Fostering a love of reading in your child is one of the best things you can do for them. Reading is such an important part of everyday life.   Being a good reader will not only help them throughout their life educationally , but also provide them with a source of enjoyment.

Early exposure to reading is optimal

It’s best to expose children to a love of reading very early in life, even before they are able to read.  Reading aloud to a child when they are small helps with their early language development and builds a foundation for their future reading skills. Even small children will eventually make the connection between the story the adult is reading, and the words on the page.

Schedule a time each day to read to your child. Make it a regular and enjoyable part of their life. Be sure to read the books to them in a positive fashion, never as though it is just a chore that you are trying to get through.   As you read with enthusiasm and interest, your child will also become more interested and enthusiastic about reading.

Build a home library

Once your child starts to take an interest in the books themselves, and not just the stories that you are reading to them, it’s time to start developing a home library for your child. It can begin with the books you have been regularly reading to them, but should expand to include books that your child is interested in as well. Small children love “board books” which are sturdy enough to stand up to the rough usage of toddlers. Begin to involve the child in the selection of the books as well, letting them choose some books that they would like to purchase and add to their library.

Get the child a library card

As the child gets older there are other activities that can help encourage a child’s love and appreciation of reading. Get the child their own library card and make a weekly visit to the library to choose books. This can be a great way to make reading more fun. Library books also encourage reading by placing a type of urgency on reading, since the books can only be  kept for a limited amount of time. It can also be an inexpensive way of allowing your child try out a lot of different types of books, giving them a way to explore their interests and find out what they like best.

Foster reading by discussing books

Having discussions about the books being read is also a good way of encouraging a love of reading. If your child is reading a book that you’ve already read before, you can ask them about certain parts of the book, get their opinion on what happened in the book, and possibly even have a debate over some of the situations portrayed in the book. This can be effective even with small children, to get them thinking. For instance, a question such as “what did you think when the bear came back and found out that somebody had eaten his cereal?” can be a way of getting your child more deeply interested in the books being read.

By helping your child develop an early love of reading and fostering this love throughout their childhood and adolescence, your child will have a valuable skill and interest that will serve them well throughout their entire life.

Artist, Jessica Ackerman, is a consultant with WallDecorandHomeAccents.com; she demonstrates what a well-trained eye can accomplish with wall wine racks as she creates decorative candle sconces.