Halloween is over, and the holiday lights will be up any day now. People are starting to think about what gifts to give to their children this year (a more difficult question than usual, in the presence of the struggling economy). I ask you to consider a gift for children that will benefit them for a lifetime: the gift of reading. I believe that a love of books is one of the most valuable gifts that adults can give to the children in their care. I’m talking about parents, teachers, librarians, aunts, uncles, grandparents, neighbors – anyone who has children that they care about, whether related or not. If you interact with children, if you talk with them or teach them, if you buy them presents, if they look up to you in any way, then YOU have the power to give them the gift of reading.

I’m not talking about kids learning to read, so much, but about kids learning to love reading. Kids who enjoy reading will, naturally, spend more time at it. This in turn will help them to become better readers. They’ll improve their vocabularies, and they’ll learn, painlessly, about everything from writing to science. They’ll learn to read more quickly. They’ll test well. Their confidence will increase. Studies have even shown that kids who enjoy reading do better at math. Doctors and lawyers who have good reading comprehension skills have a huge advantage during their training. And so on.

Those are just the academic benefits. Kids who enjoy reading will spend time with characters from Pippi Longstocking to Percy Jackson. Their imaginations will soar. They’ll try out new interests, through books, and some of these will form lifelong passions. They’ll learn from Anne Shirley and Hermione Granger and Bilbo Baggins about friendship and loyalty and bravery. They’ll learn to entertain themselves, and to assimilate different viewpoints. All of history will be at their fingertips, and their futures will be limitless.

So what can you do, as an adult, to give this gift of reading to the children around you? Here are just a few suggestions. (For a much more comprehensive approach to the subject of encouraging young readers, I highly recommend The Read-Aloud Handbook, by Jim Trelease.)

1. Read aloud to your children or students. Keep reading aloud to them even after they are old enough to read themselves, and for as long as they’ll let you. By reading aloud to kids, you show them that reading is important, and more importantly, you show that reading is an enjoyable experience. You can also read them books that they aren’t ready for on their own, and you can discuss the books with them. You get quality time together, and you both get to experience wonderful books. Reading together is one of the greatest win-win experiences there is.

2. Let the children in your life see that reading is important to you. Mention it when you encounter something interesting in a book or a newspaper. Turn off the TV, and let kids see you reading for relaxation. Bring books for everyone when you travel on planes. Listen to audiobooks in your car on road trips. Clutter up your house with books and magazines and newspapers. Demonstrate a culture that values reading, all types of reading.

3. Read the books that your children read. Once your kids are reading on their own, an excellent way to show them how much you value their reading is for you to read some of their books on your own. This helps you to learn your children’s taste, and to recommend other titles for them. And it opens doors for discussion. I believe that if more parents could find the time to read their children’s books, there would be less of a drop-off in reading for pleasure as kids get older.

4. Whenever you can, give kids books and magazines. They don’t have to be new. If you can’t afford to buy them you can give the temporary gift of library books. But if you’re in a position to buy books, this tangible gift has several advantages. First, you again demonstrate that you think reading is important, by putting your money where your mouth is. Second, many kids derive pride from ownership. Also, when kids own books, they have the chance to read them over and over again. Re-reading beloved books is something that reinforces the enjoyment of reading. Then there’s sheer proximity. If there are plenty of books around, kids are more likely to pick them up.

5. Let kids read what they enjoy. A fundamental aspect of human nature is that people spend more time doing the things that they enjoy. The most important thing that you can do, if you want kids to like reading, is to make reading as enjoyable an experience as possible. Pushing kids to read books that are above their age range, or are about things that they aren’t interested in, is counter-productive. All types of reading for pleasure count. If your child likes graphic novels, or nonfiction, or sports magazines, you should encourage that. The important thing is that they enjoy what they read. This is a key part of Jon Scieszka’s platform as National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. (Here we’re talking about reading for pleasure – of course other types of reading take place in schools.)

6. Start a children’s book blog, so that you can read and review children’s books, and talk about literacy, as much as you like.

OK, this last one isn’t for everyone, but it has been quite rewarding for me. But seriously, even if you don’t have children of your own, and you don’t have a blog, there are plenty of ways that you can give the gift of reading. I seize every opportunity to read aloud or talk books with my friends’ children. I buy our nieces books for every conceivable occasion, and I donate my extra review books so that they’ll end up in the hands of other kids. When children come to our house, the first thing they see is shelves upon shelves of books. And I model reading behavior every single time I’m on an airplane. I do whatever I can, because I think that encouraging young readers is important.

If you can help the kids in your life, in even a small way, to enjoy books and reading, you will give them a gift that will transform their lives, and continue to reward them forever.

Posted by: Jen Robinson