Today's post is by Stevie Lemons, Momentous School Librarian

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There’s one thing parents and caregivers need to know about raising children who love to read.

If you want a kid to be a reader, you have to model reading.

It’s that simple. This is true for all children, but is especially important for boys, who often see dads and male role models reading less than moms and female role models.

I consider reading to include reading books, the newspaper, or articles in print or online. However, often we are reading on our phones and a child sitting in the same room has no idea whether we’re scrolling social media, watching videos, playing games, or reading. On top of that, let’s face it, we’re all reading less. I’m a librarian and I love reading, and I’m spending less time reading books and more time on devices. We all are.

Here are three easy ways to model reading for children.

1. Announce when you’re reading.

This can be as simple as announcing, “I am reading this article about...” Or, “I’m going to sit here and read for a bit.”

2. Develop reading time.

When you were a kid, you may have done something like “drop everything and read” time in school. Why not do that at home? You can set a time of day and make it family drop everything and read time, where not just the kids read, but the adults do, too.

3. Do a reading challenge.

Summer is a great time for library reading challenges. But these aren’t just for kids! Check your local library for adult reading programs, and when your kids join a reading challenge, you can join along in your own.

Remember, model, model, model. The more kids see adults read, the more likely they are to become readers.