24 GoodLifeFamilyMag.com JULY | AUGUST 2017 GoodLifeFamilyMag.com JULY | AUGUST 2017 25 goodIDEAS by Lisa A. Beach Since my childhood days of reading comic books and Nancy Drew mysteries, I’ve always been a voracious reader. As the family bookworm, I earned the nickname “Booka” from my dad, who was a big reader himself. And my mom helped foster my obsession with the printed word by reading my favorite books to me. Now that I have my own family, I wanted to make sure I passed on my “first true love” to my two boys, now in their teens. Sadly, plenty of research, such as the report by the National Endowment for the Arts, points to a downward trend in recreational reading, particularly among teens and young adults. Most alarming, cites the report, is that “both reading ability and the habit of regular reading have greatly declined among college graduates.” One way to stem the tide of this disturbing trend is to instill the love of reading in your kids and not to rely on schools to do this. In fact, some school practices can destroy their love of reading, as noted in a recent article by clinical psychologist Erica Reischer in The Atlantic about the negative effects of forced reading logs. “When motivation to do an activity comes from outside, via rewards or mandates, it tends to undermine people’s interest in doing that activity for its own sake,” writes Reischer. “This decline in motivation ultimately affects enjoyment, creativity, and even performance.” Fortunately, there’s a lot you can do to foster the love of reading in your own home. Let these ideas jumpstart your own family’s love affair with books. 1BE A READER ROLE MODEL. Make sure your kids see you reading frequently, whether it’s the newspaper in the morning, a magazine while dinner is cooking or your favorite novel before bed. Bring books with you everywhere you go—from a small paperback you stuff in your purse to a few magazines you stash in the car to a Kindle loaded with books for your next family vacation. Make books a habit in your own life first. 2FILL YOUR HOME WITH BOOKS. Literally, put reading material in baskets and on shelves all over the house—in the living room, the family room, the bathroom, etc. 3CREATE A COMFY READING NOOK. Perhaps you’ve got a cozy window seat with great natural light streaming through. Or maybe you’ve got a beanbag chair you can place next to a basket of books. Even just one comfortable chair will work. Add soft pillows, a blanket and good lighting for the perfect reading getaway. 4GET KIDS HOOKED ON A SERIES OR A FAVORITE AUTHOR. Once they finish one book, they’ll be ready to jump into another one. 5BORROW, RENT OR BUY AUDIOBOOKS. Listening to a great audiobook without worrying about vocabulary or correct pronunciation offers a convenient and effortless way to get lost in a story. Many public libraries offer free CDs to borrow as well as downloadable mp3s or streaming audio. Although you can purchase many audiobooks on iTunes and join paid subscription services like Audible, you can also take advantage of free audio books on websites such as Open Culture, Thought Audio, Lit2Go and Podiobooks. 6START A TWEEN BOOK CLUB. If you as a parent are part of a book club, your child sees the impact the camaraderie and conversation is having on you. “I wanted my daughter to develop a love for reading that I didn't acquire until much later in life, says Lakewood mom Brooke Gibbs on why she helped create a tween book club. “Tween girls are at such an awkward phase so coming together and getting the chance to give their opinions is huge!” Use these ideas to nurture your family’s love of books, and you’ll increase the odds of hooking your kids on a lifetime reading habit. Building enthusiasm and confidence with reading can help children reach their full potential in subjects across the curriculum, according to Belinda Southgate, Head of U.S. Marketing for Explore Horizons, specialists in enrichment and tutoring with a unique philosophy to make the process enjoyable.   “In our experience, spending time reading will not only enable children to succeed in language arts but also in writing and, in many cases, with math too.  Often, the more that children read, the more we see improvement in their creative writing and spelling skills.  What’s more, progress in problem-solving and word problems in math can often be accelerated by building reading comprehension skills.”   Southgate says the summer is a great time to make reading a fun part of the daily routine and suggests letting children take control of their reading. “Why not make going to the library or book store a family treat, and let them pick the books that interest them?  It doesn’t matter if their choice is fact or fiction, or even a magazine. Reading anything at all will be beneficial,” she says. And she encourages parents to take some time every day to ask their children questions about what they are reading.  “This will be a great opportunity for you to connect with your child and will help them to build their comprehension skills.  At Explore Horizons, we understand that parents are super busy, so if this all sounds like a little too much for your schedule, our tutoring and enrichment centers host a special book club to get students excited about reading and to keep their brains active all summer long.” Editor’s Note: For more information about Explore Horizons, their book club and personalized math, reading and writing learning plans, visit www.explore-horizons.com. 6 Simple Ways to Raise Kids Who Love to Read “Parents are super busy, so … our tutoring and enrichment centers host a special book club to get students excited about reading and to keep their brains active all summer - Belinda Southgate, Explore Horizons READING IS KEY TO IMPROVEMENT IN ALL AREAS “I like book club because you are able to express your feelings about the book and you can have fun while reading the book,”says 5th grader Harper Gibbs, 3rd from left next to book club leaderVanessa DeLacrepaz, of the Stonewall Jackson Book Club her mom, Brooke helped create.