4 Ways to Foster a Love of Reading & GIVEAWAY

I love to read. Reading is my number one favorite past-time. It’s my go-to when I’m tired or stressed or just need a little break from the kids. I’ll grab a cup of tea and my book and I can escape for just a few minutes or even an hour if the kids let me.

*DISCLAIMER: I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.*

So it was important to me that my kids become readers. It just seemed a given that since I loved books and was such a great reader, that my kids would be too. This was not the case. Each of my three children learned at very different paces and had very different struggles.

When kids struggle to read, they are reluctant to keep trying and may even completely shut down when it comes to reading. Which is why it is important to find books and activities that will engage your child’s interest and keep them learning at the same time.

Tips to Encourage Your Child To Read

1. Start your child off with books and activities that may be below their grade level or current reading ability. As with most things, repetition is key. By giving them an easier task, they will experience success and want to keep going. By reviewing what they have already learned, they are cementing that knowledge into their brains.
2. Ask Your Child how he/she wants to be helped when they’re struggling to read a word. Do they want to keep sounding it out on their own or do they want you to jump in and tell them right away? My child would get frustrated if I jumped in too soon and I needed to learn to wait for her to ask before I helped.
3. Read to your child – a lot. Have them follow along while you’re reading. As they observe the print words and hear your voice pronounce the words they will put the sounds and visuals together. The added bonus is you’re spending quality time with your child. Make reading a regular activity in your home.
4. Find your child’s interests and choose books and activities that will engage them. My son didn’t want to practice reading but I picked up a Batman Phonic Set and sure enough, he wanted to read those books with me.

One of my favorite things to do with my kids was to buy them fun activity books that we could take in the car, in restaurants or any time we needed to wait around. These days people seem to be relying on technology to entertain their kids but it’s so important for them to develop their pencil grip and eye-hand-coordination if they are going to be successful in writing later. The bonus is with these books available at places like Dollarama, it really is affordable to buy. Which brings me to PAPP International

PAPP International

Have you heard of PAPP International? If not, I am sure you are familiar with their books. PAPP International is a Canadian publisher dedicated to creating original educational and activity books, reading books, bilingual books, as well as licensed and novelty titles for children from six months to ten years old. Their book imprints have grown to include puzzle books and activity books for adults, as well as stationery, calendars, and much more.

PAPP International recently sent me a selection of Christmas activity books and a board book. I was pretty impressed by the quality of these books. The board book, Countdown to Christmas has thick, sturdy pages for busy toddler hands. It is brightly colored with really engaging illustrations. A fun feature to the book is a traceable outline on each page as you countdown to Christmas. A fun way to learn your numbers in a tactile way.

The activity sets come with their own felts and are color by number which is a fun way of helping your children recognize their numbers. There is a legend on the bottom of each colouring sheet that tells what color goes with what number. I am impressed to note that the legend is the same on each page so as to avoid “color” confusion for your child. Definitely a fun item to have in your travel or busy bag when you need to entertain kids in the car or at appointments.

Another fun item, I reviewed was the Water Magic. I absolutely loved these for my children. No mess! That’s right up a busy mom’s alley. The Water Magic set has sturdy board pages with illustrations that respond to the water. It comes with it’s own water pen that will dispense just the right amount of water. Once it’s dry, it can be colored in again. I really loved that on the flip up page, it gives suggestions on things to look for like “How many snowflakes are there?” , “What is Sarah holding in her hands?”. The activity prompts re-enforce the basics of each subject while entertaining at the same time. A great way to practice naming colors, expand vocabulary etc.

So where do we get these books?

The Grab n Go Puzzles, Water Magic, and Follow Along ABC books are currently available at Dollarama nationwide. PAPP International recently released its Spy Maze series to Dollarama stores in October, and the latest Brain Buster series will be arriving mid-December.  For many of us parents, Dollarama has become an affordable way to provide our kids with new books and activities without the worry of overdue fines or the cost of replacing damaged/lost library books. PAPP’s products are available at Dollarama in Canada and Dollar Tree in the U.S.

CHRISTMAS BOOK GIVEAWAY

Enter to win a Follow Along Christmas and Follow Along ABC Board Book by completing the entries below.

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