Dear Gaila, I've always loved reading and I really want to share my love of reading with my children. However, my 2nd grade daughter is not interested in books at all. How can I encourage her to read more? Sincerely, Mother of a non-bookworm
Dear MoaN-B,
Your daughter needs to catch the magic of reading. The best way is to read to her. Be sure to read about topics, adventures, ideas, or people that interest her and are on her intellectual level. (A good librarian can help with this.) Set aside a good chunk of time each day to read to her. 20 minutes right before bed with Winnie the Pooh, or The Magic Tree House can create some pretty precious family time. When I used to read Junie B Jones to our littlest one, slowly but surely all the other older kids would stop by to listen to her ridiculous antics. Before long we were all laughing hysterically together.
Later on our eighth grader finally convinced our fourth grader to read Harry Potter by reading practically the entire first book to her. Once hooked she entered the magical world of Hogwarts on her own.
Good luck,
Gaila
Gaila has over 40 year of experience teaching and runs A.H.A.V.A., a non-profit to promote English literacy. Would you like to ask Gaila a question? Email us at ahava.org@gmail.com or send us a message. Look out for more Dear Gaila columns
