Making Reading a Priority for Your Family in 2021

For most of us, 2021 can’t come quickly enough. There is no doubt, however – due to the ups and downs our schools have faced during the pandemic – that parents are concerned about their children’s ongoing educations and about reading specifically. This is exactly why making reading a priority for your family in 2021 is an excellent idea. 

Now What?

You understand why making reading a priority sounds great, but you may have no idea at all about how to go about achieving such a feat. Never fear – there are wide-ranging opportunities to do just that (and none of them require extra effort). Consider the following:

• Model a Love for Reading – Let your kids see you reading for your own pleasure, and don’t forget to share those tidbits that you think might interest your children. A love of reading is a gift that lasts a lifetime. 

• Make Reading a Topic of Conversation – Go around the dinner table (or do it anytime) and share what you’re reading. It doesn’t have to be a big production, but a quick check-in helps to reinforce that reading can be a shared activity. Encourage your early readers (and pre-readers) to talk about a picture book they love. 

• Purchase or Check Out Books for Your Children – Most of us are doing our reading on electronic devices these days, but nothing compares to the magic of holding a book in one’s hands and falling into it. Give this gift to your children by recycling their older siblings’ books, checking books out of the library, sharing those old childhood favorites that you saved, or purchasing special titles that you know your little ones will love. That book you purchase may become a cherished favorite that goes on to be shared with your grandchildren.

• Tell Stories Together as a Family – We have all been leaning pretty hard on family movie night, but before you hit play, tell a story together as a family. Storytelling and reading go hand and hand, and family stories are the best stories. The stories you tell can be doozies that you make up, old favorites about family foibles, a combination of the two, or absolutely anything else. Never underestimate the power of a story.  
• Encourage Your Early Reader – Another important step you can take to make reading a priority for your family in 2021 is to bolster your early learner’s reading with an innovative and interactive reading program from Stepping Stones Together. In 15 to 20 minutes a day, you and your child can take a reading romp together that helps instill a love of reading but never feels like a task.  

Stepping Stones Together Can Help You Make Reading a Family Priority in 2021

The Stepping Stones Together reading program for young readers takes an individualized approach that is specifically tailored to your child’s interests and learning level. This is a reading journey that you can take together, and we offer a 7-day free trial that makes it risk-free.