Mom shares useful tips to help children develop a habit of reading every single day

It’s a common belief that reading can open up multiple avenues for people. Also, a consensus says that it is easier to get into reading as a child. This mom has four super useful tips for parents who want their kids to read more. In a recent video, Abisola Shof—who goes by @theshofs on Instagram—shared tips that she used to get her kids into reading. First up, she shares that the best way to get your child obsessed with reading is to start “when they’re born.” She says that kids are never too young or too old to start reading. Even if they just go through the pictures before they learn to read, it’s a good practice to start as early as you can. This tip also holds good because curiosity is one of the best ways to get kids hooked. She goes on to share the next tip.

At Shof’s house, everything from screen time to snacks is a privilege that must be earned through reading. Shof shares that her kids are well aware that before asking for anything, they must read a book. This could be considered tough love or a rewards scheme, but it works well if one wants to inculcate a regular reading habit in their children. She says, “They know mom’s going to ask, ‘Have you read a book today?’”

She gives a third tip to make kids proactively interested in reading. The creator takes her kids to the library every other week to borrow books. It’s also usual for them to want more and more of something if they start liking it. The mom further adds that this helps turn reading into a habit because the kids constantly get to read new books instead of reading the ones at home again and again. She also shared how her son exchanges books with his friends so all of them get to read something new at all times.

In her final tip, Shof shares that allowing kids to pick books that they find interesting makes them look forward to reading new books. However, she adds that she does pick some educational books for them to maintain a balance in their reading. This activity can also increase the scope of things your kids get to learn from books. It allows you to intervene while letting them build their personalities as readers.

Abisola Shof shared some extra tips in the caption of the video: “No screen time during the weekdays. When they get bored, they pick up a book to read. Let them see you reading so it becomes a culture at your home. We need to do better with this one because most of our books are on apps on our phones." Apart from these, developing a reading habit involves a lot of trial and error because different things work for different children.