“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. Just as I mentioned before, this is 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…
9. Leverage positive peer pressure by intentionally taking them to family discipleship events like a Grace Family Conference or homeschool convention.
- The difference in our lives a year from now will partly be due to the places we go to (and the people we meet there). Suffice it to say that our children need encouragement and perhaps even permission to love reading books. Unfortunately, many kids dislike reading because it is not deemed cool according to their peers whose pressure is debilitating. On the other hand, parents must be deliberate at leveraging positive peer pressure by intentionally bringing their kids to places where their entire family will be encouraged in such things as the redemptive spiritual discipline of reading books. Family discipleship events like a Grace Family Conference coordinated by GFM or a Teach Them Diligently homeschool convention at a venue near you will do more to encourage your children than parents may realize. These things promise to open their eyes to a greater world beyond their experience and a like-minded community that upholds parental influence with a big picture understanding of what is at stake in relation to reading books, the pursuit of learning, and advancing the cause of Christ for the sake of building civilization to the praise of God’s glory.
10. Make time for reading good books right at home and while traveling.
- Every family makes time for what is really important to them. It is a parable of our times that many families are so crazy busy with youth sports leagues that are year-round, music recitals, ballet/dance lessons, and club activities besides any level of church involvement they may have unless, of course, weekend tournaments push aside the Sunday morning Worship Service to the outmoded relic bin of “legalistic fundamentalists” who supposedly do not understand God’s grace. The collateral damage of all this is the health and vitality of the family. Leanness of any semblance of family solidarity, a mediocre caliber of family relationships, and a consistent exhaustion “livin’ the dream” as they are very seldom if ever just at home doing life together. By way of contrast, less is often more when it comes to the family schedule. This is especially true in relation to teaching our kids to love reading books as it means that we must slow down and make time for a good old-fashioned read. Whatever level of activity outside the home is reasonable for your family though, it is recommended that kids learn how to redeem the time and maximize the drive by enjoying good literature en route. All this being said, remember that the generational impact of making time to just be together right at home is more than we can understanding but it really is for God’s and our good.
Here’s some good stuff from “The Warrior Poet Way” by author John Lovell, founder of The Warrior Poet Society. Therein, he affirms that “Revolution Starts at Home” by explaining the following:
“Each night (unless I’m traveling), I read them [my children] a story. Whether it’s illustrated Shakespeare plays abridged for children, one of the Great Illustrated Classics, Greek myths, the Green Ember book series, or the Chronicles of Narnia, we are always getting into some new and imaginary tale.”
“As I read, I do the different character voices, and my wife chimes in with sound effects. Side note to my fellow fathers: read to your kids and don’t wimp out on the voices. This is good fun and constantly causes our kids to fall more and more in love with reading every day.”
“It’s no exaggeration to say that my eight-year-old has read more than most graduating high schoolers. My kids read that much.”
“This is not a new phenomenon we’ve stumbled upon. It’s old knowledge and timeless wisdom. Ever since human beings were able to read, people have understood that accumulating knowledge naturally puts a child at an advantage to his peers. In our family, we’ve created a culture of reading, and it’s paying off in huge dividends. My belief is this will make our children more knowledgeable, sure, but also freer thinkers, less likely to be pushed around by authority figures who don’t have their best interests at heart.”[i]
Parents, purpose before God to intentionally cultivate a “forward-leaning mind” in your kids by giving them the gift of being a life-long learner. By the grace of God, fill their hearts with a devotion to this kind of spiritual discipline through the means of printed literature. Both in the short-term and in the long run, they will reap the benefits as it is for their good and the greater glory of God in and through their lives both now and throughout eternity because of who He is and what He has done. Soli Deo Gloria!
[i] Lovell, J. (2023) The warrior poet way: a guide to living free and dying well. New York, NY: Sentinel.
