We are all aware that today, most children are much more interested in watching television for hours, playing video games all night, and gossiping on the Internet than reading.
According to recent figures from the US Department of Education, children spend an average of four to six hours a day watching television or movies; And that’s before the coronavirus pandemic.
Children who read have been shown time and again to achieve.
They are doing better in school and in life.
“Once you learn to read, you will be free forever.” -Frederick Douglass
Children who read tend to score higher on tests and exams more often than their peers who read less often. However, getting children to simply open a book can sometimes be very difficult for parents and teachers alike.
Keep this in mind, it is never too early to get your child down the road to reading.
The US Department of Education recommends that parents begin reading to their baby when he is six months old. The reason is that hearing words over and over, over and over again, helps them become familiar with those words.
Reading to your baby is one of the best ways to help him learn.
You can start by simply spending time talking with your baby and toddler, helping them develop the vocabulary they will need to enter school and start reading.
And in due course, as you point to and name the objects around them, they will begin to understand and associate the words with the objects. Before long, they will eventually start adding those words to their vocabulary.
If, after a while, after a few years, you come to the conclusion that your child shows little or no interest in reading, relax, there is hope.
“There are many little ways to enlarge your world. The love of books is the best of all.” -Jaqueline Kennedy
Sometimes parents have to be creative and be a little crafty. You can still turn your reluctant child into a reader.
The following 10 tips can help parents get their stubborn kids to read all year long:
1. Bring words to life
When reading to children, choose a book that has large print. Point to each word as you read it. In this way, your child will recognize and understand that the word that is spoken is the word that he sees.
And to add to that, did you know that a child’s love of reading can grow when words come to life? After reading, go out and share that experience as a family.
This can create a deeper family bond and has the added power of putting words in visual context.
What do i mean?
If you are reading a book about bunnies to your child, go to a pet store. Let your child see the rabbits, recite a few words from the book while pointing to the rabbits.
This creates a powerful combination; the child can relate to what he is hearing and seeing; make reading as fun as possible.
2. Read to open a long-term dialogue
One of the best things you can do to make sure your child grows up reading well and loving to read is to read to him every day.
As we said earlier, reading together will create a special and strong bond between the two of you.
And this has a very important additional benefit that will help open the doors to a dialogue that will continue through the most difficult years of adolescence.
The US Department of Education suggests that when parents read to children, it is important that they take the time to talk about new words.
Take the time to explain what each new word means and do your best to include as many sensory methods as you can; sight, hearing, touch.
“Today a reader tomorrow a leader.” -Margaret Fuller
3. Listen to your child
When parents spend time talking and reading with children, they should also take the time to listen to their children.
This will help your children prepare to read faster.
When reading and talking with your child, use sounds, gestures, songs, and even words that rhyme to help your child learn about language and its many uses. Inspire your child to do the same and be on the lookout for them.
This is essential.
There is nothing worse than a child who feels like he is being ignored.
When you go out to the grocery store with your child, practice pointing to the words printed there; You can point to a fruit and ask your child what that fruit is and ask him to spell it and talk about it for a minute.
4. Never leave home without it
Take some books with you wherever you go. You never know when your child is excited to read, and when he does, cherish the moment and make the most of it.
Of course, this can also be beneficial at times when you don’t want to be disturbed, so handing your child a book provides fun activities for entertainment and keeps him busy while you’re driving, chatting with friends, or doing errands.
5. Keep books close at hand
In addition to creating a quiet and special place in your home for your child to read, write, and draw, be sure to keep books and all other reading materials within reach of your child.
Perhaps you can provide your child with his or her own small bookcase or bookcase. This will not only make them feel special, but it will also communicate that the reading is special.
An added bonus could be finding a book on your shelf to read in front of the child. In this way the child can see that you are reading too, and this will make him realize that reading is important.
“So please oh PLEASE we beg you, we pray, throw away your TV and instead you can install a beautiful bookshelf on the wall.” -Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
6. Read your favorite book over and over again
Get in the habit of recognizing your child’s favorite books and reading them over and over again. Repetition has the power to push words deeper and deeper into the child’s mind.
Also, you can think of ways to make it more fun each time you read your favorite book.
Be creative.
Over and over, read the stories that have rhyming words and repeating lines, and have your child join in the fun.
7. Provide encouragement
Parents play a crucial role in reading to children, and this greatly affects the child’s education. Children whose parents encourage them to read are more likely to read many more books than those parents let them read.
Encourage your child to read as often as possible, without putting pressure on him, as this can discourage him from reading. Reading to children requires tactical persuasion, and getting children to read on their own requires creative encouragement.
“Reading without reflection is like eating without digesting”. -Edmund Burke
8. The early bedtime trick
This is an excellent persuasion method that many successful parents have used to read to children in the past. Set your child’s bedtime to be 30 minutes before the lights go out.
Give them time to do all their homework before going to bed; like brushing teeth, putting on pajamas, saying goodbye to others, going to the bathroom, etc.
With this done, let them jump happily into bed, and then open their favorite book, or the book of their choice, and read them.
This should be done before the official lights go out before bed.
After that, just smile and say, “Now it’s time to go to bed. Would you like to turn off the lights or would you like to stay up and read some more?”
Most of the time, unless the child is particularly tired, he will choose to read a little longer. So they think it’s their idea (powerful, huh!).
Let your child choose the book he likes to read until the time comes when he kisses him, says good night, and turns off the lights.
9. Summer reading temptation
Whenever possible, join a local summer reading club at your local library, or arrange to read with your neighbors’ children in the backyard. Have them take turns reading to the children who are present (some love to show off their reading skills).
On a rainy summer day, with the advanced technology these days, you can always have your child read to his grandmother and grandfather over the internet.
If your local library is closed, or your child doesn’t want to be locked up, you can always take him to an enclosed park, put a blanket on the grass, and read to each other.
Practice the art of parents reading to children, then children reading to parents.
Think of ways that you, your child, and other children can have fun with him.
“I think we should spend less time worrying about how many books children read and more time introducing them to quality books that ignite their reading pleasure and make them lifelong readers.” -James Patterson
10. Read the entire book before watching the movie.
If your child wants to see a particular movie, get the book and ask him to read it first before taking it to the movies.
Establish a ‘rule’ not to take them to the movies until they’ve read the entire book.
This will encourage them to read, and the added bonus is that they can understand the movie more because they read the book with you and, most likely, you added life to it; explaining things the child did not understand.
Here are your 10 reading tips for kids that you need to learn and implement now, or at least ASAP.
Reading is very important for children. It prepares them for adulthood.
Reading is a prerequisite for success and perhaps everything in life.
If you think about it, in all walks of life, there is something to read: road signs, food labels, newspapers, recipe labels, bank or work letters / emails. We are all surrounded by things to read.
We can’t help but read … Period.
“Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, a duty. It should be offered as a gift.” -Kate DiCamillo
Do your best, make it one of the missions of your life, to turn your children into avid readers.
The more methods you can combine into your child’s reading experience, the more likely you are to help your child become a strong reader.
Always, constantly, think of ways to instill in your child that reading is fun. And, for you as a parent, remember that you can never be too old, too crazy, or too wild to pick up a book and read it with your child.
Reading to children is a necessity in every home.
“Stories are the most important thing in the world. Without stories, we would not be human beings at all.”
