So, reading has been a big topic here lately… Being a part of the VTech Voices campaign has me really getting the girls reading even more! They LOVED their latest VTech V.Reader book!
This V.Reader has been so much fun for the girls. They have loved all of the really cool and fun animated stories that they’ve been receiving in the mail this month. They race over to me to see what book arrived, and immediately sit down together to check it out. This V.Reader has been really helping us have longer story times, and as the girls get excited about reading with the V.Reader, they have been getting more and more excited to read their other books that they have on their bookshelf.
Something else we have done is take “special” trips to the bookstore. As a reward for chores well done, or encouragement for keeping them working on their workbooks, instead of that one pizza place with the games, the girls ask for their favorite book store.  We spend the next few days reading their new books over and over again. I’ll take it!
VTech is offering another one of my commenters the opportunity to win a VTech V.Reader (pink or blue) AND a book/game to go with it!! It’s awesome!! This is a QUICK giveaway… You have 24hours to enter! Leave me a comment telling me how you encourage your kids to read! One reader from all of the VTech Voices bloggers will also win a Grand Prize of a V.Reader and THREE books/games to go with it!!!
Must be a resident of the USA. Entries will be accepted until 4pm EST Tuesday July 27th!
Good Luck!
my kids love to read, but we do ask that if one of our kids wants to go see a book that was turned into a new movie….they must first read the book before we take them to see the movie.
That way, they read before they enjoy seeing it as a film. Books are usually better anyway.
Stop, drop and read – we call a reading timeout where everyone grabs something to read. Anything will do – a book, magazine or newspaper.
We all take 10-15 minutes to get involved with something and usually wind up spending more time as we get engaged with the words on the page.
This is a great tactic when energy is high and patience is low!
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I’ve encouraged my 3 little ones to read every day after lunch. That’s our “quiet time,” and it’s not a time for me to read to them. Everyone gets their own stack of books and finds a quiet spot–and I get to read too!
We model the behavior! My husband and I leave books all around the house so that we can pick up one up and read whenever there is a spare moment. Chances are if Mommy and Daddy are being really quiet they’ve probably got their noses in a book.
Reading has always been a part of my son’s night time ritual at our house. It started out as books with no words, just shapes. Together, we would trace the shapes with his finger, then he would want to do it on his own. I believe it is this same princple that keeps him a fan or reading. First we read it, then he wants to read it on his own. Granted, at first its reading through memorization. But if they feel they are reading on their own that will build confidence and with that confidence they will try more and more books.
We used to give him a special word or two to memorize from a book. When we would come to that word in the book as were reading we would pause and let him read “his” word or words on his own. Naturally, he would want more words to read then words turned into whole pages and so on.
Its all about building confidence and reading books that interest them. Making silly voices and becoming animated doesn’t hurt either 😉
I would also like to say, that investing in some audiobooks has been a really interesting experience for us. They can either sit and listen or follow along in the print version of the story. Its a fabulous alternative to the radio while driving. They get the added bonus of developing listening skills and opening up their minds to imagine the story as it unfolds.
There is no screen time without a certain amount of reading first. We will also go see or rent a movie of a fave book after they read it for an incentive.
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I think the love and excitement I have for books gave my daughter the same feeling. She loves getting new books, loves going to the library, and loves it when we read them together. My enthusiasm must be contagious. 🙂
This year she begins kindergarten and she’s excited to learn how to read on her own. And I’m excited for her to get into a book series like Encyclopedia Brown or the Box Car Children.
I strongly encourage parents to lead by example. I have always carried a book with me everywhere I go. Demonstrating to my children my love for reading and the lengths that I will goto to include it in my life. Another fun thing to do is to videotape your children reading. Let them see/hear how good they are at making a story come to life. Lastly I would encourage you to listen to your child about their interests and goto the library and explore book and even comic book choices together.
SMILE On!
ML
I model the behavior in our household. My oldest LOVES to read and it is hard to find things he likes to read that are at his reading level. MY middle son hates to read since he has learning delays and it is hard for him but we encourage it by making sure the books are on his level and about something he likes (ie cartoon characters) and my youngest (2yrs) like it when we make sound effects and read to him. Repetition seems to be the key with the youngest. They all have books and read at least 1x a day.
I leave books around for my little one to pick up and when she does, I ask her if she wants to read. Usually she will hand me the book to read.
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We encourage reading by having books as an integral part of our lives. The kids have a lot of books, we read at bed time each night. Not only does my oldest read to me, but read aloud is still big. Listening comprehension is huge (can you tell my Masters Degree is in Reading?). In addition to this the boys and I frequent the library. They know where all of the books are for them and enjoy picking out new finds. Of course, I am also a role model. When we have quiet reading time I have a book on hand to read along with my kids.
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We take trips to the library and buy them books on a regular basis. We also set aside time to sit down and read to them. Luckily, my oldest (nearly 7) has inherited my love of reading and pours through book after book. When his class had a “reach 100 books” goal, he doubled the goal!
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