8 infallible tricks for your child to love reading
Encouraging your child’s love of reading is a great favor you can do for him and the whole society. In addition to stimulating undisputed mental development, reading improves all cognitive and understanding functions, critical sense, imagination, originality and logic.
A Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Neuroscience opines that reading encourages children to convert words into ideas, develops creativity, language (both oral and written), stimulates self-awareness and The empathy. It improves interpersonal relationships, provides emotional experiences, stimulates reasoning, imagination and curiosity, and interest in different worlds and things.
Unlike television, a book does not offer all the images of scenarios, actions, characters, etc. Hence, it can not be replaced by a drawing or film, or it would lose its ability to excite creativity.
Parent influence is always the best way to make a child like something. Allied, of course, to the encouragement of the school and relatives, parents who show real interest in reading and pass on their children the pleasure of this activity will be more successful in the project.
When you see parents enjoying and appreciating reading, the child will surely be interested too.
The benefits of reading for children are many and for a lifetime. Many parents want to arouse a taste for reading in their children, however, most of the time, they seek to do so through obligation, making it uninteresting and boring for the child. So, the first tip is: do not try to force it, seek to captivate it and conquer it to the world of reading.
With so many fun options, especially the electronic ones that draw the children’s attention, developing in your child the passion for reading will depend initially on you, who should make the necessary move to open the world of books to your little one.
In the day-to-day running, sometimes we allow ourselves to let our children have fun with cell phones, computers or the television, so we gain more time, this is normal. But this routine should not be long and it will be necessary that you and the other people who live with the child have the patience to take the time to read along with it.
As for children, fun is what matters most at all times, choosing and reading books should be a very enjoyable activity. When the storytelling is combined with other playful activities such as music, games, fantastic narration, anything else that makes reading more exciting, the practice will be more enjoyable and attractive to the little ones.
The interest in books should not be encouraged only when the child learns to read, but rather long before, with the help of books with only figures and their participation, of course. For very young children, give preference to books with little text and very simple language, to prevent the child from losing concentration in large detailed texts.
8 tricks to encourage your kids to love reading
1. Read books with him
Create a reading moment at home. It may be before bed or after breakfast – the important thing is that it is a quiet time, in which you can read without haste or interruptions. Show interest in the story, ask your child to tell you what happens in the picture, or take dramatized readings.
It’s all about making the moment fun and interesting for your child, while increasing and reinforcing your family ties.
2. Take the child to libraries, bookstores and literary gatherings
The perception that there is ample and entertaining space devoted entirely to books can make children see the importance of them in another way. Take him to the children’s session and let him flip through and discover the book that interests him most.
You can open a card in some library and insert into the routine those moments aimed at reading, choosing, returning or buying books. Enjoy and bring a book to you as well – your child will be very proud to have the same responsibility as the parents.
3. Create a reading space at home
Something very positive is, as you buy appropriate books and your child’s interest, to leave them in a place of the house with easy access, so that the Child can pick them up spontaneously and whenever they wish.
Book a space in the child’s exclusive bedroom for reading, it may be a low shelf or a closet space. Let the books be visible and easy to reach, so the child does not have to ask you to pick them up when you are interested. You can also put a lamp and an exclusive armchair for reading if you have space conditions.
Books borrowed from libraries or school require greater care with preservation. But if the book is from your child, let him flip it freely, just reminding you to handle it carefully.
4. Attention for the indication of age group
Look for books specific to your child’s age. Kids who love books will love to win anyone who has pictures. But books that are too advanced or too late for your child’s level can leave the activity bland, clumsy or tiresome. The age indication of a book takes into account the amount of texts, images and interactions. Respecting the recommended age range, the easier the chance of success.
5. Choose themes that please you
It is always good that we offer different subjects for the reading of our children. This helps to insert other views and open the range of themes.
But in an initial moment of insertion of the reading in the life of the child, the ideal itself is to limit itself to the subjects that interest him. This way you will avoid the possibility of him getting bored of the story.
6. Write your own book
Create an exclusive book with your child. You can invent the plot, then think about the type of narrative, and divide the story into parts that can receive images drawn by your child.
After the story is complete, create a beautiful cover and show the work to family and friends. A sense of accomplishment can help you love and respect books.
7. Ask questions after reading
A short discussion after reading a book will make your child interiorize even more the story and the events. Ask questions such as “Which part did you like best?” Or “Do you think what the character did?”. This will stimulate your child’s understanding and learning.
8. Let the child be the storyteller
Ask the child to tell you stories. It could be from a book you just read or just an imaginary story for children who are not yet literate. Creativity will surface, as will the power of narrative.
Usually you do not have to stay forever having to influence your child by reading. A good job early on in this sense can create in your child a pleasure and affection for the books that he will carry throughout his life, without anyone having to take him by the arms to the front of a bookstore.
The time for this process will depend on each family, but once well done, it can last for many years without you having to make big efforts.
Follow us on Facebook – Dailyfamily.ng, Twitter – @DailyfamilyNG and Instagram @dailyfamilyng for more updates.