Guest Post: Turning Your Kids Into Bookworms

Hey Bookworms! 

Today, we have a very special guest with us! Megan from Ginger Mom and The Kindle Quest has some fun things to share with us! I love her blog, and I'd definitely recommend you to go give it a visit! I promise you, you'll be hooked. 

Without further ado, I'll hand over the reins to Megan, and sit back and enjoy the ride she takes us into!

My child is too active. She doesn't sit still long enough to read. What's the big deal? It's only reading. Don't they cover that stuff in school? Why do I need to read to him at home?

I talk about books with everyone. Moms, dads, friends, teachers. Anyone. Even coworkers or friends who never really found the love of reading. And when you talk to a parent about reading to their child, many times there are reasons why they don't do it. Justifications for why it just isn't at the top of their priorities.

And I get it. As a mom, I understand. Life is hectic. Kids don't sit still. And in the grand scheme of things, is reading to your child before (or outside of) school really that important? Yes, I believe it is.

So how do you instill a love of reading into that child who just won't sit still? That's where I come in! Lady Quinn and Mister Chu (my little ones who possess an unlimited supply of energy, it seems) do not sit still very often. But when a new book comes in the mail or Mom downloads a new book on her iPad or Kindle, their eyes get just as wide with excitement as . . . well, as mine do! They look forward to reading.

How?

Audiobooks. Oh yes, these are a mom's best friend if you want your child to read but can't get them to sit still long enough to finish a book. If you have an Amazon account, you automatically have an Audible account. I found Curious George Rides a Bike on Audible for less than two dollars. It's an eleven minute book. We can finish it in the car on our way to the babysitter's each day. Easy peasy. The handy little app on my phone makes it so that the kids can listen while they look at the pictures!

Skybrary. What is this? It's an amazing creation of LeVar Burton Kids that brings the best parts of Reading Rainbow to the kids of today.

The best part of this app? The books are narrated, just like when I watched them on Reading Rainbow as a kid. And there are mini video adventures starring LeVar, himself. As a parent, you can even track your child's reading progress in the app! (We aren't quite to that stage of reading yet but soon, it will be useful!) There are already hundreds of books available and it's expanding everyday! For the tech-savy toddler, this is definitely the way to go!

Reading Rainbow / Bookaboo. On that same note, if your child is a television addict, there are shows that will open them up to the world of reading. I already mentioned Reading Rainbow (for the 80s babies like me, this was a staple in our daily life!) But it seems 2018 has its own version of this. Bookaboo. Actors and actresses (like Selma Blair and Molly Parker) read picture books with an adorable little "rock puppy".

Just read. Last, but definitely not least - just read. If your kid wants to play, sit in the same room with them and read. Let them keep playing. They don't have to be motionless on the couch next to you in order to absorb anything. Find something interesting in the book? Talk about it. My kids love to discuss books when we're done. Who was their favorite character? Why was George being naughty? The simplest questions change forcing your child to read into an adventure!

Of course, what it always comes down to is how the parent feels about reading. If it's not important to them, the odds are pretty good that it won't be important to their children. But reading is important. It's where our children get their vocabulary. Where they learn to speak and use their imaginations. It's one of the places kids get their dreams of becoming astronauts and doctors and actresses. And it's where they realize they can be anything and do anything they set their minds to.

But, as LeVar says, "you don't have to take my word for it".

Looking for some KidLit suggestions? Or have some of your own? Link them up to the Children's Books Tuesday linky!

Children's Books Tuesday Link-Up.

Thank you for all those awesome tips Megan! I especially love the audiobooks idea! Thank you for taking time out of your busy (and kinda disarrayed 😜) schedule to visit my blog! 

I'm hoping to host a guest post every Tuesday, but knowing me, I'll probably mess up! 

Hope that doesn't happen! 

-Anky.