Did any of you ever play the “Alphabet Game” when traveling in the car with kids? It went like this. Look for any word that starts with the letter “A.” When you see it, yell out the word before anyone else can. Billboards, road signs, business signs, moving vehicles – all were eagerly searched for that letter. And things turned really interesting towards the end of the alphabet. This game got our family through many road trips. 🙂
We can use opportunities throughout a day to help our children practice reading. Following a recipe, shopping for groceries, checking the weather, following sports scores, picking out a movie to go see. Yes, reading materials are more than books. And books can be more than bound pages with a hard cover. Introduce your child to the fun of audio books. Now we have online or electronic options with literally any book at our fingertips. It’s not about which type of method is the best. It’s about getting your family to read so choose what works for you.
How have you made reading fun in your family
In our family “reading parties” were a highly sought after event. My husband and I have lots of pillows on our bed, a down comforter and flannel sheets, and my four children have always loved reading chapter books from the coziness of this environment. Sometimes mom would read, something a child, and sometimes a little of both. As they learned to “sink” into a good chapter book on their own, each with a different interest, we would have “reading parties” in mom and dad’s bed curled up with soft light and even softer bedding. I have fond memories of arms and legs twisted in different direction so each of my four kids could fit, with each reading everything from Tree House books to Harry Potter, and even a good Jodi Picoult book for mom!