Both of my kids are readers.  Both often choose to sit for about 30 minutes and just read their books.  Sometimes they ask me to read to them, and other times they do it themselves (in the case of my 18 month old he mostly just babbles at the pictures and points at things he recognizes, but that’s reading for him in my book). 

Both kids enjoy sitting in my (or Daddy’s) lap to hear a story.  I’ve been asked how I managed to get two kids who love books so much?  What’s my secret?  Honestly, I don’t think I have a secret.  Other than the fact that I love books too.  My kids see me reading at least once a day. 

We have family story time, and read to each other.  So, I suppose the secret to having kids who read, is reading to kids.  Lots of people don’t think to read in front of their kids, or maybe they just don’t have time.  For us, it’s one of my favorite times of the day.  Everyone snuggles up and we all read, whether together or separately.  My daughter has taken up the habit of wanting to read to me and her little brother.  She has a good handful of sight words that she recognizes, but can by no means truly read.  However, we let her do it anyway.  Mostly she just either recites the parts of the books that she remembers, or makes up her own story that goes along with the pictures. 

I cannot stress how amazing that is when she chooses to do it.  We all become characters in whatever her story is, and it is so much fun.  It’s always amazing to enter your kid’s imagination.  If you want your kids to read, read to them. 

-Stephanie Wright