How to Encourage Love of Nonfiction In Your Homeschool

I receive oodles of book-related questions and a very common one is, “How do you get your children to read nonfiction?”

It’s a great question, really. Much of what we read to children early on is fiction. Bedtime stories, fairy tales, and lullabies are all composed of fiction. So, how do you make the leap into nonfiction? What if your child doesn’t seem interested? How can you help to make the leap from fairy tales to fun facts?

WHY NONFICTION?

Put simply, reading nonfiction is a life skill. Throughout your child’s schooling and professional life, he or she will encounter a wealth of nonfiction. It’s important to be able to read nonfiction, and read it well. Nonfiction helps us to learn facts, analyze data, complete assignments and tasks, take exams, spark curiosity, and learn about the world around us.

FOLLOW YOUR CHILD’S LEAD

What does your child love? Does she love sports, or dancing, or nature, or music? There is a nonfiction book about that, I guarantee it! By selecting topics your child is already interested in, you’ll have a higher chance for success.

USE A FAVORITE BOOK AS A STARTING POINT

What is your child’s favorite book at the moment? Can you identify a nonfiction element from the story line? Is your daughter obsessed with Iggy Peck, Architect? Why not pick up a biography on Frank Lloyd Wright, and then follow-up with a fun STEM activity? Use the current passion as a jumping off point for additional learning.

OFFER A VARIETY OF NONFICTION IN YOUR HOMESCHOOL

Offer a variety of nonfiction resources- from books to magazines, to newspapers, to atlases, to dictionaries, to encyclopedias. Leave it all out, lying around and something is bound to stick! Strew! Strew! Strew!

PHOTOGRAPHS & ILLUSTRATIONS

To whet your child’s appetite for nonfiction, try to select a book with fantastic illustrations and photographs. Also, make sure those first books have oodles of fantastic photographs and illustrations. Don’t overwhelm your children with text-laden nonfiction in the beginning. Ease them in slowly.

READ IT ALOUD

If your child is already reading independently, why not incorporate nonfiction into your read-aloud routine? It may be less intimidating for your child to start with, and it is sure to fuel some interesting discussions!

DISCUSS THE ELEMENTS OF NONFICTION

As you read with your child, be sure to note the various features of nonfiction so that they will be less mysterious. Talk about the title, table of contents, headings, maps, diagrams, graphs, charts, illustrations, tables, timelines, indexes, and glossaries- discuss it all!

PAIR IT WITH AN ACTIVITY

Encourage your child to try nonfiction and reward him at the same time by following up a reading with a fun activity. Are you learning about the life cycle of the pumpkin? Why not plant your own pumpkin seeds and chart their growth over time? Are you learning about another culture? Why not cook up some of that culture’s favorite cuisine? If you need help coming up with ideas, hop on over to my Pinterest boards because our {Virtual} Family Book Club is always up to something fun!

PAIR IT WITH A MOVIE

What better way to reward your child for trying new things than to have a family movie night! Find a documentary or movie related to the topic of the book and make some popcorn!

 

DON’T STRESS ABOUT IT

I think there are a lot of similarities between feeding your children and reading to your children. Your job, as the parent, is to expose your children to a healthy variety of books and other print, just as you expose them to a wide array of healthy eating choices. You can’t make your children love nonfiction, just as you can’t make him love sweet potatoes, but if you have exposed your child to a lot of great books, something is bound to stick!

Expose your child to all of the genres but don’t fret if your child loves one and loathes another. This is natural. I know adults who can’t stand nonfiction and others who read only true stories. Reading is a personal journey and your job, as the parent, is to grow a reader. Keep reading great books and you’ll do just that!

HERE ARE SOME OF OUR CURRENT FAVORITE NONFICTION BOOKS:

If nonfiction is a new experience for your family, it might be overwhelming to choose a book. Here are some of our current favorites to help you get started.

5000 Amazing Facts: Incredible but True Facts about EVERYTHING (Discovery Kids) *

Seuss has not been able to put this book down since it arrived at our house two weeks ago. This book is beautifully illustrated and super-colorful. It catches kids’ eyes immediately and it is chock-full of facts. From the human body to dinosaurs to space to bugs to quirky animals to transportation … this book covers so many topics. My kids are obsessed with it. Their favorite pages? It would be a three-way tie between the naked mole rat, gross science facts, and the lady with the 3-foot fingernails. Do you want your kids to get interested in nonfiction? Here’s your ticket!

1000 Extreme & Extraordinary Dinosaur Facts (Discovery Kids)*

We just got our hands on this book and, once again, it was love at first sight. I’ve mentioned before that our family has gone through several dinosaur obsessions. Truly, I thought that we owned every book on dinosaurs that is on the market today. Not so! This book, from Discovery Kids, does not disappoint. Featuring colorful and exciting illustrations and fonts, complete with a fun book shape, this book is an eye-catcher jam-packed with dinosaur facts. There’s even a page on dinosaur poo! If you have a dinosaur lover in your home, this book will become an instant classic.

Usborne’s Internet-Linked nonfiction series

One of the many reasons I love Usborne books is that they have an amazing library of nonfiction books. If you are a homeschooler, I can tell you firsthand that Usborne is a fantastic help. There is a reference book for almost any topic you will cover and many of the Usborne non-fiction books are internet-linked to take your learning to the next level.

Maps by Aleksandra Mizielinska and Daniel Mizielinski

This book is gorgeous! Do you want to sneak in some geography in a non-intimidating way? Maps is your answer. From its amazing illustrations to its large size (I don’t know about you guys, but my children love large books. They are fun for little hands!), Maps is engaging from start to finish. And, there is an equally fun activity guide, too! Stay tuned for a fun post I have brewing- I’m planning a map-reading unit study for my map-obsessed crew!

 

The New Way Things Work by David Macaulay

I know, I know, I know… I’m talking about this book again. Folks, it’s that good. Macaulay’s books are fascinating and his illustrations are amazing. I guarantee you’ll sit down to read this book to your child and you’ll come back to it later, once the kids are in bed. This is the book you wish you had when you were little.

 

The Way We Work: Getting to Know the Amazing Human Body by David Macaulay

And, for emphasis, I’m going to mention one more from Macaulay. Do you have a child who is interested in the human body? Our sweet T has been interested in anatomy and bodily functions forever and this is one of her favorite books to pour over. T gives it an enthusiastic two thumbs up.

 

Biographies are a fantastic option, too.

I have pre-ordered this Ordinary People Change the World biography box set. A friend recommended the stories to me and I fell in love, so much so that I’m anxiously awaiting the release of the set this fall.

 

Don’t forget nonfiction magazines!

It’s difficult for us to choose a favorite nonfiction magazine because there are so many fantastic options out there right now. We love Muse, Imagine, Odyssey, Cobblestone, Faces, and Dig, just to name a few!

 

Professor Noggin trivia cards

I simply cannot write a nonfiction post without including one of our favorite games. Who doesn’t love a little trivia?? We love Professor Noggin trivia cards because they come in a variety of topics and they are affordable. Looking to spark some conversation over dinner? We love to pull out these cards and squeeze in a little game-time at dinner!

Parents, it is so important for your children to observe you reading, and genuinely enjoying, great books!

Moms and dads, you didn’t think I’d leave you out, did you? One of the best ways to grow readers it to let your children see you reading and genuinely enjoying fantastic books. Monkey see, monkey do!

I’m giving you permission to put your tootsies up and hunker down with a great book. Do it for your kids! Personally, I can’t choose sides when it comes to fiction or non, but I’ve been enjoying a nonfiction summer. Here is my current favorite.

The Boy Who Played with Fusion by Tom Clynes

If you are the parent of a gifted child, or if you are an educator, or if you love science, or if you just want to read a really fascinating account of a child prodigy, this is the book for you. You won’t be able to put it down!

 

Now, it’s your turn. How do you encourage a love of nonfiction in your home? What are your family’s current nonfiction favorites? Share here!

*Disclosure: I received the Discovery Kids book for free in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions expressed herein are my own and I only recommend the books that our family enjoys. In truth, we enjoyed these books so much that we just purchased them for a friend’s 8th birthday. True story.