Older Children Enjoy Reading Time Too! When your children were young, you probably made an effort to fit in some reading time with your youngster into your busy day. As children begin attending school and the hours of homework and team activities whittle away at the spare hours, reading time becomes one of the causalities. Reading helps a child build vocabulary, critical thinking and cognitive skills. Even preteens can get something out of a few minutes of reading time and there are some books that your preteen will enjoy yet would never choose on his own. Try reading aloud to your older children. The first benefit you'll find is that an older child's listening ability is much higher than his or her reading ability and much greater than younger children. You'll probably spend less time being interrupted by questions or disciplining squirming preschoolers. Second, you can build the idea that reading is fun and not just part of school curriculum. Reading time is a great way to communicate and connect with your children. You may get a few weird looks the first time you announce your new ritual but we're sure after a few pages, your audience will soon enjoy the experience as much as you. So to help you get started, we've assembled some tips to get you started. Pick a time to read. Find a regular time to read as a family. It doesn't have to be a long period of time. Just fifteen minutes will do. You might try a time when your child likes to unwind. Choose your reading material carefully It doesn't always have to be a book. If your son enjoys sports, pick up a Sports Illustrated and read a feature story together. The important thing is to carefully match your child's interest to the reading material you select. Girls tend to like series books and although girls will listen to boy stories, a boy will rarely listen to a girl story. In the case of multiple children, try something gender neutral. Click here for our book suggestions. Choose age appropriate books Your middle school child will think it's crazy enough that you want to read aloud with him so don't validate his assumptions by selecting material childish or beneath his comprehension level. Try to read a chapter at each sitting The sooner you let the book grab your child's attention, the sooner the battle for cooperation will be over for you. Trying to read a chapter at a time will keep interest levels high. Chapters are natural breaks in the sequence of events within a story. It's a good place to stop and pick up again. Reinforce reading with tapes and television. Many books have been made into television movies or can be found on videotape. Once you finish a book, you can make a night of it by having a pizza party while watching the story on the TV. Also see: Suggested Books to Read Aloud to Middle Schoolers and Preteens