Believe it or not, your friendly literacy-based microschool owner once had a child of her own who hated to read.... and it may have been my fault.
I was determined to raise readers since I played mommy to my dolls as a little girl. Whether they went out on a date with or saved the world from Stretch Armstrong, my dolls always ended their day with a read-aloud. So, too, would my kids. I started reading to my girls when they were in the womb. We went to Barnes and Noble for quality time, and they've never known a world without their own personal, intentionally curated libraries in their bedrooms. And while my eldest basically inhaled all the books, my youngest regurgitated them.
If she opened a wrapped book on her birthday, she'd chuck it. If I parked in front of Barnes and Noble, she instantly started her "I'm bored" chant. So I stopped trying.
Okay, that's a lie.
I stopped trying so obviously. Instead of reading aloud to her, I started reading near her. All kids love being near their parents, so I always facilitated that, but most times, I had a book in hand. This prompted lots of "What are you reading?" questions, allowing me to start reading aloud. I wasn't pestering her if I were answering a question she posed. It especially helped if her big sister was reading somewhere nearby. No one wants to be left out. Over time, she went from curiosity to buddy-reading books with me. But it wasn't as simple as laying off the pressure. I had to start listening to her, too.
As a bibliophile who preplanned all the books my kids would read before meeting them, I hadn't given her much room to enjoy reading. When I started paying attention to what she liked, introducing her to books about those subjects, and letting her roam Barnes and Noble for long enough to get bored with the toy section, she actually started enjoying our trips. Before long, she was running into Barnes and Noble to get the next book in the Critter Club series because she'd finished the last one in 2 days.
One of the best things about taking control of your child's education is the ability to dedicate the time to get to know who they are before deciding how to teach them. Even well-intentioned, seasoned educators have to take the time to understand the learning styles of their own very different children.
Through small classroom sizes, individual learning plans, and freedom to explore, our microschool, Lucas Literacy Lab, is dedicated to understanding each child deeply, optimizing their learning while maintaining their excitement and joy. Deep sigh.
Join us for a fun family day at the park on Saturday, June 15th, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
This book has some great tips for instilling a love of reading in young children:
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