7 tips for nurturing a budding book worm

We have been in the used book store for more than an hour. Since my son has started reading on his own, picking out new books has become a MUCH more serious task than it used to be. I normally let him move at his own pace in the bookstore, but it is past lunch time, and I am pretty convinced he will sit on the floor all day and read every book he can if I let him.

I'm so proud of him.

Here are the reading habits we've instilled to create a book lover:

1. Lead by example. My husband and I both read a lot and our house is filled with books.
2. Read early and often. We've read books to our son since he was a baby. And we have read to him every night at bedtime since then.
3. Read above his reading level. I happily read him stories that are at least one reading level beyond what he is able to read himself. The plots are more interesting to him and this helps build his vocabulary since we pause often to review any words he may not know and check to make sure he understands what is going on.
4. Let him read to you at his own pace. At first he wanted to read the same stories to me over and over again, but I was fine with that since it built up his confidence. Now he reads one book to me every night and he chooses a different one every time.
5. His books; his decisions. He decides which books we read at night, and when it comes to purging, he decides which ones stay on his shelf and the ones he is ready to turn into the book store for credit.
6. Praise often. When I catch him in his room reading to himself, I can't praise him enough.
7. Encourage storytelling. I encourage my son to tell me stories that he makes up. This is everything from fanciful stories at dinner to pretending to be super heroes on the car ride into work. I love to throw plot twists into the stories we tell together, as it gives him an appreciation for more complex stories in books.

Most of us know by now that reading bedtime stories helps boost brain development in our little ones. What tips do you have to nurture a budding book worm? Share them with me in the comments.