One way to support children to develop as readers is to encourage them to regularly read many text types and genres. In this article I will be discussing 3 ways that you can encourage older children to diversify the literature they read.
Firstly, you can take them to your local libraries and allow them to explore. There is something magical about going to a library and looking for a good book. Libraries have expansive collections of books for youth to explore. They are cheap and many libraries have programs that support youth to enjoy reading. Moreover, librarians often have a deep knowledge of literature and can make suggestions of books that your children may enjoy.
Secondly, you can play reading games with your children. It can be stressful to leave your reading comfort zone. Here, reading games are a great way of motivating youth to diversify their reading interests. For example, in Microsoft Word you can make a table and write different genres or text types in each cell. You can then print this and play ‘Reading Bing’ with your kids. You could make it into a competition to see if they can read one text from each category to possibly earn a reward. When they complete it, you can always make another sheet. Such games can add a bit of extra fun to it.
Thirdly, you can possibly be a reading role model by diversifying your own reading interests. Children often look up to us and there is something very powerful about trying to extend our own reading interests with the youth in our lives. Happy reading, I hope that these suggestions were helpful.