4 New Year’s Resolutions for Reading With Your Child

Can you believe that 2018 is just around the corner? This year just flew by! This is a great time to make some New Year’s resolutions. What better resolution to make this year than to help your child excel at reading? This is a goal which you and your child can tackle together.

Of course, if you want to succeed with a New Year’s resolution, it needs to be a little more concrete than just “help my child learn to read.” That’s why I put together a list of specific New Year’s resolutions to help you and your child achieve reading goals in a practical way.

1. Visit the library once a month.

How often do you go to the library with your child? A few times a year? Less? It’s true—your child’s school has a library. But that is no substitute for a regular trip to a county or city library with an abundant selection of reading material and a schedule of community activities and events.

Resolve to visit the library on a monthly basis with your child this year. Not only does this provide your son or daughter with more chances to discover diverse literature, but it also gives you an opportunity to spend time together. Read picture books together, look for longer books you can check out together and take home, and share your interests. This is a wonderful way to bond.

2. Read together with your child every night.

Every child needs a restful nighttime routine. One great way to settle down for the night is to read a book. If your child does not read on his or her own every night, resolve to read together!

You do not need to dedicate a ton of time to this in order for it to be helpful. Even just spending 15 or 20 minutes reading can make a great difference. You and your child can take turns. Turn it into a game where you have fun reading expressively and doing different character voices.

Once again, this is a great bonding opportunity. Plus, a great story before bed sets your child’s imagination free to roam a world of delightful dreams and restful sleep (Last Night I Had a Laughmare is perfect for this).

3. Resolve to bring at least one idea from reading into “real life” this year.

For many children, words on a page feel abstract and unreal. Plan to do something about that this year. At least once, take something off the page and make it real by planning an activity around it.

If your child is reading about dinosaurs, plan a trip to a natural history museum. If your child reads a book like What’s Your Birthday Wish? which teaches social awareness, go volunteer somewhere. There is always a way to let books connect us to the world.

4. Reward your child for reaching reading milestones throughout the year.

Finally, if your child finds reading challenging, set some incentives. Come up with a reward system and use it. Maybe each time your child finishes a book, you can go out to a restaurant he or she likes, or buy a treat, or so on. This can really boost motivation. It also shows your child how proud you are.

Good luck with your New Year’s resolutions. I hope these 4 ideas help you and your child achieve your reading goals for 2018!