Searching for Sanity by Lindsey Bell
Have you ever looked at your beloved children and wondered, what in the world am I doing? Why did God trust me—of all people—to raise them?
Motherhood is the most difficult job many of us will ever take. Searching for Sanity offers moms an opportunity to take a breath, dig into the Word, and learn from parents of the past. In short devotions designed for busy moms, this book uses the parents of the Bible—both the good and the bad—to inspire today’s mothers.
Lindsey Bell is the author of Searching for Sanity, a new parenting devotional. She’s also a stay-at-home mother of two, minister’s wife, avid reader, and chocolate lover. You can learn more about Lindsey and her writing on her website: www.lindseymbell.com.
8 Ways to Encourage
Your Kids to Read
I have one child who loves to read. He will literally sit on my lap for an hour
reading a chapter book (and he’s only five years old)!
I have another child, though, who will sit on my lap and read for about … thirty
seconds. Granted, he’s only two years
old, so maybe he’ll enjoy reading more once he’s older. At least that’s what I
hope.
Here are a few
things we have done in our home to encourage reading:
1. Start early.
We
read to our kids from the moment they are home from the hospital. At first, the
books are short, but as our kids grow, so does the length of our books. One
great way to incorporate reading into your day is to read every night before bed.
Incorporate a book into your nightly routine. That way it won’t get squeezed
out in the busyness of the day.
2. Make it fun.
As
you read, use fun voices with different characters. When I read the Bible story
of David and Goliath to my boys, I always give Goliath a very deep and angry
voice. My boys love it!
3. Choose books
they enjoy.
Or
better yet…allow them to choose the books they read. I know it’s not always fun
to read about tractors and tires. Believe me…the books we read would certainly
not be the ones I choose for myself. But my sons love them, so I read them.
4. Do more than
just read.
After
you’ve finished a story, act it out or do a craft project that goes along with
it. For instance, after you read The Very
Hungry Caterpillar, go on a hunt for caterpillars or butterflies. Talk
about the stories, and ask questions as you read.
5. Build a reading
nook.
Using
blankets and pillows, make your very own reading fort. Read by flashlight if
your eyes can handle it.
6. Get involved at
your local library.
During
the summer, most libraries have summer reading programs that offer rewards to
your children for reading. There’s nothing like the promise of an ice cream
cone or new toy to get a less-than-enthusiastic reader more excited. My local
library has a summer reading program but also does story hour throughout the
year. There are no prizes at story hour, but there are snacks and crafts
(something my sons love).
7. Create your very
own book club.
Connect
with other parents at church or in your network of friends and develop your own
book club or reading program to do with your children.
8. Set a good
example.
If
your child sees you reading, he or she will probably follow in your footsteps
and enjoy reading as well.
Let’s Talk: What other ways do
you encourage reading in your children? Leave a comment to be entered to win a
gift card from Lindsey for her blog tour contest!
This
post is part of a Lindsey’s blog tour for Searching for Sanity, her
new parenting devotional. You can read other posts in this tour by going to her
blog: www.lindsey-bell.com.
