6-year-old girl sits on a rock outside while reading a book. Motivating your child to read is important for their literacy development.

Motivate Your Child to Read with These 7 Practices

Samantha Engel – Master of Arts in Teaching, Fairleigh Dickinson University

We live in an age of ever-present technology and today's parents don't have it easy when it comes to getting their children to engage with books. As difficult as it may be, however, it's important to motivate your child to read as much as they can in order to reap its many benefits. WIth a bit of intentionality and creativity, your child will discover the joys of reading and come to appreciate what books have to offer. Read on for a few ideas on how to motivate your 6-year-old to spend time with books.

  1. Read together - Children at this age crave quality time with their parents more than anything. Set up a daily reading practice at home in which you and your child cuddle up together and read a book. They'll forever associate reading with feelings of love and security.
  2. Go to the library - Going to the library is exciting as the children's section is generally decorated with displays that change regularly with the seasons. Your little one will love all of the options available and will be happy to know that they can choose as many books as they please (hey, it's free!) Furthermore, libraries often have scheduled read aloud opportunities and other fun, educational activities corresponding with whatever month it is. Be sure to check out their calendar of events!
  3. Subscribe to a book club or children's magazine - Who doesn't love getting a package in the mail? Subscribing to a monthly book club or a children's magazine centering on your child's interests (such as an animal or science magazine) will have your child looking forward to seeing what's in store every month!
  4. Engage in auditory experiences - Invest in audiobooks where your child can listen to the story while following along in their book. Your 6-year-old will love the voices and music that come along with these auditory experiences, as well as how easy it is to hear a story whenever they want. Storypod has an awesome library of options that your child is sure to love!
  5. Choose books that are visually stimulating - At 6-years-old, your child is still very interested at looking at vibrant illustrations. Choose books that have interesting, colorful pictures or that have lots of visual stimulation (such as the Eyewitness books that bring non-fiction to life). There are also books that encourage observing the pictures closely to find something, such as the Where's Waldo? series.
  6. Create a reward system - There's nothing wrong with creating an easy rewards system to get your child to read. Something as simple as a sticker in their sticker book after each book is enough to motivate a young child!
  7. Create a "book nook" - Little children love small, cozy spaces. Create a book nook in the corner of their room (or even your room!) with fluffy pillows, nice lighting, their favorite stuffed animals, and some good reading options to incentivize them to curl up with a book. When they're reading in their book nook, this could be the perfect time to model good habits and catch up on your reading, as well!

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