| I'm one of those people who can't step inside a | | | | book of their choice and tell you at the end what |
| bookstore without taking a big appreciative whiff | | | | their favorite sentence or quote was and why. |
| of that ever-present book smell with a little | | | | Which picture was their favorite? If there were |
| coffee scent thrown in. I love to read and I want | | | | no pictures, ask them to describe a scene they |
| my children to be fluent readers and lovers of | | | | pictured in their mind. |
| books, so I have come up with 7 creative ideas | | | | 5. Library Twirl - Go to the library and head for a |
| to help them get to that magical place. | | | | section in the juvenile area that they wouldn't |
| 1. Reading Wall - Cut out 4" by 4" squares of | | | | normally go to, perhaps non-fiction. Twirl them |
| colored construction paper. When your children | | | | around with their eyes closed and have them |
| have each read a short book or a chapter from a | | | | grab 10 books from different shelves. Then with |
| longer book, depending on their age, they get to | | | | eyes open, they can look through the books and |
| fill out one of the squares and tape it on the wall. | | | | take home the ones they find interesting. |
| This should be a big, bare wall in your home that | | | | 6. Mystery Quote - Go to your children's |
| can hold lots of these colorful squares. It looks | | | | bookshelves at home and pull out some books |
| pretty cool when it's done, and the kids have a | | | | when they're not watching. Read one or two |
| wonderful feeling of accomplishment. If that's not | | | | really great sentences from each book and have |
| satisfaction enough, then you can offer a prize | | | | them guess which book they came from. This |
| when the wall is filled; perhaps a boxed set of | | | | helps them to remember the books they've really |
| their favorite book series or membership to a | | | | enjoyed in the past and perhaps would like to |
| book of the month club for each. | | | | read again. It also helps them appreciate a |
| 2. Read In - Some evenings are meant for a | | | | well-written phrase. |
| "read in." The kids get into their pjs, grab their | | | | 7. Book Review Blog - The kids can start a book |
| favorite book, and jump onto the biggest bed. | | | | review blog online. There are several sites where |
| This works best when everyone is involved, | | | | you can set up a free blog for them very easily. |
| including Mom and/or Dad. Some kids like to hang | | | | Of course, you want to set up restrictions about |
| off the end of the bed and read upside down and | | | | using a nickname for the sake of privacy and |
| some like to read using your stomach as a pillow. | | | | having you pre-approve all posts. Each book |
| By the way, the floor is quicksand. | | | | reviewed can follow a formula like: skill level, # of |
| 3. Changing Places - Everyone finds a place to | | | | pages and # of chapters (some kids really care |
| read and they can't be in the same spot as | | | | about that), quote the opening few lines, a 3 |
| someone else. After about 10-15 minutes, you yell | | | | sentence summary of the book, what they liked |
| "change!" and the kids find a different place to | | | | about the book, and what they didn't. They can |
| read. Kids love to find the most unusual places | | | | even give the book a star rating. |
| that become their favorite places to read, even | | | | Some kids lean towards reading naturally, and |
| when not playing this game. I've seen kids in the | | | | others can use a fun nudge in the right direction. |
| bathtub with a sleeping bag, in a closet with a big | | | | Perhaps with these ideas your kids may find |
| flashlight, and curled up on the dog's bed. One | | | | reading interesting, inspiring, and magical. Who |
| favorite spot is on a pillow behind the couch. | | | | knows, maybe they'll even learn to love the smell |
| 4. Quotes and Pictures - Ask your child to read a | | | | of a good bookstore. |