Six Simple Ways to Build a Reading Culture at Home

This post will be helpful to parents and teachers alike who would love to build a culture of reading at home and at school. If you’re not already reading aloud to your child as often as possible, I hope that this post motivates you to grab a book, grab a kid, snuggle up, and enjoy all of the benefits that reading aloud can bring to your child’s literacy development, social and emotional growth, critical thinking skills, and character development.

Step 1: Make time to read aloud

 Sounds a bit too simple, but you can’t be a family of readers if you don’t provide time to read! So here’s the easiest step of all: Carve time out of your schedule for your family to read! This looks different in every family. I read aloud before bed almost every single night. Sometimes it’s a toppling stack of books, sometimes it’s only one or two quick reads. But reading aloud is part of our bedtime routine and my boys have come to expect it. Don’t limit yourself to bedtime, though. You can also carve out fifteen minutes while the pasta sauce is simmering, or right after school when the kids need some down time, or you can listen to audio books together on the way to baseball practice. If time is scarce then get creative! We make time for what’s important and reading aloud is important! The amount of time doesn’t matter, nor does the location or the title of the book being read. What matters is that we are sending a message that reading is important and it’s something we value in our family.

“By setting aside time every day, we can leave the pixelated wilds and rest at least for a little while in a place of unplugged, authentic human connection.”

— Meghan Cox Gurdon, The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power Of Reading Aloud In The Age Of Distraction

Step 2: Allow Free Choice

Fact: Reading is way more enjoyable when we are given the freedom to self-select our own material.

What types of thoughts do the words required reading conjure up for you?

For me, it’s ninth grade English class. My tyrannical teacher hogtied us to Lord of the Flies and I hated every minute of it. It was strange and horrifying and there was too much literary analysis involved. I forced myself to read at least 15 pages every night and then refused to read anything else the remainder of the semester out of principled teenage rebellion.

Here’s a secret I’ve learned after many years in the classroom: If you want your kids to read, you must allow them to choose their own books. Who cares if your five year old wants to go on a Disney princess book binge or your nine-year-old reads Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants on repeat? I know we’re not talking quality literature here, but just watch me hunt down an entire series of attacking toilets and wacky wedgie women if it means my children are happily reading.

Step 3: Encourage “Wild” Reading

Wild readers are those who find a time and place to read no matter the circumstances.

Ways to Promote Wild Reading:

• Allow your child to pick out a booklight to read under the covers.

• Keep stacks of books in the car.

• Stow a book in your purse, in a tennis bag, beach bag, shopping bag. Just find a bag and place a book in it. A reading opportunity can present itself in the most unlikely of places.

• Read aloud in the doctor’s office waiting room instead of handing over an electronic device.

• Place books all over the house. A stack in the kitchen, out on the porch, in the garage. We’ve been known to put books in ziplock bags to bring in the bathtub (not 100% recommended but it seemed like a good idea at the time).
  
• Build reading forts! Dump a stack of old sheets and some clothespins in a pile and let your kids go to town constructing the perfect reading fort.
  
• Set up a tent in the backyard for some true wild reading. 

• Take books to the park and seek out hidden nature nooks to read.

Step 4: Incorporate Digital Tools

Most kids are super motivated by anything that has to do with technology. Here are some of my favorite ways to embed a tiny bit of tech into your family’s reading routines:

• Create a Biblionasium account. It’s like Good Reads but for kids! They can place books on their virtual shelves, recommend books to friends, and work toward a reading goal or challenge created by you.

• Download audiobooks using the free apps adopted by your public library. We are big fans of Libby and CloudLibrary but there are many others out there. Pop in to the children’s section of your local library and a lovely librarian will hook you up.

• Older kids can start a book blog using Edublogs or Weebly or create a digital book trailer using Animoto (all free).

• Listen to someone else read aloud on Podcasts! Our favorite is Circle Round, but there are SO many great ones for families! 

• If all else fails, get on Amazon! You and your kids can write reviews for books you’ve read, read other people’s reviews for books you want to read, start a wish list of highly desired books, and scroll notable children’s book lists.

Step 5: Plan Reading Experiences

Providing experiences connected to the books you are reading is not only downright fun, but also builds a mental file of delightful memories that are associated with reading and family time.

Here are some easy ideas:

• Act out favorite scenes from the book. Let your kids go costume shopping in your closet and then dress up as beloved characters. Stifle the urge to clean and let them go to town with your old makeup and accessories. Don’t forget to capture the performances on film so you can giggle over their ridiculous ensembles later.

• Plan meals or snacks around a book you are reading together. For example, after we read Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo my son and I drank iced tea, sucked on Littmus Lozenges (Jolly Ranchers), and ate peanut butter out of the jar. We literally opened up the pantry and made connections to events in the story with what we already had on hand; no special grocery store trip needed. If you want to go big, then plan an entire meal around a book. I mean, you’re already cooking dinner anyway so why not plan to serve items that are connected to the book? Kids LOVE helping to plan and shop for special “book club” dinners and it will be ingrained in their memory as a joyful family reading experience.

• Take an outing related to the book you are reading. It doesn’t have to be expensive or require a lot of planning. My youngest loves The Listening Walk by Paul Showers, so each night we take a walk and listen carefully for sounds on our street. He thinks it’s the greatest thing ever and my husband and I can sip on our beer in peace while we all “listen”. See? Simple = Good.

• Go to the Goodwill Bookstore and let them pick out a few new titles to add to your home library. Make sure you pick out a few for yourself as well! Stop for milkshakes on the way home because new books + milkshakes = best day ever.

• Read a novel that has been adapted into a movie. When you’ve finished the book, plan a special movie night to celebrate! Some of my favorite book-to-movie titles are The One and Only Ivan, Matilda, Flora and Ulysses, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the Gene Wilder version is a must). I’d be remiss if I didn’t include Harry Potter but be forewarned that the books and movies get quite a bit dark as you progress through the series.

• This kind of goes along with reading forts, but anytime you order something especially large (think appliances or furniture) save the box and turn it into a reading cave. Kids can decorate it with markers and stickers, cut holes for window and a door, and fill it with blankets, pillows, a book light, and of course a stack of books.

• Connect with authors together. Explore a favorite author’s website and then craft an email or write a letter as a family. Explain how much you enjoyed his/her writing, send a pic, offer details of any experiences you may have connected to the book, and then sit back and wait for the magic to happen. And man, it’s just so flipping exciting when you get a response!

Step 6: Be a Reading Role Model

Telling our children that reading is important doesn’t carry nearly as much weight as showing them. In other words, how can we expect our kids to value reading if we aren’t readers ourselves? Look for authentic ways to model behaviors of real readers.

Again, keep this simple:

“Reading to children from books that emulate how we want them to understand the world can show them how to be part of the solution.”

Amy Joyce, The Washington Post. Tough Times Out There? Here’s Why Reading With Your Kids Is More Important Now Than Ever.

Are you already cultivating a reading culture at home? What do you love to read aloud to your kids? I’d love to hear your ideas!!

yours in reading,
rawley