5 Tips for Getting Kids to Read

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Reading Eggs.

I’ve shared with you before that I have a couple of reluctant readers. Sure they love books. We’ve been reading chapter books since they were pretty little and they’ve always soaked up every bit of the stories. Now that they are 8 and 6, it’s their turn to pick up the books and read to me… neither one of them will have any part of it. It breaks my heart really, I so badly want to raise readers. So this lesson planning mama is back to the drawing board looking for more ways to get my kids reading… hopefully in time I will be able to call them book worms! Getting my kids to read is one mission I will NOT give up on.

5 Tips for Getting Kids to Read

1. Get them hooked on a character. Little M received Penny and Her Doll for Christmas. She dove right in, it was the first book she has shown any interest in reading all on her own. In fact she insisted on finishing it herself (YIPEE!) As it turns out there are 3 Penny books. I immediately grabbed them from the library and had them waiting. Getting her to read became a breeze!

2. Choose the right books. Use the five finger rule to make sure the books you are providing are not too hard. Have your reader pick a page and read, you can hold up one finger for every word that they can’t read. If you get to 5 the book is too hard. When you choose the right books you are setting your kids up for success, which will make reading so much more fun.

3. Let Reading Eggs help. I will be the first to admit that I’ve resisted looking towards technology for help in getting my kids to read. I like books. I like holding them in my hand. When I agreed to try out Reading Eggs I had no idea that it would take such a hold in our house. It’s been AMAZING! The kids are choosing Reading Eggs over any other screen time activity and asking for “just a few more minutes”.  The other day I came up behind Big M to peek at what he was doing. I was shocked to find him reading… a book… during screen time! WHAT?!?!? (and of course YAY!!!!!)

4. Add a reading challenge. My niece is very much like my sister (a compliment for sure!). They both really like to win and they both really like to compete. When my nieces first grade teacher started a challenge (read 10 books on your own and win a prize) my niece became unstoppable. She was determined to be the first to finish 10 books.

If you have a kid who loves a challenge check out this Read-to Cure Challenge from Reading Egg. Kids sign up for a FREE 5 week trial of Reading Eggs. From February 3 to March 7 they can complete as many books and Reading Eggs lessons as they can. Friends and family can sponsor their reading efforts and all the money raised will go to the NCCS (The National Children’s Cancer Society). Super cool, right?

5.Notice the reading they are already doing. This one is strictly a “note to self” but of course if it helps someone else, that’s awesome too. Stop trying to force a love of reading down their throat. They can’t learn to enjoy reading with a Mom who is constantly evaluating their reading passion. Celebrate the times they read a flyer on at the grocery store… just because. Or the times they ask you to wait before flipping the page because they are reading the words laced into the illustrations. Or the times they are reading over your shoulder as you write the grocery list. They will learn to love reading in their own way and their own time! So chill out!!! 

Learn more about Reading Egg & Enter to win an iPad Mini!

• Reading Eggs doesn’t require a credit card when signing up for the FREE five-week trial. (Um that’s awesome! No need to remember when the five weeks is up!)
• We tried out both Reading Eggs (3 to 7 year olds) and Reading Eggspress (7-13 year olds). Little M will be 7 in a few weeks so she’s right in the middle. She really likes the lessons in Reading Eggs (there are 120) and she LOVES the little creatures she collects as she successfully passes lessons. Big M is determined to fill his Reading Eggspress apartment with goodies and looks for lessons, books and games that will earn him the most eggs. (Which he will then use to buy cool stuff).
• There are over 1000 eBooks in the Reading Eggs library. The search and category options for finding books they want to read is really user friendly.
• Hmmm… what else. I could probably go on and on… but you can try it for yourself! It’s free after all.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

• The giveaway will be open on Monday, January 20 and end Friday March 7, 2014.
• One winner will be selected to receive one (1) iPad Mini valued at $299.99,
• To enter the giveaway, entrants must register and activate the 5-week free trial on the Reading Eggs website between 1/20/2014 to 3/7/2014 with their name, child’s name and postal address.

Your turn! How do you get your kids to read?

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Reading Eggs.