The Verandahs at Hunt Club offers the option of a Garden style apartment or townhome in the A-rated school district of Seminole County making it a great option to start the journey of your child's education.
Reading is an essential part of your child's education, and you may wonder how best to encourage your kids to read at your Orlando apartment. We put together some ideas below that you can try together at your home. No matter your child's age or where they are in the journey of reading and education, we hope this helps.
SET UP YOUR SPACE
Some parents feel limited by the amount of space in their home no matter the size, it may feel like you never have enough space especially with kids. You can set up your space to encourage reading in simple ways without taking up a lot of space, whether you live in a 2 bedroom or 4 bedroom apartment. If you have an extra unused corner, maybe add a beanbag, special teepee tent, or relaxing chair that your child would like to retreat to every day to unwind and read a book. Perhaps a bookshelf in the rooms to display your child's favorite books and maybe switch them out occasionally to keep them fresh and exciting. Baskets of books around the house are also an easy and space-saving idea to keep books in front of your child. Maybe near the couch, in the bathroom, near the door that leads out to the balcony or patio, wherever you find your child may notice them and be interested in reading.
PROVIDING ACCESS TO BOOKS
The easiest way to provide access to books to your child is through the Orange County Public Library. Your child can pick out books they are interested in reading or about characters they enjoy. Check with your librarian for book suggestions or see if you can attend a story time or another event at your library with your child. If you are looking to purchase books, any used book store or Scholastic is an excellent place to check out where you can buy a variety of books at your child's reading level at a reasonable price. Your child may also qualify for a free monthly book through Florida's free literacy program, New Worlds Reading. The reading program also offers many great tips on their website, webinars, and a scholarship if your child is struggling with reading.
LEARNING APPS
Let's face it, children have access to so much technology now, and we don't need to fight it. We can use this technology to encourage reading through learning apps. There are so many options for every stage of learning from ABCMouse.com, Teach Your Monster or downloading ebooks from Amazon or your library. The options for learning are endless and can be so much fun, where the child is not even thinking about reading but just playing a game.
GIVE REWARDS
If your child needs encouragement maybe create a reward system in your Orlando townhome or apartment. If they read for twenty minutes, they can get twenty minutes of tv or video game time. If they read a little every day, they can choose a fun special event to do as a family over the weekend. Whatever works for your family and lessens the struggle, and eventually helps make reading fun.
YEAR ROUND LEARNING
Just because the school year ends, the learning and reading doesn't have to end. In the past the library has offered reading programs during the summer break or ask your school for a summer reading lists. Pizza Hut has expanded their book it programs to Camp Book It!, a summer camp option for families. They offer free resources to help beat the summer slide and get the kids reading all summer long. Check out the Fun 4 Orlando Kids Academic Summer Camp section for fun summer and educational camps. Or if you notice any struggles with reading maybe your family could benefit from a reading tutor and school breaks makes the perfect time for extra help.
READ, READ, READ
Last is to read, read and read some more. Spend a few minutes a day snuggled together, reading a favorite book together, reading to your child at bedtime, or even sitting together reading your own book. Your child seeing you enjoying reading goes a long way, and spending that time together is priceless and much needed in our busy schedules. We hope the above suggestions help to encourage your child to become a lifelong reader, all starting at your apartment in the Orlando area.