Studies have proved that reading to your child from the early stages has a profound positive effect on your child.
But in this tech savvy era, where gadgets are many, it is not easy to get your child to switch from the play station to a reading corner. Here are a few tips to assist you achieve that:
Practice What You Preach
Kids are the biggest imitators. So let us set an example. Have some free time on hand? Reach for your favourite book, instead of the remote, and you will be surprised to see your little one follow suit.
Gift Your Child A Book
Nowadays with the expensive games and gizmos boom, kids rarely receive books as gifts. Provide a gist of the storyline, and create an atmosphere of intrigue and suspense around the book you are gifting your child. The more enthusiastic you are about the book, the more they will appreciate the book you gift them.
Make It Easily Accessible
Want to inculcate a reading habit in your child? Surround them with books. Keep a box/shelf near their bedside and let them decide the books that go into it. If your child loves princess’ or penguins, present them with enough reading material on these subjects and watch their eager, curious minds polishing off these books in no time.
Enroll Your Child In A Library
Remember the first card you proudly owned as a child, the library card? It’s time to share that enriching experience with your child. Sign them in the neighboring well-stocked library and show them how they can travel to exciting places uses their imagination while reading their favourite books.
E-Books
Reading need not be limited to physical books. Ask your child to go online and search for subjects about which they would like to read. Older kids could also be introduced to the vast e-book collection easily available on the Internet. Depending on the age and interest of the child, let them select their choice of books.
Reading Hour
Set aside a special reading time in your kids’ daily routine. It can be the popular 10-minute before bedtime routine, or the lazy afternoon scheduled time. Reading regularly, ensures a lifetime pattern being set for your kid. Studies have shown that reading regularly to toddlers too helps them grasp the sounds of words easily and faster.
Family Exercise
Reading should never be perceived by kids as chore. Make it a family exercise. Older siblings can read to the younger ones or vice versa. Involving both parents and grandparents results in this becoming a fun and bonding activity. Each family member could enact a character of the book and make it more interesting and exciting.
Being More Imaginative
Get adventurous and carefree. Take your child’s favourite book with you on an outing or a vacation. Sit by your kids’ swimming pool, in their tree house or even in their tent and read to them. Let them select their book and place and leave out judging or correcting their choice.
Introduce Book-Series
Hooking your child to a book series like Dr Suess collection or the Harry Potter series is another way to build up your child’s interest in reading. Better still, start a series simultaneously with your child, and keep a chart to track your progress.
Present a star for each finished chapter and a tangible prize at the end of each book. It could be a trip to an aquarium, if they are reading about some aquatic adventure series, or a visit to the planetarium or a zoo, depending on the book theme.
Evaluation and Feedback
At the end, ask, listen and answer to the queries raised by your children after reading their books. This is a very crucial part of a positive book reading experience. Getting your child’s feedback is important to estimate their understanding about the book and to further foster in them a love for reading.
