Soul of a Librarian

I am a book lover.  Actually, it goes far beyond that.  I have a raging, passionate love affair with books.  As a child, books were my best friends.  I would read under the covers at night, using my digital alarm clock for light.  My parents would have to enforce bedtime by taking away my reading materials.  Any where I went, I had to have a book with me.

The love affair that started in the early years of my youth, still burns with the same passion.  I continue to bring a book with me *everywhere* I go.  I feel naked without it.  I keep a book in the glove compartment of my car, just in case there is a quiet moment when I can read a few lines.

Being passionate about reading, I have often pondered how it is that I can raise my children to share this passion, as I put a good deal of value on this trait.  I believe that it is my duty to raise children that love to read.  As such, I have done a bit of reading (haha) into the subject.  What I have found, in the way of scholarly and expert advice, is this: teach by example. Experts believe that having parents and role models who love to read does more for a child's reading habits, than anything you can say or do for them.

My example:  

1) My children live in a house were the bookshelf, not the television, is the center of the common living space. 

2) They also have a personal bookshelf in their rooms, where their favorite books are kept. 

3) The kids see their father and me reading daily.  We also, in order to get more reading time, have established an hour or so when the kids must "chill."  During this time they can read, draw, or do anything that helps them relax and quiet down before bed.  Often, they choose to read.

4) The fourth, and final way (that I can think of right now) that I get my kids to read, is by letting them choose their own books. Be they comics or Dr. Seuss, we regularly go to the library and/or book store so they can choose their own reading materials.  This, I believe is crucial....

This is what I do to raise my kids to be passionate about reading.  How do you work to this end?  What are your suggestions?

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms blogging program to be eligible to get an "I Can Read!" book. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”