Parenting Guru: How to raise a reader

I grew up in a household that didn't have much in the way of available TV time so it was either play outside of read books which I could easily get at the school library. I was a college level reader by age 9.

I also taught my son phonics early on, before he went into daycare. My granddaughter watches "Word World" on PBS, so I help her, too.

If you really want to raise a reader make sure they learn phonics. Phonics gives children the ability to "do it themselves" and gives them an independence not learned any where else.

Reading is definitely a lovely thing to do. Read a lot, learn a lot, share a lot. A child of mine saves to buy the book she likes.

My parents were always working so I didn't see them read much more than golf or fashion magazines. My grandmother on the other hand had an entire library full of "friends". I ended up leaving college after my freshman year to teach myself. Reading has been the most useful tool I could ever imagine. Reading and writing will open up the world for you-along with some social skills.

My mom entered me into a reading program at the public library when I was 4 years old! I advanced so rapidly that I begin writing my own stories and I loved to read my books from cover to cover. Now that I'm almost 40..that love of reading has never went away! I wish she was here so that I could thank her!...miss and love you mom!

I found that when bedtime is at 8:00, but you can have lights on till 9:00 if you are reading, both my kids became readers very quickly.

My mom and dad could and would say no to toys. If I came up with a book, it usually got bought when I was younger. As I got older, I had to buy them myself, or ask for them for gifts, but that was how I built my collection. School book fairs are awesome. Mom would hand me a check for $20-$30 and let me loose. I was "that kid" that knew my budget and knew what books I wanted (my schools were pretty awesome and let us browse one day and shop another) and I usually came back with seven to ten books that I read within two weeks then needed some more. The librarians and teachers loved it, the other kids thought I was crazy because I wasn't interested in the toys, posters, erasers, and craft books they bought. Well, here I am, an English major with a full scholarship and so glad my parents indulged my reading habit. Keep up the good work!

I also had to work to support myself and my desire to get a #$%$ degree. I do not have a family. I lived with other people until I could rent a place of my own. Some of the people had small children. They would see a picture on the cover of a novel I was reading or someone else was reading, not really age-appropriate while I was doing some chore. I would let them look at the cover and tell them age appropriate stories as we all did 'our own thing'. I think some of those children are very successful in their chosen careers and some of them are now having families of their own. It is a very good tradition which must always be supported by everyone everywhere.

I love books. I have always loved books. My mother could not read very well but she always took time to make sure I could go somewhere to be around books. I am carrying around with me some kind of reading material, a puzzle book, or just reading the 'signs' posted everywhere. I majored in Computer Science which requires a lot of math. So I balanced out with my books and pictures and colors and music which all are really, basically, math.

set the example ! tell them knowledge is power take them to the library tell them the reality that the goal in life is freedom and to be prosperous not rich but to have skills that are needed in the workplace and the only way to do this is yo have knowledge and be able to read! if your going to be going to a bar and not be an involvrd parent dont have kids because all your doingis raising cannon fodder for more govt wars!!

Number 1 & #5 are the most influential. Research indicates that the more books in a household the more likely children are to read for pleasure. Of course, it is not just the presence of books; lots of books reflect parents' attitudes towards reading & probably means that the parents have attained a high educational level which also influences their attitude towards their own children being educated. It is also really important to model reading, especially for younger children because they so want to emulate their parents. Research indicates that this is especially true for little boys & their fathers.

My 10-year-old loves to read just about anything she can get her hands on. My other one not so much. Meanwhile my husband and I are both big readers. I think this has more to do with personality than anything else.

When my daughter was young, we would go to the library and a pick a single book. Every night we would read one chapter, taking turns reading aloud to each other. As she got older, we set aside one hour every evening where we each (my husband, my daughter and myself) would pick a book of our own choosing and read quietly. She is almost 15 years old now, and you will never find her without a book.

not long time ago my husband asked me why i love reading books so much.....then i remembered...when i was still very young i always see my mother reading, she always reads stuff...as kids we always look up to our mothers...i knew i got the love of reading from her...can't wait to transfer this love to my soon to be children... :)

My love of books comes from my now-deceased maternal grandfather (worked for the original Barnes and Noble in NYC, part owner of Littlefield (that's him)-Adams making college outline books) and my dad. Grampa actually wrote a book that was published, and that is something I also hope to accomplish. Through my dad, I learned to enjoy a multitude of subjects, but mainly psychology and religion. I read to my son all the time, and now he is an avid reader. I also read to my granddaughter; my daughter-in-law is an avid reader and she writes all the time. My brother is a big reader, too. For my son, I always gave him learning gifts, like books; with his daughter, I follow the same path.

Allow them the final decision.

Take the time whenever you can to help someone to read the labels on food products if they are not sure and they are vocal in their uncertainty.

My mother was a reader, unlike the rest of her family. She couldn't imagine her life without reading, but her family could. When she had my brother and I, she was determined to raise readers. And that she did. In the summer between kindergarten and first grade, my brother read the Harry Potter series. In third grade, I aced my comprehension reading test and tested at a twelth grade level.
I can never remember a time when I wasn't reading. My mom always was reading as well, so I followed her. I remember being read to from Thunder of the Sea when I was trying to clear up my sinus cavities when I was six.
Make reading a part of your life, and your children will be reading for fun.

My son isn't much of a reader, which was always puzzling to me. I come from a long line of readers and my husband and son pretty much do not read unless forced. Then when my son was small I found he loved scary books and adventure books. Hello Bone series. Hello Pirate series. And now, moving on to Stephen King. My son still may not love to read, but he will if the story is right :)