Soon as you become a parent, you start thinking about how you will raise your kid. You think about all the things you will teach him or her – skills, manners, knowledge – possibly every decent thing you can think of.

One thing which is a must in every parents’ list should be reading. Every parent should hope and inspire their child to be an avid reader and admirer of books.

Parents with some effort and strategic practices you can raise your child to become an avid reader and admirer of books. Raising Kids to be an Avid Readers compiled this brief list of 20 strategic techniques to help parents raise an avid reader:

1.Start Early

Start them from a very young age early as  3-4 months. Did you know your infant will respond to your voice as you speak to him or her? This is the time to instill habits in their subconscious.

Take your child in your lap, grab a book, and read it aloud to him. You’ll notice your child will respond to whatever you say and slowly will become habitual of listening to you read.

2.Share books everyday

Read with your child as they continue as a young toddler. Share a book with your kid every day. Board books are exceptionally good for this age group. Read to your child everyday for 15 ,minutes and he or she can be on the path of being an avid reader  before starting kindergarten.

3.Use your senses (with little kids)

Teach the use of four senses to your early readers (babies). This can involve the feel of pages by hand, the smell of the hardcover, the images or visuals on the book, and the sound of your voice reading it.

4.Reread Favorites

No matter the age, kids have choices and favourites. Young kids and toddlers react happily to certain books which they like. Remember their favourites and reread those to them again and again.

5.Demonstrate the Importance of Literacy

When you read to them or with them, show them how excited you are. Kids should feel that you value reading as much as you preach it.

6.Take them to library often

Though reading at home serves the purpose, but an occasional visit to a nearby library will further strengthen their bond with books and reading in general. They’ll be amazed to see the vast collection of books and people actually coming to the place and reading them.

7.Include Reading and Writing in Everyday things

Try to show them how reading and writing are incorporated into everyday things—letters, Emails, grocery lists, newspapers, manuals, guides, and much more

8. Choose topics that they like talking about

Once your kids have grown a little, they start taking interests in many things: food, toys, cars, occupations, or anything. Identify their interests and choose topics related to them. It will make them even more interested in reading about it.

9.Talk and have conversation

We all learn anything by doing. So talk to your kid as much as you can, and make them converse about different topics. It is while talking that he will learn to use the new vocabulary.

10.Know basics of reading and teaching

You don’t need to be an expert or a school teacher to turn your kids into avid readers. Just know the basic stuff and how to communicate something to young kids, and you’ll do just fine.

11.Look for new books and authors

Always be on the lookout for new topics and authors. Once the kids are growing, they would find recurring topics boring.

12.Dedicated Area

The place where you read affects your learning and how well you absorb the knowledge. Designate a spot for just reading, or make a creative and delightful reading nook at home.

13.Encourage to talk about what he read

Ask your child about what he just read at the end of every reading session. This will make his focus razor-sharp. Every time he reads, he will pay full attention.

14.Visit library for recommendations

When you are out of new topics or books, visit a nearby library and check out the children section. You will see hundreds of books displayed according to your child’s age.

15.Expand home library

Keep adding to your home library or children book collection. Move onto a magazine if your kids are bored with storybooks. The variety will keep them interested in reading.

16.Ask Questions

Ask your child about his reading experience and how it impacts his life. If your kid is smart and grown enough to identify the developments, it will make you happy. If not, you can help him identify the improvements because of reading.

17.Keep decorating/renovating the reading Area

Show genuine interest in decorating the kids’ reading area. Spend your time and energy wisely and keep changing its décor to keep the kids interested in the place.

18. Use the Playroom

Kids love their playroom. That’s the place where they want to spend most of their time. Add bookshelf to the playroom and encourage them to read. Try to keep a balance between playing and reading time.

19.Use reward system

Use gifts or prizes to motivate your child to read. You can offer sweets or chocolates for finishing a chapter or reading for a set time. Rewards and prizes always work with kids.    

20. Be a Reader

Last and the most important is to be a reader yourself. Kids observe and adapt your habits, lifestyle, food preferences and many other things. The best strategy to make your kids want to read is to show them that actually read. Don’t try hard to show it to them. Just read for yourself; guarantee they will notice you reading.

Raising a reader, though it has challenges, is very rewarding. Reading is an excellent exercise of the brain. Reading improves their imagination, vocabulary, and language skills for both children and adults. Besides these, a person who reads regularly develops exceptional skills over time and is likely to perform well in academics. 

Hence, we must strive to make our kids avid readers as they are the future.