This is a guest post written by Bookroo.com. Check out their website for their great children’s book subscriptions!
Reading to your children from a young age is incredibly important, and sets them up for success later in life both academically and emotionally. It can sometimes be hard, however, to consistently make time for daily reading, with the hubbub of activities that dominate many of our lives. With meals, playdates, laundry, cleaning, work, school, and extracurricular activities sometimes those things that are important but not urgent can take a back seat. But they don’t have to! We spend a lot of time thinking about little readers, and wanted to share with you four ways you can make reading part of your daily routine.
1. Set a manageable goal
Spend some time thinking about what’s doable with your current schedule and commitments. We’ve probably all experienced the New Years Resolution phenomenon, where we set overly ambitious goals January 1, and by February 1 can’t even remember what they were. Start small. Commit to reading 1 story a day, or 10 minutes a day to start out with. Remember what’s helped you accomplish goals in the past, and implement similar techniques with your goal of reading aloud–it’s an important one!
2. Pick a natural time
Examine your and your child’s schedule, and pick a time when a couple minutes of calm and quiet time would be appropriate and a natural fit. This could possibly be before or after a nap, immediately after breakfast, or the ever popular bedtime slot. Communicate your plan to your child, so that they expect it, and then be consistent. Once you establish a pattern, they’ll be the ones reminding YOU it’s time to read!
3. Designate a space
Along with having a perfect time for your daily reading, another important aspect of developing a routine is having a designated space for reading. Pick someplace with good access to your book collection, a comfy seating option, and that’s relatively quiet. Having a special place for reading can help children understand the pattern and know what to expect.
4. Build your children’s book library
Once you’ve gotten into the routine of daily reading, you’ll probably realize that it’s not terribly fun to read the same 10 books over and over again. Take advantage of your local library, but also work on building your own children’s book collection in your home. It helps children see the value you place on reading, and constant access to books and reading as an option.
The thought of amassing your own expansive book collection can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. If you’re looking for a partner in your efforts, check out Bookroo. Each month, we send 2-3 curated and individually wrapped children’s books directly to your home, in an effort to empower and enable parents to affordably build their book collections and to get kids excited about reading. We do all the research to find fabulous, less well-known books, and wrap with care so that your library grows gradually, but steadily, with the added bonus that your kids get to associate the thrill and excitement of getting gifts with books!
As an added bonus, through the end of August, every new Bookroo customer will receive a coupon for a free one-month subscription to gift to a friend!