Parenting Hack: Raising a Rock-Star Reader
Elias is in first grade this year, which means we are reading ALL THE TIME! With Matthew and I being authors and voracious readers ourselves, we are loving seeing Elias blossoming as a reader.
We recently moved our rocking chair from upstairs to the living room and Elias and Adeline often sit in it looking at books and reading. I love seeing them enjoying books together, just the two of them.
While we have already had A LOT of books in our home and regularly read to our children, I’ll admit that I was a little nervous about teaching Elias to read. The process seemed daunting. I read blog posts, bought early readers, etc. all with the hope of doing it right.
This week Allison McDonald and my friend Amy Mascott are releasing their fabulous new book Raising a Rock-Star Reader: 75 Quick Tips to Help Your Child Develop a Lifelong Love of Reading. Honestly, it is the BEST resource I have discovered for inspiring your child to love reading and books. It is chock full of so many practical tips that I never would have thought of when it comes to reading.
If you have an emerging reader in your home, you must pick up a copy of this book. The tips are short and DOABLE, which makes this perfect for busy parents. I have read it in bits and pieces over the past few weeks and been so encouraged to try new things with our kids related to reading.
I’m so thankful that we don’t have to do this parenting journey alone and that there are people like Amy and Allison who offer resources like this to help parents. Also, I would be remiss to not mention that I am thankful for wonderful teachers who also encourage learning with our kids!
If you have older kids, I would love you to share your tips for encouraging your child to read. We are better together!
Disclosure: I was sent an advanced copy of Raising a Rock-Star Reader, but chose to blog about it on my own because I seriously love it so much!
Jessica it is delightful to see your kiddos snuggled up reading together! My kiddos are middle school and older now, and each loves to read. My favorite tip for raising readers is two fold, read to them, every day, and make family read alouds a treasured time together. The other things is that my kids have seen me read, and a few times even set aside everything for an afternoon with a good story. I’d get a blanket on the sofa and invite them to gather with books of their own, or a quiet activity and read my book. Sweet memories!
Yes! Just last night Elias and I both curled up in my big bed and read. It was the. best. 🙂
I am a mom of school-age kids and a reading specialist so this topic is very close to my heart. This is the first time I have heard of this book – I will have to buy it for myself. My tips are to keep reading aloud even when they can read on their own. We end every dinner with a family read aloud. I also still keep baskets of books around and change them frequently — just like I did when they were young!