and beauty—and to pause and help the child interpret those realities in light of Scripture. Ultimately we can use books to show our children where a biblical worldview and real life connect or clash. (Blogger's Note: WORLD Magazine does a great job reviewing books and identifying different worldviews found within them.)
13. Read your favorite excerpts to your children. This simple exercise shows my children a love of reading, and it serves them a sweet dessert of prose.
14. Invite your children to read to the family. I will buy [my son] as many books as he can read, so long as he agrees to mark his five favorite pages in each book, bring those marked pages to the dinner table, explain the context, and read them to the family. 
15. Challenge your children to improve books. When the time is appropriate, encourage your kids to disagree with a book. 
16. Most importantly, read the Bible together as a family. Books are a big part of our home, but the Bible is the supreme Book. Parents model the primacy of Scripture by reading the Bible together as a family on a regular basis.

Megan for the Sisterhood