February 25, 2025 | Special Events
How to Create a Lifelong Reader
What makes a child into a lifelong reader?
It could be a favorite bedtime story that sparks the imagination. Or maybe it’s getting hooked on a book series. It could even be seeing wide receiver A.J. Brown thumbing through a paperback on the sidelines of an Eagles post-season game.
But usually, according to the Scholastic Kids and Family Reading Report, a lifelong reader is born when they have a parent or guardian who believes reading is important. It’s as simple as that.
The annual PCS Read-A-Thon presents a perfect opportunity for parents to demonstrate the importance of reading. While we’re raising money for our school and boosting our students’ reading levels through a fun and intensive challenge, we’re also modeling that we believe reading is an integral part of a well-lived life.
So how can parents best use this special opportunity to focus on reading at home?
First, we can support our children directly by providing plenty of books for the Read-A-Thon, encouraging them to meet — or surpass! — their reading goals, and talking with them about what they’re reading.
If you’re feeling especially motivated this year, you can take your support a step further by participating in your own reading challenge. Commit to using the 12 days of the Read-A-Thon to pick up that book that’s been languishing on your shelf. Or sit with your child and read while they’re racking up their Read-A-Thon minutes. Maybe read the same book as your child, and hold a mini-book club when you’ve finished.
You might find this motivates you to take your own reading challenge further.
People have used year-long reading projects to tackle War and Peace one chapter a day or to read the Bible. This year, to celebrate Jane Austen’s 250th birthday, I’m reading six of her novels and discussing the books via Zoom with a small group of international women.
How will you use the Read-A-Thon to support your child and promote the importance of reading? Share your ideas and experiences in the PCS Parents Google Group or your class WhatsApp thread. Happy reading!
