When the Alloprof Parents team asked me to tell you about my family’s reading habits, I was hesitant.
What’s your reading routine? Is your approach the same with all your daughters? Do you sometimes read together? How do you make reading fun?
First, we don’t have a routine, approach, or strategy to encourage reading. How can I put it?
Imagine if someone asked you to describe your screen-time routine at home and how you encourage your kids to watch TV, use their tablet or computer, or play games on their console.
- Is your approach the same with all your kids?
- Do you watch TV or play video games as a family?
- How would you answer these questions?
You would simply reply that screens are everywhere. That you buy mobile games and apps regularly. That you have trouble putting down your devices during mealtimes and before bed. That you enjoy watching movies both as a family and on your own. That you’re addicted to some TV shows and that you struggle to limit your and your children’s screen time. That your teenagers hear about new series from their friends and pass along these recommendations to you.
Well, in our house, books are everywhere.
Our shelves are overflowing. Books turn up in every room: on the kitchen table, under beds, in the bathrooms . . . Much to my annoyance, we sometimes even trip over them!
Books are so omnipresent that my children no longer realize how valuable they are. I’ll never forget the Saturday afternoon they spent building a BOOK FORT:
Do you know how much a book costs? That’s a pretty expensive fort! Be careful!
In the summer, we bike to the library every week as part of the Aventuriers du livre book club. Of course, we go less often in winter. We love going to the library as a family, where we talk about our favourite books and authors. I borrow books from my oldest daughter, who borrows books from her sister, who steals books from me and my husband. Our two youngest girls tend to fight over the same books and comics.
I also read stories to my youngest when I’m in the mood (rarely before bed) or if they make a special request.
Mom, can you read us this story again?
Even though they know how to read, I enjoy continuing this tradition. Sometimes I’ll choose an illustrated book that I’ve recently discovered, or a passage from a novel that made me think of something we experienced as a family.
We read everything!
Autobiographical comics, science fiction, crime thrillers, young adult series, literary classics, illustrated books, Quebec fiction, essays—you name it!
To become a good reader, you first need to discover the joy of reading.
But I want my child to read novels.
I’ve heard many parents voice this concern. At the end of the day, however, it doesn’t matter what a book’s reading level is, how many pages it has, or whether there are any pictures in it. If your child enjoys reading, you’re on the right track.
Our daughters are free to read whatever they like, even if we sometimes find their choices a bit limited. One of them read Geronimo Stilton books until Grade 6! Giving them total freedom means we’ve had to accept that they sometimes read Archie comics and girly, sexist magazines, but over time, they’ve really surprised us.
Two years ago, I shared one of my favourite books, Jane, le renard et moi, with my kids. It’s a gorgeous illustrated book by a Quebec author in which a young girl reads Jane Eyre, a novel written by Charlotte Brontë in 1847. Well, the book piqued my 14-year-old daughter’s interest! She borrowed Jane Eyre from the library, read it, and recommended it to her friend, who read it as well.
The key is to read and let read.