Lately, I’ve been trying to develop some new habits. Drink more water. Exercise daily. Play outside. It sounds simple, but in order to create a new habit that sticks, we need to set ourselves up for success. It’s not enough to merely will ourselves into making new choices. If I want to drink more water, I need to put that fancy water bottle on my work desk. If I want to exercise daily, I need to set out my workout clothes the night before.
But there’s more that I can do to improve my odds of success. One of the best things that I can do is link my desired habits to specific activities. My 3-year-old is excellent at remembering habits…especially around bedtime. He has to drink milk during the bedtime story. I must never include the letters M or N in the alphabet song. We need to sing the tooth-brushing song twice. One event must lead to the next.
As a mom and reading teacher, I want my kids and students to identify as someone who is a reader. I want them to become joyful readers. Why? Because when they see themselves as a reader, they will be curious and look for answers on their own. Then they will continue to learn and think critically about their world. They will know the thrill of getting lost in a great book. They will have the foundation they need to become lifelong learners.
In my elementary classroom, I had a boat. Yes, an actual boat that had been in the water. Students were allowed to sit there during quiet reading time. Being in the boat became positively linked to reading. They begged for more reading time. Whenever I read a book out loud to them, I made sure that it was a fun and positive experience. We carefully selected these read alouds together. They questioned, laughed, and cried. I never assigned reading as homework. I spoke about reading as a treat, and asked them about their books all the time. When someone asked if they ‘had’ to read that night, I’d act shocked. Of course you want to read. Remember all the positive links we’ve had to reading today?
My oldest two children (8 and 11) are both active and social kids. They’d prefer not to sit still or by themselves for any length of time. Thankfully, the skill of learning to read came easily for them. However, the motivation to sit still long enough to read continues to be a challenge. They’d rather be flipping on the trampoline or shooting pucks across the street at the park. They don’t want to do anything on their own. Fair enough. However, I used to worry that they’d never love reading.
Last year, during our homeschool phase, we began some new habits. Every day, right after lunch, we’d grab a hot drink and snuggle up with our blankets and books in the living room. I’d set a timer for 30 minutes and we would all read quietly. This time was not a chore. It was a treat. Lunch became linked to reading time. Drinking hot chocolate became positively linked to silent reading.
If you want to inspire joyful readers, you need to first develop healthy reading habits. Link reading to positive events and make it fun and interesting. Be an avid reader yourself, and celebrate reading time as a treat rather than a chore. Make reading a social activity and set young readers up for success by creating a cozy reading environment for them. Reward specific reading habits such as daily time spent reading out loud. Guide struggling readers through their challenges and focus on motivating them along the way. Designate specific times of day for reading, and protect these times.
These days, my kids’ special reading time happens at bedtime. They each have a specific series that they are into, and we help them find books at the library and bookstore. Often, they are re-reading previously-loved books. Bedtimes are earlier than normal because we need to factor in the nightlight reading time. Sometimes I crawl in with them and listen to them read. I smile because I know that they’ve got it now. After years of developing these habits, they’ve finally become readers.
Note for Parents
If your child could use some help developing positive reading habits, I’d love to be their coach on Simbi! Visit simbi.io/reading-coach to learn more.
