Cultivating a Love of Reading in Young Children

"The Children's Book Story" by Sophie Gengembre Anderson (1823-1903)

Reading to young children has incredible benefits. From helping with later literacy, to hearing unfamiliar words they can learn in the context of the story, to motor skills of turning pages of a book, to growing a sweet connection with the parent or other trusted adult reading the book. Alongside these benefits, the ideas of quality books (what Charlotte Mason refers to as "living books") with ideas worthy of emulating and living out, good books can help point children towards what is true, good, and beautiful. So, cultivating a love of reading for young kids can be such a blessing to a family. It definitely has been to mine. 

A few weeks ago, I shared some ways I cultivate a reading life. Today, I wanted to share some ways to extend that love of reading to your children. Here are some tips that have worked for me and my children (my oldest is 4.5, so I am just beginning this journey!). 

• If it's hard to find a book, try out different reading lists. HERE  are my favorite read-alouds. Many are at your local library, so try searching your library's online search tool and place holds on them to try out at home! Or visit your library and ask a librarian for suggestions! I love Sarah McKenzie's book lists from Read-Aloud Revival

• Add reading in the rhythms of your day. We read during lunchtime, tea time, and bedtime every day, then we'll often pick up a book when we snuggle on the couch. These set times of day are like pegs we grab onto, knowing we'll have time to connect through read-alouds. It's a lot easier to include reading aloud in your day if you add it to an existing habit or rhythm.

• Pay attention to their attention span. If they seem to be losing interest after a few minutes, just stop and do something else. You don't want reading time to be a drudgery. Choose books in that time Fram that they usually seem to be paying attention and increase the time as their attention and curiosity also increases over time. Choose books in their level and increase that as they show interest as well. Find books about topics they enjoy, like trains, cars, adventures, etc. It may take some work on your part to find some great books, but they'll have a better chance of enjoying the reading time with some of you intentionality. 

• If your child enjoys humor, add some Mo Willems in your reading time. His Elephant and Piggie series and Don't Let the Penguin series are hilarious. Both my kids and I love these goofy books! Chris Van Dusen also writes and illustrates humorous books (our favorite is The Circus Ship).

• Some kids like to have their hands busy while listening to a story. Inviting them to color or quietly play with legos or blocks can help engage their minds while keeping their bodies busy. Other kids can get distracted or can’t focus on both listening to a book and being busy with their hands, so try it out, but don’t worry if it’s not for your child. 

• For very young kids, try books with flaps, things to touch, and/or pop-ups. Feely Bugs by David Carter, The Wide-Mouthed Frog by Kevin Faulkner, and Down By the Station by Jess Stockham are great because they keep the child engaged while they use their hands to play with the book. For preschoolers and up, try Christie Matheson's Bird Watch and Tap the Magic Tree as well as Press Here by Herve Tullet for books they tap, shake, and touch in different ways to help the story along.

• Illustrations matter! Find books with illustrations that aren't obnoxious or too cartoony. YOU should enjoy looking at them as much as your kids. My favorite children's book illustrators are Barbara Cooney, Tomie dePaola, Eric Carle, Jerry Pinkney, Robert McCloskey, Jan Brett, Peter Spier, Elsa Beskow, and Beatrix Potter. If I see any book illustrated by these magnificent artists, I will pick them up! Start paying attention to the illustrations you and your children enjoy and look for other picture books illustrated by that artist. 

• If your child likes hide and seek, they may love books with busy illustrations full of things to find. The classic I Spy books are great for this, but our favorites are Adele and Simon books by Barbara McClintock since they have fun stories too. Have You Seen My Dragon? by Steve Light is also fun.

• Ask your public library if they have Vox or Wonder Books (which have an audio box built into the picture books) or books that come with a CD. Kids can follow along to the story either with or without headphones. 

• Wordless books are fun to try. The reader makes up the story as they look at the illustrations. My son loves these because he can "read" them on his own and the story often changes with every reading. We love Alexandra Day's Carl books, Jerry Pinkney's The Lion and the Mouse,  and Peter Spier's Noah's Ark are favorites we return to over and over. 

• Find books that have sound buttons. We love The Story Orchestra series (The Nutcracker, In the Hall of the Mountain King, Swan Lake, Carnival of Animals). 

• Consider attending a story time in at your public library. Some books stores also have storytime as well as some parks and recreation programs. We rotate between a few libraries, an independent bookstore near downtown that has a phenomenal storyteller, and a nearby nature preserve that has a monthly storytime and nature play. 

• Avoid moralizing every story or asking a ton of questions that may make your child feel like their being quizzed. Instead, you can invite them into conversation with open-ended questions you also answer: "My favorite part was ______. What was yours?" "I was really surprised when ____ happened. Did anything surprise you in the story?" Thing of it as a mini book club with your child when you discuss books rather than quizzing them to check if they understood it. 

• Act out favorite books. My son loves doing this on his own. He wants to pretend to be a character and we act out the story or create our own version. We sometimes use toys to replay the story or dress up and act ourselves. This brings the stories alive and connects the child to the story in a way that will last in their memory. 

• Have a basket filled with 8-12 books in an easy-to-reach area and rotate every 1-2 weeks. Or find an area at their level where you can display the books with the front covers so they are more likely to grab your child's attention. I grab our book basket for lunch time or when we are having a picnic outside and want a story. Having books easily accessible helps remind you to read and can also be a great way for kids to explore the books in the basket on their own. Before they were two, I would find each of my kids occasionally sitting in a child-size soft chair, flipping through books as they look at the illustrations. I think it makes they books feel more like their own if they are easy to grab.

• Abby’s Reading Room is a great YouTube channel with read-alouds by a sweet friend of mine. YouTube is full of great read-alouds if you are looking for a book, but can’t find it at the library. HERE is a playlist with some YouTube read-alouds we've enjoyed. Our public library gives us free access to Kanopy, which has a ton of videos. There are read-alouds there that are very slightly animated, so you may look at your own public library and see if they have similar options. Sometimes having someone else read or watching a very simple animated reading of the story can spark an interest in a story.

• To shake things up (quite literally), try sing-along picture books and have kid instruments (maracas, shakers, tambourine) for your kids to play along with the tune. HERE are some favorites nursery rhyme and folk songs and HERE are some hymn picture books. We especially love sing-along books by Raffi, such as Baby Beluga, Thanks A Lot, Everything Grows, and Rise and Shine

RESOURCES

Favorite Podcast for Moms Reading to Kids: Read-Aloud Revival (Sarah MacKenzie’s blog has a TON of great book recommendations: readaloudrevival.com/recommends

Favorite Books About Reading Aloud to Kids:
1) Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids by Sarah Mackenzie

2) The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction by Meghan Cox Gurdon

3) Honey for a Child’s Heart: The Imaginative Use of Books in a Family Life (Gladys Hunt)

Some read-aloud blog posts of mine: 

Favorite Infant Books

Picture books about emotions, social skills, and manners

September 2020 Kid Lit, August 2020 Kid Lit, July 2020 Kid Lit, June 2020 Kid Lit (infant board books)

My Goodreads account for my preschooler's read-alouds for more current reads. I have "bookshelves" (organized lists) of different themes like sing-along books, holiday books, seasonal books, and more. You can search by ratings and see which I rated 5 stars if you want to find my favorites.