Reading

4 Surefire Ways to Raise a Child Who Loves to Read

a girl with loose pigtails reads a purple book in front of a bookcase

A child who loves to read usually grows up into an adult who loves to learn. While all school children receive instruction in reading from their teachers, homeschool families have a unique opportunity to encourage an enthusiastic love for reading at any time.

Despite this flexibility, it can be challenging to help kids develop a genuine love for reading, especially as a pastime. Try these surefire ways to raise a child who loves to read! (Of course, nothing is guaranteed, but these will help you get closer to the goal.)

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When Bedtime Reading Makes You Bonkers

bedtime reading, make it a habit

Let's talk about bedtime.

We all know what we are supposed to do at bedtime. Bedtime is when we snuggle up with our children and read a stack of fantastic books. It is peaceful and calm, and your heart is overflowing with joy…

... except when it isn't.

I don't know about you, but bedtime is often a chaotic blur around these parts.

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Homeschool Read Aloud Secret: The Power of a Captive Audience

kids in vividly colored t-shirts lie prone, looking at a book

When I first started homeschooling, I had these read aloud fantasies. I pictured us snuggled up under blankets with a stack of delicious books at our side. I imagined reading for hours on end, my children enraptured by the story and clinging to my every word. As I read, a silence would envelop our home and all would be calm.

In reality, our read alouds are anything but calm, and my children are anything but quiet.

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Why You Should Read Aloud to Your Kids with ADHD (And How to Do It!)

a parent wearing a purple floral shirt and neon teal fingernail polish holds an open book

The idea of reading stories aloud to our children is almost as old as the idea of parenthood itself. Long before printed books were available, children learned history, language, and more simply by oral retelling. Now that many of our children are exposed to technology at a young age, reading stories aloud can seem a bit outdated.

But using read-alouds with our children, especially children who have ADHD, can be wonderfully beneficial.

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4 Ways to Keep Kids Reading This Summer

a red flashlight illuminates a book

Besides being a wonderful time to relax, swim, and enjoy the hot weather, summer is also a marvelous time to encourage a love of recreational reading in our children. Although summer is usually busy with outdoor fun, family reunions, weddings, and picnics, leave room for plenty of time for lazing about with a good book.

Use these four simple tricks to keep your kids reading all the way through June, July, and August.

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5 Ways to Homeschool a Child Who Hates Reading

a boy in a red t-shirt holds a stack of books

For many of us, reading is not only a way to educate, but also our preferred method of entertainment. As a book lover, it has come as quite a shock and challenge to discover my eight year old doesn’t like reading. What a wrench in my idyllic homeschool vision of home libraries and reading parties!

Unfortunately for him, reading is a necessary part of our school days. While we require our kids do their schoolwork —even the parts they hate—, there are ways to make the homeschool day more palatable for a child who hates reading. And when school is a happy experience for our kids, it's also happier for us!

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Surviving Long Road Trips with Reading

Surviving Long Road Trips with Reading

As I type, I am currently about 1800 miles away from my home in Minneapolis. Because my husband had to work and I needed to experience some adventure this summer, I decided to be brave (or maybe crazy), and hit the road with my four kids—all the way from Minnesota to Glacier Park, Montana. It seemed like a good idea at the time. I’m sure the ride home will be just as great. But without looking too far into the distance, I thought I should let you in on a little secret: reading is the key to a successful long car ride.

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5 Fantastic Vocabulary Game Ideas

letter tiles spell out the word "words"

In our homeschool, my children constantly encounter new vocabulary words during their individual reading time or during lessons. My naturally curious kids are great about asking, “What does this word mean, Mom?” Typically I ask them to look it up using an online dictionary.

But sometimes we use them our new words in one of these five fantastic vocabulary games.

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5 Tips for Starting a Homeschool Literature Co-Op

hardback books on their end

As parents, we encourage our children to read high quality literature at home, but another great way to boost interest in reading is through peer experiences such as a homeschool co-op. Through my own experiences in numerous local co-ops, I've discovered some helpful steps for forming a group and making it run smoothly.

Who do you want to include in your homeschool literature co-op? Just boys? Teens? Girls Only? All ages? Think about what you want out of the group and what age ranges you are going to include.

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5 Ways to Be a Family of Readers

a stack of hardback picture books

Not all children are born loving to read. Some kids adore it while others merely tolerate it. Some truly hate it. However, reading is a vital skills every child needs to master.

After all, vocabulary is tightly linked to the number of books a child reads through his school career. Kids flounder in high school and college without strong reading skills.

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