Making Reading Fun!

When we started homeschooling, I had two simple goals,

1. I wanted our kids to love reading (which also implies knowing how to read comfortably)
2. I wanted them to love learning

If we achieved these two goals, they could teach themselves anything else they needed to know.   As you may guess, the first goal becomes much more difficult to achieve when a child has dyslexia.  There are many people with dyslexia who are capable of reading (perhaps slower than others), but don’t because it has never been or become an enjoyable activity.

I was very fortunate when we started homeschooling that a friend suggested we try a curriculum that involved a lot of me reading aloud to the kids from a wide range of books.  The books were interesting, colourful, and covered everything from science, to history, to the arts, fiction, and everything in between.  I spent 2 -3 hours a day on the couch reading to the girls and looking at all these different books with them.  It was the best investment of time I have ever spent, and I will be forever grateful that we stumbled on this path!

These were the experiences and memories that led my kids to loving books and loving stories, even when they were still struggling to remember consonant sounds. They developed a relationship with books that was completely separate from the frustrating experiences they had trying to read them, and the fact the books had such great graphics and pictures meant that they could pick them up on their own and have enough visual cues to remember the book without needing to read the words.

If your child struggles to read, or reads slowly for their age, invest some time every day reading aloud to them.  Choose books that are appealing to your child’s interests, and at their intellectual level, not their reading level.  Whatever you do, don’t pick a story because it is a highly rated classic, but doesn’t interest you or them.  Pick something that you will all enjoy.  Create a pleasant, relaxed time when you can enjoy reading to them, and they can have the enjoyment of the intellectual stimulation and pleasure of a good story.

Remember, enjoying a good story will look different for different children.  I had one who cuddled up with me on the couch, another who was across the room playing lego or building something, and a third who moved about from place to place doing different things.  All of them absorbed the stories and knew exactly what was happening.  As long as they were not distracting each other, able to hear me clearly, and were following the story I didn’t mind what else they were doing at the same time.  We also made good use of audio books when we were in the car, particularly on long distances.

This is the critical first step to developing a love of reading in your child.  Introduce them to the other worlds that open up with a good book, with no expectations on them other than to enjoy the journey.