Start Early!

When a child learns to love books at an early age, it paves the way for a lifelong interest in reading. As a parent, there are many things that you can do to foster that enjoyment of books, or print motivation. Here are a few things that can help:

- Get your child involved in reading by having her say repeated phrases throughout the book and asking her questions while you read.

- Don’t force your child to read when she’s not in the mood. If you have to cut short a book, you can always return to it later. You want to make all of her early experiences with books positive ones.

- Keep books everywhere—in the playroom, in your child’s room, on bookshelves, in toy boxes, in your diaper bag, in the car. You can never have too many books around!

- Even if it gets boring for you, read your child’s favorite book to her as many times as she wants. That repetition is great for her growing brain.

- Expand and change your book selection at home by getting books from the library.

Doing what you can to build a solid foundation during the early years will really have a positive impact on your child’s reading down the road!