Reading for pleasure

For people who love books, the phrase “reading for pleasure” seems redundant. It’s hard for them to understand that not everyone enjoys curling up with a mystery by a new favorite author. For too many people, reading is either a necessary chore or a time-consuming luxury. Their children pick up that attitude and develop their own resistance to reading. Research tells us that the reading skills of children are strongly tied to the parents’ interest in books. In fact, early reading experiences are now considered so important, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that “pediatricians prescribe reading along with the other instructions given to parents at the time of well child visits.” Parents provide the link between children and reading. Here are ways to show your children that reading is not only necessary, but fun. For preschoolers o Read aloud to children regularly and often. o Talk with them about stories and experiences. o Help them as they learn about letters and sound out words. For school-aged children o Keep up the practice of reading aloud. You may find you both look forward to that next chapter before bedtime. o Ask them to tell you about their favorite books. Who are the characters? What do the characters do? Why do they like the  book? o Make regular trips to the library and spend time browsing. Look for other books written by favorite authors. o Put reasonable limits on television time and encourage reading as a free-time activity. For teenagers o Provide books dealing with things they’re interested in-love, friendship, adventure, sports, etc. o Give them a subscription to a magazine about music, sports,  animals, fashion, etc. o Encourage them to read about different careers. o Make trips to nearby colleges or technical schools to find out about post-secondary studies. Most children learn to enjoy reading with their parents, but they soon find pleasure in reading alone and at school. The world of books and ideas will be open to them for the rest of their lives.