Don’t waste your time lecturing your child on the importance of reading; it will probably fall on deaf ears. Let a child see you reading and writing for the practical reasons, as well as for pleasure.
• You can encourage reading however, by encouraging your child to read at least one chapter of a book every night or even after breakfast in the morning.
• Make some reading a reward. For example, expand lights off time by allowing quiet reading time alone in bed. And use a time bank to balance reading and TV time.
• You can also try to get your child to keep a reading diary. Besides giving him or her a sense of accomplishment, it will be a memento in later years.
• Encourage your kids to really read the books they buy at school book fairs by having them pay for them initially, then buying them back yourself when they’ve been read.
• It’s important to also ignore your children’s reading level sometimes. It’s not necessary that every word and
thought be understood perfectly. Likewise, let your child read baby books sometimes, just for the fun of it.
• And lastly, remember, do continue to read to your child, even after he or she can read alone.
Vicki Lansky’s practical, common sense approach to parenting is familiar to millions throughout the world. Vicki’s first book, Feed Me, I’m Yours, published in 1974, and still one of the most popular baby/toddler food cookbooks in the country, was followed by The Taming of the C.A.N.D.Y. Monster, a #1 New York Times bestseller. Her other titles include: Toilet Training, Birthday Parties Best Party Tips & Ideas For Ages 1-8, Dear Babysitter Handbook, Welcoming Your Second Baby, Getting Your Child to Sleep … and Back to Sleep, Trouble-free Travel with Children, Baby Proofing Basics and Games Babies Play From Birth to Twelve Months, Koko Bear’s New Potty, A New Baby at Koko Bear’s House, Koko Bear and the New Babysitter, and Koko Bear’s Big Earache. Vicki Lansky’s Divorce Book for Parents: Helping Children Cope with Divorce and Its Aftermath
