Thank God it’s summer, right? I hope it’s off to a great start for you. When I was younger, I was not a big fan of reading. In fact, I would have chosen to do about anything instead of opening a book. Now, I absolutely love it. There is a lot to be learned from reading and a world to explore by just taking a few minutes each week to open a book.
Now if you have kids at home, unless they were born a bookworm, sometimes getting them into reading can take some convincing (I am a case in point). Now more than ever, kids (and adults alike) rely on YouTube videos, movies, and good old-fashion TV for entertainment. I was disappointed to learn that kids are spending an average of 3 hours a day in front of the TV or some other form of electronic device. Not good! With the slew of personal handheld devices and games available today, we truly live in a culture that’s enmeshed in technology. While this can be positive to a certain point, it’s also important for both developing and matured minds alike to disengage from screens and take time to read.
There probably is little disagreement that reading is “good” but there are a few specific reasons why it’s good for you to be proactive to build and share a love of reading with your family.
Reading fiction has been shown to build empathy. Empathy is a skill that helps us relate to others in our lives, and when we read, we help exercise this skill through imagination and storytelling.
Non-fiction can open up the rest of the world and take us to places, cultures, and build ideas we may have not experienced before. Whether it’s learning a skill, or reading firsthand what it’s like to live in another country or during a different time, reading nonfiction is a great way to understand more about the world God created and the people in it.
Reading anything lights up the mind and ignites thinking. Critical thinking skills, problem-solving, imagination, creativity, these are all attributes we can build in our own minds and the minds of our kids when we start to read!
And if it doesn’t come easily to actually get your family to start reading, here are some quick tips…
3 Quick Tips to encourage reading in your family
Tip #1 Can’t beat free when trying out books—head to the library! Not sure what genre you love? Of course, the library offers virtually unlimited reading options. Take the whole family and start to browse. It can be overwhelming trying to think of books to read. Especially when books that have the heaviest marketing are probably all out of stock, so don’t be afraid to pick a genre and explore it by reading the back cover or first pages before you bring it home.
Tip #2 Set a goal to keep things moving. Setting a goal is a good way to kick things off. Whether it’s setting a goal for how many pages, trying to get through a book with a more challenging Lexile reading level, or creating a list of “must-reads” that you’d like to get through, setting a goal creates structure and helps keep everyone moving forward “on the same page”.
Tip #3 Use incentives when it’s hard to get kids motivated. Things like joining a summer library reading program or creating your own levels of incentives when books are completed can keep the ball rolling when it comes to beginning — and finishing — a book list. You can always offer them $ after each book read or a trip to get a special treat. Kids love this!
How about you? I’d love to hear what is on your reading list this summer. Let me know your thoughts or ideas in the comment below! And if you found this post helpful, be sure to share it with your followers.
Happy reading!
P.S. Next week I will be writing about Romance and Building a Relationship that lasts so make sure you look for my email next week.
Your Virtual Life Mentor,
Doug