Clever Reading Tip and Printable Reading Log for Kids

Inside: Best reading tip ever plus printable reading log for kids!

Here is the problem… Some kids are book worms by nature and others avoid books like they are icky green vegetables.

I don’t know what causes this divide but I do have one clever trick up my sleeve to help convert reading haters into book lovers.

A retired teacher and family friend, shared this trick when I ran into book-phobia with my daughter. Just like my friend said, this trick works like a gem.

We know we should encourage our kids to read. It’s often said kids should read 20+ minutes each day. But when our kids hate reading, the outburst of whining doesn’t seem worth the fight.

Studies have found that children who read 15–29 minutes per day, between Kindergarten and 12th grade will encounter an average of 5.7 million words. [source]

That’s a whole lot of words!

“The link between academic failure, delinquency, and crime is welded to reading failure.” – The Nations Report card.Gov

Luckily you can change your child’s approach to reading with a clever reading hack.

Are you ready? It’s so simple I don’t want you to miss it …

Read the first chapter of each book with your child out loud.

Boom.

Drop into the couch cushions together and read the first chapter with your child out loud.

Take a few minutes away from the dirty dishes, bill paying, and Instagram notifications because reading out loud is helpful for so many reasons:

Your child will sink into the book’s setting, main characters, and plot intro, increasing their comprehension.
Actively spending time with your child allows them to create positive thoughts about reading.
Reading becomes more of an “activity” versus a chore.

“The nurturing and one-on-one attention from parents during reading aloud encourages children to form a positive association with books and reading later in life.” Reach Out and Read, Archives of Disease in Childhood, Reading Aloud to Children: The Evidence, 2008.

Many glowing book reviews follow up the praise with a statement like this:

“But give it a couple of chapters. It’s a little slow at first. It takes a minute to get really into it.” The same thing goes for kids’ experiences with books…

We’ve all done this drill:

Toss them a new book
Set the timer for 20 mins
Tell them to read
Walk away expecting them to instantly devour the book like it’s a plate of warm chocolate chip cookie.

Sometimes kids need a little nudge. Reading out loud will do that.

“Reading aloud to young children is not only one of the best activities to stimulate language and cognitive skills; it also builds motivation, curiosity, and memory. Bardige, B. Talk to Me, Baby! (2009), Paul H Brookes Pub Co.

After you have read the first chapter, let them read the rest solo.

Repeat the process the next time they start a new book.