Why the holidays are the perfect time for kids to read, and how families can make it fun together

With schools out for winter break, San Diego literacy experts say the time away from school and with family is an ideal time for children to build a strong foundation for lifelong reading habits.

The key is getting kids motivated, and experts consulted by The San Diego Union-Tribune shared tips for fun, engaging ways families can do that with readers of all ages.

It can be especially motivating for younger children to spend time reading with grandparents, neighbors or older siblings and cousins, says Allison Ohle, the executive director of the Diamond Educational Excellence Partnership, a program by community groups to improve outcomes for public school students in southeastern San Diego.

“If reading is a family activity, and it’s something that happens on the laps of people who love you,” she said, “you build a positive association with the habit and the activity of reading.”

Reading also creates topics for conversation within your family, and helps young readers build empathy by discussing the motivations of characters in books.

“You’re talking about what’s happening in the stories,” Ohle added. “You’re talking about people’s feelings in the stories.”

It also offers parents and other relatives the chance to give children targeted support in areas they’re struggling, whether that’s in reading — like comprehension or sounding out words ...