It's hard to fit reading into a busy family schedule. With the tips listed below, it can become a treasured time in your daily routine. Incorporate these ideas into your child's reading assignments and rotate them to keep it fresh and fun.

1. Suspenseful Parent Read Aloud
This is a great way to introduce your favorites, classics or stories that your child is interested in, but doesn't have the ability to read independently. Ex. Your child wants to read Harry Potter, but is in third grade and you know the book is too hard. It's a perfect choice to read aloud. To make your read aloud suspenseful, stop reading when the plot thickens! Your child will be eager to pick up where you left off the following night.

2. Let Your Child Choose
It's important to find books that match your child's interest. Is your child interested in fairy tales, princesses, superheroes, animals, magic, or poetry? If a fascination with Captain Underpants leads to reading, then so be it.

3. Introduce Other Reading Material
It is okay to introduce age-appropriate magazines, comic books and silly stories into your child's reading repertoire. Choose one day during the week when your child is allowed to read alternative material.

4. Listen To Books on Tape or CD
Find some great stories from your library that have a book on tape or CD. Your child reaps the benefit of a read aloud!

5. The Movies?
Yes! Relate a book, that your child read, to a movie. Compare and contrast how they are alike and different.

6. Rewrite a Book Together
Is there a book your child really liked or disliked? Rewrite it together, making the character and story events your own. Complete it with your child's illustrations, title and dedication page. There are some computer programs designed for projects like this and companies that will print a copy for you. It will be a treasured keepsake for both of you.

7. Child Read Aloud
Your child should read aloud to practice reading and comprehension skills. These books should be carefully selected for the appropriate reading level in order to avoid frustration. Your child's reading buddy can be you, a grandparent, cousin, friend, or sibling. Your child will love showing off skills to adoring friends and family!

8. Play Reading Games
Playing quick reading games after a read aloud can be fun and boost skills. Ex. Sight Word Search: If you know that your child is working on the word 'and', hunt for the word and count how many were found. Other searches could include punctuation, compound words, verbs, nouns, etc.

9. Read Aloud Together
Chant a rhyming or repetitive story together or, begin reading a sentence and allow your child to complete it. These techniques work best with a story familiar to your child.

10. Don't read... yet!
Walk through the illustrations of a picture book together. While looking at the pictures, discuss 'Who could the story be about?', 'Where does it take place?', 'What do you think happens?'. Find out how close your guesses were when you finally read the story.

Sharing the joy of reading will be a fond memory of quiet time spent together. Instilling the love of reading is a lifetime gift to your child. Books open up a world of imagination and possibilities!

Julie Rebboah has been an elementary educator and tutor over the past ten years. She founded Lightning Bug Learning Corp. to provide grade-level, correlating literacy materials for both parents and teachers. Lightning Bug Learning creates high quality, American-made, books, reproducible books, flash cards and literacy games. They can be found on the Lightning Bug Learning website and Amazon.com. http://www.lightningbuglearning.com/