Tips to Take the Homework Out of Reading

You and your family are finally settling into fall. The leaves are changing, the air is crisp, soccer and football games fill up the weekends, and school buses line the streets. Autumn has officially arrived. You may find it the perfect time to snuggle by the fire with your favorite book. But if you have children, they may feel too bogged down with homework to enjoy reading.

Here are some tips to help inspire a love of reading in your family during this busy time of year:

Have fun. Your child may have mandatory reading for school, but have him choose another fun book that he doesn't view as school work. Otherwise, make the stories fun by adding your own voices and sounds, or acting them out. Be goofy!

Read without a book. Take advantage of everyday opportunities and activities that can encourage reading and learning. Cereal boxes, road signs, store signs, menus, billboards, buildings, toy packages, and other everyday items can be opportunities to read with your child. Have your child help you find items at the grocery store, or pick out items and have your child spell them or tell you what they are.

Read with them. Even after children have learned to read, they enjoy listening to their favorite stories and can learn from listening to books they can't yet master. Reading together also provides important bonding time that both you and your child will cherish as you grow.

Make time. Set up regularly scheduled intervals or a special time each day that your family reads together. You can read to your child at bedtime, or she can read to you while you do the dishes, or you both can read separately while relaxing on the couch. Even 15 minutes a day encourages a lifetime of learning.

Have a cozy corner. Create a special "reading" place for you and your child to enjoy books. It could be a couch, chair, child's bed, or favorite cozy spot. Set up rules for this area to keep it peaceful for reading.

Let your child tell the story. Children as young as 3-years-old can memorize a story! Many children love an opportunity to express their creativity. Encourage your child to "read" to you!