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It’s that time of year for our family when we wrap up one school year, celebrate our accomplishments and prep for the new school year. Last weekend was our annual Homeschooling conference where I purchase all the school books for the upcoming grades. It starts with a rush of eager mothers on the used book tables and then persists all weekend as we peruse the glossy books that have never been opened; the pages that contain oodles of information and stories that call out to be read and loved.

Now that I’ve attended this conference a few years, I’m smart enough to come prepared with a crate on wheels to hold everything I buy. Other moms are still learning as they balance book in there arms and have to turn down coveted items simply because the don’t have the strength to hold another one.

It’s when I came home and unloaded my booty of bound written words that I realized how much my family loves books. We have eight bookshelves in the house and four of them are stacked with books two deep. The end table in the family room is stacked with my daughters favorite books so they can sit down and re-read their favorite parts. Library books are organized on the floor in our reading corner where they lean against the wall in their own little display. We have book bags near the door to grab on the way to the store to catch up on a few pages between here and there. We buy purses large enough to hold books.

But the best part of all of these books cluttering my home are the notebooks of stories my children are writing are sprinkled around house. They read and they write. They have friends who write and share their stories during play dates. I will be honest – the kids are great writers! They are imitating their favorite authors, using those books as guides, the authors becoming mentors to my children.

Friends and family often ask how I encourage my children to read so much. As I look at our lifestyle and our home, I can narrow my children’s reading success down to four things my husband and I have done:

1. Our TV is not an option except for Friday nights when we all watch a family-friendly movie together. We don’t watch the news, they aren’t exposed to commercials, and they don’t wear that dopey TV-face for hours a day as someone else determines what is entertaining for my children. Instead, we read, play, interact, cook, do art projects and work in the garden. TV is a huge deterent from everything creative.

2. We have loads of books and our children see us read and write often. Children will do what their parents do. If you want your children to be good readers, you need to be a good reader. We go to the library often, visit used books stores, share books with friends, and talk about what we are reading. If a movie is based on a book, we all read the book first. Books and gift cards to bookstores are rewards for good behavior.

3. We are blessed with a retired teacher who hosts a weekly Literature Club for several children. This is a huge part of my children’s desire to share their writing. For many, myself included, sharing what you’ve written is difficult. My daughters have found encouragement and new ideas in this group. For your family, find a parent or a teacher who is interested in leading a similar literature club. Children read a book a week (or one a month) and then talk about it and do an activity. My daughters have made acorn flour & pancakes after they read My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George and origami boxes for The Year of Jackie Robinson and the Boar by Betty Bao Lord.

4. My children don’t own any electronic games. There is no Game Boy, Kindle Fire, or whatever the lastest hand-held distraction is in this house. We don’t have a Wii, although I would like one because they are active and many of the games do encourage group participation. While many families spend money on video games that draw kids away from interacting with people and consumes their mind with battles and violent images. Even the mild games draw children away from people. Books can do the same thing – my daughters don’t hear or see anything in the house when they are reading. The difference is that the images in their minds are their own creation, not a digital vision injected into their mind.

It’s true that some kids just aren’t going to be readers, but if their home environment directs them to a book or magazine instead of the TV, the potential to become a good reader increases. The next post will be how to encourage active children to pick up a book. Until then, take the kids to the library and find a used book store. Happy reading!

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