While I hope our hand-stitched bookmarks encourage kids to read, I think the very best way to improve literacy and make kids lifelong readers is to teach them to enjoy reading. After all, what motivates us to read? We think it’s fun!

Learning to read, however, can be challenging. As something that is taught in school, reading can seem like work–something to avoid outside of school. Helping kids find pleasure and joy in reading outside school so that it becomes a leisure activity goes a long way toward improving literacy.

Kayak-canoeing through rocks can be challenging, too.

So how do you do it? How do you help kids discover that reading is fun?

Jen Robinson posed this question to kidlit bloggers, including parents, teachers, and authors, and received an assortment of ideas based on real-life experience. Jen compiled the ideas into a single blog post that provides useful, concrete suggestions for helping kids experience the joy of reading.

If you’re looking to share the joy of reading with your kids, grandkids, neighbor kids, or friends, I think you’ll find Jen’s Helping Kids Learn to Enjoy Reading post helpful.