An irresistible reading program encourages kids to read at home

Although library programs for children 12 and under were well attended at our four branches, almost half of the participants weren't checking out books. So a few years ago, our chief librarian asked the staff to devise new ways to get parents to read to their kids at home. After a three-year trial, our library formally adopted some best practices. What did we change? Librarians are now required to incorporate formal objectives into each storytime: at least two books must be read aloud; a special activity, game, or craft must be offered; and most importantly, participants are strongly encouraged to take books home.

Parents and children have responded enthusiastically to our new requirements. So much so, that after a recent four-week program for five- to eight-year-olds, the kids collectively read 216 books, and it's common for book displays related to our programs to be completely cleaned out. Here are some ways you can get kids of various ages excited about reading, and hopefully, get similar results to ours.

For our Baby and Me program for four- to 11-month-olds, we encourage reading at home by highlighting a different section of the library each week, such as the board book or parenting collections. We select specific titles for parents to check out by placing them in a basket that gets passed around, and we make sure to point out where to find the books in the library. Some of our most popular board books include Clap Hands (S & S, 1999) by Helen Oxenbury and Pots and Pans (HarperFestival, 1998) by Patricia Hubbell. We always give caregivers specific instructions on how to read aloud to children. For example, while reading Margaret Miller's Peekaboo Baby (Little Simon, 2001) with a baby on your lap, pause after each page to monitor the child's reaction to the images of other infants.

Parents attending our Toddler Tales program are often adjusting to life with an active child. So it's understandable that the process of checking out books will be difficult as they juggle a toddler, stroller, diaper bag, and an armful of books. To help ease their burdens, we always direct these parents to specific age-appropriate titles, such as Peek-a-Moo (Dutton, 1998) by Marie Torres Cimarusti. And as an added incentive, we hold raffles for those who take books home. Tickets are gathered weekly, and at the end of eight weeks one ticket is drawn at random and a prize, donated by a local business or publisher, is awarded.

For those who attend our Time for Twos storytime program, reading at home is already a fun activity as children this age enjoy more complex stories, such as Bear Snores On (S & S, 2002) by Karma Wilson. We encourage parents to borrow books by playing a game involving a dog named Rufus, who is displayed on the wall of the library's children's room. Each time a book is read at home, the child's name and the book's title are written on circles made out of colored paper, which are then used to cover the dog with spots.

The four- and five-year-olds who attend our Story Corner program have big imaginations, so reading incentives need to be more dynamic. Try hanging a large picture of an empty aquarium in your library. Once a child reads a book, give him a fish cut-out to add to the tank, making sure to change the type of fish each week. Children enjoy filling the aquarium and are excited to see the variety of colorful fish. Kids this age are also encouraged to participate in show-and-tell by sharing their favorite books with each other.

Children five and older need more encouragement to read at home, since independent reading can sometimes feel more like work than fun. These kids can overcome this hurdle by participating in games that include at-home reading. During a four-week after-school program for nine- to 12-year-olds called the Great Canadian Race, children played a trivia game about travel destinations in which library books were used to find answers. The kids also read books at home as a way to accumulate "kilometers" to get to their next destination.

In a recent survey of 483 parents and caregivers, 98 percent say they now read at home with their children. We've seen a significant change, and you can, too.