Are you aware that there is a crisis in the American educational arena today? That the children living in the country of the world’s greatest superpower are no longer the brightest and best educated children! In fact, colleges are crying out for help because the average college freshman doesn’t have the reading comprehension to read an assignment, contribute to a class discussion, and certainly can’t write a college term paper.

What can we do? Educators of all grades are turning away from the high-tech gadgets today’s kids spend countless hours on and toward an old forgotten favorite; books. But some say that their children are not interested in reading, that they do not enjoy or like to read. Here are 10 different ways to help your child love reading.

1. Set the example for the reading. Let your child watch you read a variety of different items, from the mail to the newspaper to books. Be willing to share from your reading, there is a story in the newspaper that will affect his community, a fun section of his book. The dining room table is a great place for everyone to share some of what they are reading.

2. Read aloud to your child every day. Immerse yourself in the story, use different voices for the characters, be as silly as possible. Lower your voice on the soft parts of the story, then turn it up for the exciting moments. Reading isn’t just for bedtime; make a tent in the living room and snuggle up with blankets and pillows. Or enjoy a story outside on the back porch. That’s the beauty of books, they can go anywhere.

3. Take a weekly trip to the library. There is usually a story hour at the library and sharing a story with others is always fun. For older children, ask them to join a book club or start one if there isn’t one. Be sure to check out some books before you leave the library! Make some of the books fun and age level also get some books that will challenge your child’s thinking and imagination. Different topics in different areas; stories, science, history. Open up different areas for your child to see and explore.

4. Ask questions when you finish reading. What was your son’s favorite part of the story, what was his favorite character? How would you like the story to have ended?

5. Let your child follow his interests in his reading material. Do you love horses? Are they in World War I? What a great way for them to learn and enjoy their favorite subject. And do not worry; their interests usually change before they run out of books on that subject. Especially, if there are new themes available for them to look at.

6. Give away books. This is the perfect time to invest money in good hardcover books from a favorite author or series. To end the series the child knows or to introduce a new author, ask the child. What a perfect time to build a well-stocked library in your home. A child cannot pick up a book and enjoy a few quiet minutes if he does not have books at home.

7. Take time to read. Turn off the TV, limit the computer. Have a “20 minute read-a-thon.” Have fun in a reading contest; whoever reads the most pages in a given amount of time wins a fun prize (maybe a trip to a bookstore!) There are reading contests through businesses where the child can win a free prize. Pizza Hut offers a free personal pizza, Dairy Queen, a free ice cream cone. Ask local businesses about the contests they run, or just keep creating your own.

8. Have your child create his own book. They can print the story, illustrate it. Write an article about the author. Laminate it, make a special cover. Share books at the dinner table.

9. Teach your child to respect books. Books are our friends, we must teach the child not to mark the pages or tear them. Books are not made to be thrown on the floor; there is a correct way to put a book on the book shelf. That way, the book will last longer and can be read later by others.

10. De-stressing! After an afternoon of reading stories from a long, long time ago in lands far, far away with your son. Who couldn’t love a stress-free adventure for both you and your child?