How do you get your child to read books?

I remember during childhood how excited I used to be to watch new books and to read them. In school, When I passed out a class and been promoted to the next and been assigned new session books, when I brought those books home, I already used to read a couple of pages out of excitement.

I love reading books even today. Me and my daughter we both read books together for pleasure.

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WHY IS READING IMPORTANT?

Reading is an essential Life Skill. Individuals who do not read well are often limited in their choices in life. Children should be Inculcated the habit of reading at a young age and should read often.

Reading is a way of learning languages which improvise children’s thinking process.

How Can Parents Get Their Children Motivated For Reading?

Reading can be helpful in gathering information and fun too, when done in a decoding method .

Here are some points that might help out:-

1. Monkey See, Monkey Do

• Monkey See, Monkey Do – Children will learn their behavior by copying what they see happening around them.
• So start with yourself because If the parents themselves sit with their gadgets all day, children will soon follow their footsteps.

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2. Read a lot yourself

Read a lot yourself. Let them see you reading for pleasure and for information. Being the example is the best. Practice what you preach.

3. Reading Bedtime Stories

Read them bedtime stories and do reading at a very young age. Reading at young age helps them a lot to discover more around them.

4. Reading Stories from Interesting Books

Read stories for them, from books and they will get hooked. The key is reading books, not tabs or kindle.

5. Involve Yourself

Kids just need parents involvement. If you start reading to them, slowly they will develop interest and will start reading individually.

6. Read out aloud

In your free time sit with a colorful picture book and read out aloud. Keep reading with excitement, laugh in between. So the kids may know how much you enjoy reading and sooner or later the kid will also join you.

7. Make it a playtime

Read with them. Pretend you want to listen to the story. Make it a playtime or activity. 

8. Book reports

Do Book Reports and read them to each other. A book report challenges kids to think and write critically about what they’ve read.

9. Visualize pictures and events

When reading books, talk about the pictures and what’s happening in them. It will stimulating your child’s curiosity in reading.

10. Increase books availability and reach

Have books available in different areas of the house.

11. Pay special attention to their interest

Find reading material that fits a child’s interests, maturity, and reading level. Notice what type of books is your child interested in and buy those books to them and remember investing in books is the best investment.

If it is a girl child, fairy tales are super hit. She may like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Thumbelina, Heidi etc.

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Boys like comics, super heroes and universe, galaxy like Star Trek. They may find it interesting. 

12. Books with Repetitive and predictable text

Try funny or repetitive books, Wonky Donkey, I Want My Hat Back, Dragons Love Tacos, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt etc.

13. Read with expression

Read the books with expressions, so they can learn by copying you. Point to the words too.

14. Put down kindle and pick up a book

  Take them to bookstores and libraries. Show how excited you are about going to the bookshop. Spend time there browsing and show them how appreciative you are of a book.

Take your children to a surprise shopping, pass by their age appropriate book counter and ask them to pick any book

15. Attracting children to books

Let them look and get attracted to the books and then you must make sure that it’s a daily activity for you to read that book for your kids for 15 minutes. Read them every story they want.

16. Parents engagement with kids

Parents should engage with children, enjoy reading a book with them. Allow them to give their opinion. Encourage them.

17. Buy exciting picture books

Buy them colorful picture books. So the kids can easily understand and learn the words quickly.

18. Teach them phonics and CVC words

First teach your child phonics (sounds that letter make).

Buy them interesting phonics books because Once your child knows letters sounds, you can easily begin with CVC words.

WHAT ARE CVC WORDS

CVC words are words created using a consonant, vowel, and a consonant.

Vowels are the letters A, E, I, O and U, while consonants are all the other letters in the alphabet.

 Examples of CVC words: dog, cat, mat, bat, sat, pin, bin.

CVC words are considered the simplest words for emerging readers to decode by blending the three sounds together.

After phonics and CVC, try small words sentences.

19. Build a reading habit

Make it a habit to read a book daily for a few minutes for your child and encourage your kid to read a book with simple sentences. Enthusiasm and encouragement go a long way.

20. Expand kids’ vocabulary

Help them with speech and learning bigger vocabulary. Teach one word at a time. Don’t rush.

21. Act out a story

Try and make it fun for them by acting out the characters with them, using teddies for props or what ever you can find.

22. Shop for children’s books

Start reading Enid Blyton, Amelia Cobb, James Preller, Geronimo Stilton books. Stories of Gods, women freedom fighters or whatever they are interested in reading and listening to.

23. Emotive narration

Reading aloud in emotive animated voice is important to introduce reading as a fun activity to your child.

24. Fun reading games

You can play numerous fun-filled and exciting reading games and do art work related to the story in order to stimulate the interest of reading.

25. Keep them asking questions

Let them ask you plenty of questions

As Helen Keller said “A Well–Educated Mind Will Always Have More Questions Than Answers.”

CONCLUSION:-

Don’t make reading a chore. Just read for fun, anywhere and anytime. Convey the value of reading by your actions.

Hope you may find the post useful. Enjoy reading with your little ones. Play, learn and grow together!!!

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