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A love of reading starts at birth. And your home environment will dictate how often your child will choose to read. Here are some suggestions:

  1. For reading to come naturally to your children, books should be a part of their lives from the day they are born. Do not wait until they are 2 to read to them. If  you start at infancy, they will love reading time forever. Even though they will be too young to understand what you are saying, they’ll love hearing your voice and spending time with you.
  2. Make book buying a special treat and library time a habit.
  3. Make a library at home just for your kids, preferably in their bedrooms. This does not have to be a 1,000 volume library. It can start with just one shelf.
  4. Make sure your child has a comfy chair with proper lighting to read. A book light is a lot of fun!
  5. Do your children see you reading often? Even if you are busy, (and what parent is not?) take the time to enjoy reading every day. Kids will follow suit.
  6. Read together. This does not have to be a child’s book. How about a science or sports magazine, a newspaper article, recipes or even directions on how to use a new product?
  7. Finding answers to questions of all sorts in books and online should be a part of every household. Assign the task of researching different topics to your kids. They will proud when they solve your problems and answer your questions. They will be more curious, and that is what makes a lover of books – curiosity!
  8. Do not force reading or do anything that will make your kids feel like they are being punished with books.
  9. Have your child read to a younger sibling often, or switch off if they are old enough to read.
  10. Or how about a pet? Kids will love reading to the dog, the cat, a goldfish whatever.

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