One of the best things you can do for your child to promote a life-long love of learning is to read aloud to him or her on a daily basis. I am not talking about you-read-a-page, your-child-read-a-page, (do that during homework or study time) but rather, you read a good book aloud to your child just for enjoyment. This is a wonderful bedtime activity and is a great way to spend quality time with your child one-on-one.

I read separately to my two children almost every night until they wouldn’t let me read to them any more. My son was in 6th grade before we quit, and my daughter was in 7th. The night time ritual was something we all looked forward to. I would read to one for 10-15 minutes, then to the other. Of course it helped that they were 3 1/2 years apart with different bedtimes. Some nights we just couldn’t wait to go up to bed to see what was going to happen next in the book.

I can’t tell you how much my children learned. From fiction books as well as nonfiction books, vocabularies flourished. We discussed language and meanings of words. “What does that mean?” my son would ask. “Why did she say that?” my daughter would ask. I explained difficult words and talked about language expressions. Reading aloud to your children provides the opportunity to expose them to all types of literature and explore areas of interest as well. We often used books from the “Battle of the Books” list and even old classics. I read Moby Dick to my son in 6th grade. He could not have read it on his own at that age, but he sure could understand it and loved the old style flowery language. I read Jane Eyre, a high school novel, to my daughter when she was in 7th grade, and she really enjoyed it. There are hundreds of wonderful read aloud books, and it can’t hurt to preview a few that will be coming up later in middle school such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn.

Make it a priority to read to your child! You are probably thinking, can’t do it, other siblings need attention, we’re too busy, my spouse travels, whatever the excuse is. Enlist the help of your spouse, read to more than one kid at a time if you have to, but the important thing is to read! My students often tell me that their mothers used to read to them but don’t anymore. How sad. It is a terrific learning opportunity and a bonding experience that your child will never forget. Best of all, your child will likely become an avid reader for a lifetime! What better gift can you give your child!