Make some reading resolutions for your family this new year

The start of a new year is a great time for making resolutions. This year, make some reading resolutions. Here are some ideas to consider:

• Make reading a part of everyday life. Set aside time when everyone in the house reads. (Reading instant messages doesn’t count.) In addition to helping your child improve his reading, it will give you some much-needed quiet time!
• Keep reading aloud to your child. Bedtime is a natural time for read-alouds, but families find other ways to fit it into their schedule. You can read aloud while your child eats breakfast. Or have one person read while everyone else cleans up after dinner.
• Give reading presents. Instead of one of those plastic toys that will probably break in 20 minutes, give a gift that will last forever. Buy your child books or bookstore gift cards.
• Keep lots of reading material handy. The kid who won’t read a novel might pick up a magazine about a favorite hobby.

Now that you have your resolutions, here are some tips on making sure you can keep them. First, make a plan. Without a plan, you may want a daily reading time, but you may not find a way to fit it in.

Next, track your progress. Mark the calendar for every day you read aloud. Then reward yourselves. Rent a video based on a favorite book. Or plan a trip to a bookstore café.

Reprinted with permission from the January 2008 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2008 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Source: Elizabeth Knowles, Boys and Literacy: Practical Strategies for Librarians, Teachers, and Parents, ISBN: 1-591-58212-1 (Libraries Unlimited, a member of the Greenwood Publishing Group, 1-800-225-5800, www.lu.com).