An Action Plan for Reading to Children

Do you read to your children or grandchildren?  I recently picked up a copy of Bernice E. Cullinan's Read to Me: Raising Kids Who Love to Read.  This book explores the importance of reading to children and offers practical advice on how to raise children who love to read (as the subtitle would indicate).  In chapter 3, she suggests some ideas on where to get a start on reading to children.

Consider these tips:

1. Keep books on hand.
2. Choose good books your child will like.
3. Set a special time for reading.
4. Read at bedtime.
5. Don't panic if you miss a day.
6. Read twenty minutes a day.
7. Talk about the story as you read.
8. Mention the author and illustrator.
9. Get others in on the reading act.
10. Share your reactions to books you read.
11. If you can't answer a child's question, look up the answer in a book.

These tips offers an easy way to create a lifelong love of reading for your children.  Delia and I are trying hard to instill such a love in Sophia.  We want her to grow up loving to read.  There are many benefits to reading to our children.  It lengthens their attention span, it helps to them to become better readers, and it gives you an opportunity to bond with them. And these are just a few of the benefits.  I hope you will make time to read to your children or grandchildren.  It will bless them in more ways than you can count.