Encouraging Homeschool Reading
Reading is one of the cornerstones to education and no less important to home schooling. Some homeschooling methods, such as Charlotte Mason, are based solely on reading quality books called living books. A well read person will more likely be well spoken and write well. So how do you encourage your homeschool to develop a lifetime habit of reading?
One of the first things a parent should do to encourage reading is read themselves. Children will often do what they see their parents do. If your child sees you curled up with a good book on a regular basis, they are likely to at least be curious about what has drawn your attention and give it a try. As with all good habits, start early and keep it up.
My children have always know me as an avid reader and have often been allowed to curl up next to me while they read their own favorite stories or listen in on what I was reading.
Treat reading as a special and enjoyable event and use it as a reward, never a punishment. Let your children stay up 30 more minutes later than their normal bedtime as long as they are reading. I have seen this work wonders in reluctant readers. I started this with my children before they even began to read with picture books. To this day I find my children asleep among piles books in heir beds.
Always start your children reading to your children at birth and before. This is an old piece of advice that is still as beneficial as the first time it was shared. Not only for encouraging children to read, but in helping them learn to read. Choose a classic book or book series that children have loved for generations. Most children who don’t have reading skills or strong reading skills love the immediate reward of hearing stories. But don’t let the story go too long between chapters. Younger children especially will forget or loose interest if too much time has passed. I find that a chapter or two a day works well.
You should help your children make good book choices. Not only help your children find books that are ethically and morally sound, but books that are age appropriate. Remember that historical fiction is a great tool of education, but often the difference in the language style can cause a great amount of frustration to the reader not ready for that.
And one last thing I have seen help make successful readers is a successful writer. Start your child early by having them make picture books they dictate back to you. As their writing skills develop, there reading skills will too. Reading is a healthy self esteem builder and writing is a natural addition to that.