“Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.” – 1 Timothy 4:13 NKJV
“Readers are leaders and leaders are readers. If you stop reading, then you stop reading.” – Anonymous
Parents must be intensely intentional and therefore counter culturally radical when it comes to fueling the God-given hunger to learn that has been built into the hearts of their children. Once again, as a deliberate means to equip parents in doing so, here’s “My Top 10 List for How to Teach Your Kids to Love Reading Books” continued…
5. Have well-stocked bookshelves prominently displayed throughout your home and in their bedrooms.
- Whereas there is a time and place to frequent the public library in your community, there is something altogether different about having your own library within the confines of your home. Building a fabulous collection of books that are readily available within arm’s reach cultivates an environment that declares one of the central priorities of your family. In other words, the pursuit of such redemptive virtues as wisdom, truth, and courage through the means of history, theology, and science ought to be at the forefront of our hearts and minds. Besides all this, well-stocked bookshelves are impressive and just really look cool.
6. Take them treasure hunting at library book sales and old book shops.
- For years now, my “double-whammy kryptonite” or self-admitted weakness as a pastor and homeschool dad is the used book sale at the local library. The final day of these regularly scheduled events is typically the bag sale where guys like me can acquire the motherlode of a haul for a fraction of the cost. When you know what you’re looking for it is not tedious like searching for a needle in a haystack, as it were, but rather invigorating. On the other hand, old book shops are a for-profit business, so they tend to know what they have and price their inventory accordingly. Having said that, it is still possible to find some treasures for a good deal but just set yourself a budget. Happy hunting!
7. Ensure that the context of their educational experience utilizes printed books.
- Just as the incarnation of Christ is glorious because God became physically present with mankind in time and space, there is something special about reading printed books grasped in our hands. Reading printed books enhances the glorious wonder of every literary adventure. While there are occasions that warrant digital reading devices, there is nothing quite like the experience of physically holding a printed book in your hands, turning the pages, and enjoying the striking illustrations that further ignite the imagination. Young children should especially be given printed books as their cognitive and neurological development is rapidly expanding along with other things like fine-motor skills and spatial recognition of the early years. Suffice it to say that good old-fashioned printed books are superior to the alternatives and every educational context should resist the trend-setters, fads, and formulas of academic elites and stand with resolute conviction upon the physically printed page.
8. Minimize (if not totally remove) distractions like video games, social media, and video-streaming platforms.
- All that glitters is not gold. In other words, all that attracts the attention is not what one thinks it is, neither is it beneficial but much rather detrimental. The glitz and glam of flashing lights, spectacular images, and stunning instrumentation is perhaps the single greatest factor that is producing a distracted generation with an insatiable lust for amusing entertainment. Pathologies abound in the wake of ubiquitous visual stimulation and parents must therefore resist the pressure to give their children unbridled access to this world that clamors to captivate the heart through the eye-gate and ear-gate of the young (and old). For example, it’s really easy to just give your kid your phone to keep them occupied and out-of-your-hair, but parents must take heed to themselves and not fall prey to this sort of baby-sitter trap that is unwittingly teaching kids to be satisfied with the lesser rather than being led to the greater. Discernment in media consumption is a spiritual discipline that is built upon a comprehensive biblical worldview foundation and children must be trained to pursue this reality from their earliest days through the means of learning how to love reading books. Watch out for the myriads of distractions that abound amidst this secular age.
To be continued…
