This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BreakfastAndRead #CollectiveBias
I learned the importance of literacy and learning from my parents. While my sister and I were growing up, my parents were always reading to us, providing us with reading materials, and encouraging us to problem solve and learn every single day. Now that I am a mother, I have continued the same traditions with my daughter as well. From reading to her every single day, to finding small ways to teach her everywhere we go, there are lots of ways that I encourage her early love of reading and learning.

Standard Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission from purchases you make through the links in this post.

An Early Love of Reading

My plans for raising a bookworm started the same way that my parents started – by reading to my daughter on her first night home from the hospital. I even read her the same book that they read to me. Reading before bed was a tradition in our house and now it is a tradition for my daughter as well. In addition to reading together every night, I also encourage her love of reading by ensuring that there are reading materials all around the house. She has a special reading corner in her room, as well as boxes of books in each room of the house. By surrounding her with lots of fun books and cozy places to read together, it has encouraged her to enjoy reading on her own.

My parents also made books an exciting part of our lives. Trips to the bookstore were often a special tradition for us. We would go before any big trip, or after a good report card from school. Books were seen as a special treat, and my sister and I still feel that way. I have tried to continue these traditions with my daughter as well. I take her to the bookstore on her birthday, and she earns new books for good behavior or meeting goals. Instead of asking me for toys and games, she asks for more books in her favorite series. I love that her love of reading is already taking shape.

Learning on the Go

There are learning opportunities all around us. My parents were always finding ways to encourage us to learn while we were out and about, and I do the same with my daughter, oftentimes without her even realizing it. She didn’t sleep through the night until she was about 2, so I spent many late nights rocking her back to sleep. To keep myself occupied, I would sing songs. Sometimes I would test myself with my knowledge of other languages and would count or recite the alphabet in different languages. Color me shocked when my daughter eventually picked some of these languages up!  This experience reinforced the idea that kids are sponges, and they are learning all the time!

One of her favorite games to play is one that my mother used with us growing up. When we are on our way home from somewhere, I will ask her to direct me home. This not only encourages her to recognize her surroundings, but it also gives us an opportunity to practice directions such as “left” and “right”. She thinks it is a lot of fun, and she doesn’t even realize the lessons that she is getting from it.

Another way that we learn on the go is shopping. Stores offer a wealth of learning opportunities for kids of all ages. Whenever we are in a store, I encourage my daughter to recognize colors, letters and words in the packaging around us. As she gets older, I will use our shopping trips to review math skills with her as well.

Working on Important Skills

I try to find fun ways to practice important skills with her. Previously I wrote about using developmental charts to focus my parenting, and this led me to the conclusion that I wanted to work on fine motor skills and pre-writing with her. I decided to start a journaling routine with her every morning, and it has really helped her to make small strides.

With a simple notebook, a box of markers, and a pack of stickers, we have found an easy and enjoyable way to connect and learn every morning. Every day I set up a simple page for her and we complete it over breakfast. Some days I set a plan, such as reviewing numbers or the letters of her name. Other days, she inspires an idea, like the morning that she was watching the rabbit outside our window and decided to draw a bunny. This simple routine has helped her to work on important skills while also having fun!

Get New Books with Kellogg’s and Scholastic!

Much like her mother, my daughter always has a book nearby. Whether we are traveling in the car, walking with the wagon, or playing outside, there are always books with us. So, I was thrilled when I learned about the Free Book Program that Kellogg’s® and Scholastic Books are offering this year!

Kellogg’s and Scholastic Books are teaming up to get more books into the hands of kids. For every participating Kellogg’s product you purchase, you can earn a free book from Scholastic! Both of these companies recognize how valuable literacy is and how important it is to provide quality books to kids. When you redeem your free book credit, you are given the option to keep your free book or donate it to a local school, giving even more children the opportunity to read and learn!

There are a wide variety of products available for the promotion, many of which are family favorites for those back to school breakfasts and lunches. These include Cheez-Its, Nutri-Grain, Pop-Tarts, Frosted Flakes, and more! Check out the full list of participating products here.

It is so easy to redeem your free book on FeedingReading.com!

We swung by our local Target store to purchase some of these products and earn our free books. The multi-pack products offer a great option for snacking on the go, which is perfect for my mobile reader. Once we purchased our products, it was really easy to complete the process and redeem our free book credits. I was thrilled with the selection of books available. My daughter was very excited to earn a new Clifford book, since he is currently one of her favorites!

In order to earn your free books, buy any participating Kellogg’s products before 9/30/18 and take a picture of your receipt with the qualifying purchases. Log in to the Kellogg’s Family Rewards site and upload your receipt. Make sure you submit your receipts separately within 30 days of purchase. You will then receive your credit to redeem for a book of your choice to keep or to donate. There is a limit of 10 books per participant, and you must redeem your credits by 12/18/18.

How does your family encourage an early love of reading and learning? Share in the comments below!

More Posts You May Enjoy: