This free on-line course will help you create family reading time in your home to give your child a love of reading. The course is a five-day course, with one lesson per day. All the lessons are provided here, so each day you can log on for the next lesson. If you have questions, email readinginstruction@yahoo.com

Lesson 1: Have a family meeting to pick a time for family reading time

Background information: Children want to be loved. Children want to be accepted. As much as they may act as if they do not need their parents around, it is a facade or act. They love to be loved by their parents. We think they are more interested in television, but that is but a poor substitute for what they really want--love and attention.
Family reading time is a way to provide that love and attention and build their love of reading as a by-product.

Step 1: Have a family discussion about how you would like to schedule a time each week where the whole family can read. Ask them if they prefer that you pick the time or they pick the time. Have the children make a suggestion on which time they would prefer. Decide whether to make it for fifteen minutes, a half-hour, or longer. Set the time and keep to the starting time and finishing time.

Step 2: Ask the children which of the following choices they would prefer:
a) each member of the family reads his or her own book separately;
b) the family reads the same book, but each reads silently on his or her own;
c) the family reads the same book but they take turns reading aloud to each other; or
d) the parent reads the book to the whole family.
(There may be other options on which you all agree.)

Step 3: Discuss how to decide what book to pick if it is agreed that the whole family reads together. For example, you may want to take suggestions on titles, and have the family vote on it; or you may want to have a consensus. If your child has a special interest or hobby, then you may want to make the selection based on that interest.

Step 4: Go out and buy the book, or borrow it from the library, but have it ready for the agreed upon time.

Step 5: Remind the family about the agreed upon time and make sure nothing else is scheduled that would interfere with that time.

Lesson 2: Creating the Atmosphere for Family Reading Time

Background: Children want to be loved. Family reading time should be a time in which children feel safe and loved. Pick a room in which everyone feels comfortable. There should be only positive communication. The parents should have smiles on their faces and loving tones of voices. Avoid shouting, yelling, criticism, or put-downs of any kind during this special time. Find something positive and loving to say to each child. Put your arm around them. Have them sit near you. If they are younger, they can sit in your lap with your arms around them. Make them feel special and important.
It may be a good idea to put the telephone answering machine on during that time. Turn off the television, radios, and computers so there are no distractions. Let the children know it is important for you to spend this time with them. Make sure both parents are involved, as if one does not want to participate, the children can use that as an excuse for also not participating, citing the non-participating parent as an example. If grandparents, or other members of an extended family live with you, have them join in.
It may be hard to believe, but even teenagers want to have close family time, even though they may not show it. 
Remind yourself to be positive and loving throughout this whole family reading time.

Lesson 3: How to Do a Shared Reading

Part of the family reading time should be sharing. There are different ways to do this, depending upon which method you selected for reading together:

Method 1: If you are all reading different books, schedule ten minutes in which you all take turns and share with each other what your book is about, what you like about it, and if it is a book that you would recommend the others read. Give each person a chance to talk without interrupting or criticizing them. Respond to each other's comments positively and with praise. Appreciate each other's point of view.

Method 2: If you are taking turns reading the book, try to read with expression, different tones of voice, and characterization as if acting it out in a movie. Appreciate the way each other reads. The reading can be more interactive if you periodically stop to discuss what was read. Here are some discussion questions:
a) What do you think will happen next?
b) Which character do you like best or identify the most with and why?
c) What would you do if you were the character and why?
d) Have you ever felt like this character before? When?
e) What did you like best about this part of the book?

Remember, there should be no right or wrong answers to the questions so the child does not feel pressure. The questions should ask for opinions so the child will feel safe to answer.

Lesson 4: Follow-up Activities to the Reading

There may be a way to relate the reading to some other family activity that you can enjoy together. Here are some examples:

Activities:

If you are reading about a place, you may want to visit that place if local.

You may want to find out more about the subject by looking it up on the Internet.

If it is about a sport, you may want to plan a time for the family to participate in that sport.

If there is an art project, cooking project, building project, science experiment, etc., mentioned in the book, you may want to work on that together as a family.

After the book is completed, you may want to rent the movie and compare whether the book or movie is better.

Games: You may also want to play some games about the book you read together. Here are some examples:

1) Guess Who? Someone picks a character but does not tell the others who he or she picked. That person gives clues about the character, and the rest of the family has to guess which character it is. The person who guesses correctly gets a point and has the next turn to pick another character.

Pantomimes: Players take turns acting out a character silently and the others have to guess which character it is.

3) Twenty Questions: Someone picks a character but does not tell anyone who it is. The others must ask questions which can only be answered by a "yes" or "no." Questions continue until someone guesses the character correctly.

Children may wish to make up their own games about the reading.

Lesson 5: Feedback

Sometime before the next scheduled family reading time, schedule a time for feedback in which family members can share what they liked about the family reading time. Give the children an opportunity to offer suggestions for improvement. Accept their suggestions lovingly with a smile and do not argue about it. This is a chance for you to make the children feel important and show that their opinions are valued while you are getting information and feedback on how you can make this time more enjoyable for them. Listen carefully to what they say. If they tell you that they would rather do it differently, take their suggestion and try it the way they want. The key is to make each member feel valued, accepted, and loved.