If You Give a Child a Book…

I have three main goals for my children: I want them to love Jesus, love others, and love learning. I never took on homeschooling with the goal of filling their minds full of information before they go out into the world. Rather, I want to help them fall in love with learning so when they leave my house and go out into the world they know how to find the information they need. Even in a world where we can do a quick search and learn the answer to any question we might ask in no time at all, books are still the best way to learn something. I have never truly grasped any idea from researching it online; I have a basic knowledge of the facts after skimming the results of a google search or listening to a podcast, but it is only through books (and conversations around them) that we truly understand anything. So how do we help our kids fall in love with learning (and by extension, reading) so that they carry these skills into their adult lives? My kids are still young (my oldest is eight), so I’m not going to pretend to have found all the answers; however, I was raised to love reading and much of what I do with my children was inspired by what my parents did with my siblings and I while growing up. So here’s some lessons from my own childhood that can help inspire a love of books in your children.

1. Books always meant connection to us. I’m currently reading Farmer Boy aloud to my children, and I can’t help but hear my dad’s voice as I read it. Every night, after dinner and all the inside and outside chores were done, my dad would sit and read to us before bed. The books he read to us hold a special place in my heart simply because he took the time to share them with us, and I’m convinced I wouldn’t love them as much if I had only read them by myself. No matter how old your kids are, you should be reading aloud to them. Yes, even the high schoolers! There’s no better way to make memories with your kids than around a book. Sidenote: research actually shows that the effects of dads reading aloud to their kids more “significantly predict a child’s reading comprehension and language skills” (quote from Molly DeFrank in Digital Detox). I’m not saying this gives us moms a free pass on reading aloud– we should still be doing it, too– but this is a shout out to the handful of dads who read this to start reading to your kids!

2. We read what we wanted to. Obviously you shouldn’t let your kids read things that go against your values or that are too mature for them. But if you're just worried about the quality of the book, I would encourage you to just relax and let your kids enjoy the story. Sometimes, in homeschool circles especially, I hear criticism of books that are “twaddle”; these are going to be your Baby Sitters Club, Nancy Drew, anything that isn’t going to hold a lot of literary value (think the equivalent of when you read the newest Colleen Hoover book). But your child needs to practice reading on easy books that are also enjoyable, and these books are the ones that are going to help them the most. My brother practiced reading with farm magazines because my mom couldn’t find any books that he actually wanted to read. In addition to this, don’t focus so much on your child reading books that “count” for accelerated reader points at school. Let your child develop their own interest instead and this will carry with them far past their school days.

3. Library trips were an “event” in our home. The library seems to be the most under-used resource for the average American family, yet it somehow has persevered through an intensely digital age. Growing up, we only went to the library once a month or so, but it was definitely one of our favorite parts of the month. We would spend HOURS browsing shelves, learning to use the computer to see if they had the book we wanted, and finally settling into a comfy chair to get started on a book we were excited about. My family goes to the library about once a week, but that regular rhythm still has the same effect on my kids. No matter how busy you are, you can build library trips into your schedule and open up a world of possibilities for your kids.

4. Books were often connected to real-life experiences for us. My mom used unit studies for the majority of our homeschool; we would read a book, then do crafts and make recipes that connected to the story. Sometimes we would take a field trip or, when I was older, go somewhere on vacation that connected to a book we read. When we worked in the garden, we talked about what plants Anne Shirley would have grown at Green Gables or Ma would have planted on the prairie. We went down rabbit trails learning more about the time periods different characters lived in. Reading was never a static experience; we were constantly finding ways to deepen our understanding. I still do this as an adult; I’m never so inspired to try a new recipe as when I hear it described in a novel. Anytime our family takes a vacation, I’m considering what books we can read to prepare for it. And we homeschool in the same way my family did growing up.

I know how quickly our schedules can fill up with all the things, even the GOOD things. But please make time for books to be a part of your child’s life. Books pave the way to success in all areas of life for your children and they help form the little people you’re raising to be more like Christ and to better love others. If you give a child a book, there’s no telling what they will do!