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Reading for the Future
by Karen Fowler

By now, every parent should know how crucial it is that their child learn to read. Many parents fail to understand just how important it is for their children too not only become a reader, but to become a skilled reader. Literacy may have once been the goal, but now it’s not enough that a child can read, he or she must read well. The benefits of your child becoming an accomplished reader are vast and plentiful, and there is no reason not to nurture this skill in your child.

The more frequently a child reads, the faster they become at reading. This will benefit a child immensely in school. For some children, the key to recalling facts is to read or hear the information repeatedly. Who do you think will do better on a test – a child who reads the material several times or a child that only stumbles over the information once?

Reading encourages a varied vocabulary, through the exposure to multiple writing styles and grammatical structures. This will encourage creativity in writing as well as speaking. The child with the greater vocabulary will not doubt use more creative ways to write a book report. A skilled reader will also grasp grammatical structure and rules easier than a child who reads infrequently.

In the ever-evolving job market, a child will need to be more creative, well spoken and intelligent to compete in the future. Just as completing college used to be considered a bonus (now a prerequisite for the many in-demand positions today); a child’s grasp of language and creative writing has matured into a vital part of their futures.

Reading regularly can give your child that competitive edge over others. A well-written essay can get them into the college they prefer; a well-spoken proposal can land them that huge account; a brilliant idea, creatively written down can be the beginning of the next big IT company.

There are a million ways to help your child become a skilled reader. Here are just a few creative ways to get your children interested in reading, and who knows, maybe they will inspire you to come up with your own ideas as well.

Read to young children. Reading to your child, before he or she can even speak, will help them build a varied vocabulary. They will learn the meanings of words and associate them with the pictures as well. Discuss the book and point to pictures as you read the words. See the Mama Bear, she is putting the baby bear to bed. Aside from the added educational benefits, the moments you spend reading with your child is priceless bonding time.

Give your child his own space on the bookshelf. Explain to your child that this is his space to put his books, then point out that Mommy and Daddy’s books are on this separate shelf. In addition to preventing your child from repeatedly pulling your books off the shelf (and tearing them to shreds!), hopefully he’ll be prompted to examine his own books. He will feel important now that he has his very own space on the shelf.

Take your young child to Story-time. Pick a day each week to visit the local library’s story-time hour. This will further your child’s interest in books, and she’ll get to hear someone else’s voice narrating for her. The time spent with your child quietly sitting in your lap (hopefully!), will give you a little bit of down time as well. Afterwards, visit the children’s section and pick a book or two to take home until the next story-time.

Schedule regular library visits. Pick an afternoon each week and write "Library Day" down on the calendar and get into the habit of going each week. Encourage your older child to pick out a few books on topics he’s curious about. Read along with your child and initiate conversations about the topics they have chosen. Allow them to ask questions. Hopefully, you will not be able to answer all their questions, leading them to further investigate the subject with next week’s book choices.

Give your daughter her own credit card. Okay, so maybe not a real credit card, but a library card. Then whenever she visits the library, she can pull out her "credit card" like Mommy does at other stores. Maybe not the best way to teach financial responsibility, but a wonderful way to get your child excited about checking out books from the library.

Teach by example. Young children love to imitate adults, so find the time to read a book occasionally. My 15-month-old son will often go get one of his books when he spies me reading, and shove it in my lap. He is prompting me to put away my book and read his book to him, which I gladly do.

Replace standard gifts with books. This Christmas, replace some of the normal slew of Christmas presents with interesting books on topics your kid’s enjoy. They won’t miss that one toy, and they probably wouldn’t be playing with it in a week anyway. Why not give them the gift of knowledge? It will last a lot longer and cost a good deal less. With books a child can fly to the moon, swim with dolphins, or even visit China.

Have a Book Party. In the summer months, let your child have a party with the theme of books. Each child should bring a book to swap with the other kids. If you’re feeling generous, pick up a few extra books at a discount store, and hand them out as party favors. Make a cake and decorate it like a book, putting Gummy Worms inside – as bookworms! For a party craft, the kids could make homemade bookmarks. They could draw whatever they want on rectangles of colored paper. Then the adults can laminate the strips using the sheets you can buy at chain retail stores. All that’s left is to punch a hole in them and tie some string or ribbon on– and TA-DA! – instant party favor! Every child gets a book they haven’t read, a special bookmark, and it may just encourage your kids to keep reading while school is out for the summer.

Introduce your child to philanthropy. The library can always used donated books. Involve your child in the donation process. Let him affix a label on the inside of each book to be donated that says, "Donated by Johnny…" Teaching the value of giving to others is a priceless lesson that all children should learn. Then take them to the library to "visit" the books they have donated—and check out a few books to explore later at home.

Give your child her name in print. Find a book that the main character has the same name as your child. For the Jenny’s of the world this may be easy, but for the Owen’s of the world (my son included) this may prove to be a daunting task. Lucky for us, parents can now order personalized children’s books from a variety of specialty markets. My son loves his book about Owen the Rabbit and his blankie.

Create your own picture book. For an older child, let them be the illustrator of their very own book. They supply the pictures, and you write down the story that goes with them. When the story is done, print or type the words on the drawings. Use some leftover Photo Album or Memory Book filler-pages to construct his book. When the pages are inserted, bind them together using some nylon cording, ribbons, or anything that will be safe enough for the child to play with. This is a wonderful exercise in creativity, and it will give your child a better idea of how books are made. Just imagine pulling out this homemade book when your son brings home his first girlfriend! Priceless!

Help your child start a book club. Each month a member of the club could have a slumber party, and all the members can bring a book to swap with the others. Pick a book that has been made into a movie. They could all read this book prior to coming to the party, then watch the movie version. Encourage them to point out how the movie differs from the book, (and they usually do at some point).

Getting a child excited about reading is the first step in helping them become a skilled reader. Reading can be addictive and once a child develops a passion for reading, they will actively seek out new things to read. Reading will take them to far off places – both in their minds and in their futures. May our children grow up to be bright, creative, and intelligent souls. And of course, may they get there by becoming well read.

Karen Fowler is a stay-at-home mom of two small children, and writes whenever the time presents itself. In addition to publishing articles in local and regional publications, she has had work accepted by AbsoluteWrite and the National Association of Women Writers. Visit her personal site at www.elizabethraye.com (fiction pen name) or her Infertility Site on BellaOnline (www.infertility.bellaonline.com/Site.asp).

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