It’s a well-known maxim: Read to your children when they are younger, and they will learn to reach for a book and read when they get older.  Make reading an important part of your daily routine or bedtime ritual. Read to your child often, and encourage them to have quiet time to look and read books, too. 

I still remember the day my son got his first library card. “I got a card. With one of these I can get one of those!” he announced to the sleepy patrons of our local branch. After brandishing his card triumphantly, he sat down to pick out a book. Check the age policy at your local library, but usually as soon as a child can sign his or her name, they are old enough to get a card and understand how to use it. They learn that knowledge can be shared—they can take out a book, but they also have to bring it back so others can use it.

Try This At Home: Make a book together. If he needs help writing down the words, let your child do the talking while you write down the story. Then staple the pages together and let him illustrate it. Make sure you include a front cover with his name on it so he feels like a real author. You also can invite friends over for an “author’s party,” where everyone can create or read each other’s works of art.