Ways To Encourage Your Child To Read

It was just the other day, I overheard a group of young mothers expressing their concern over their children not wanting to read and being happier watching the television and playing computer games; this made me feel that encouraging children to cultivate the reading habit was the need of the hour.  

Ways to encourage your child to read: 

• Encourage your children to read by reading out to them at a very early age; reading bedtime stories to them build fond memories of reading in children and also develops a love for words and reading. Also encourage your older children to read at bedtime.

• You could add an extra dose of drama while reading; this not only brings about interest in reading, but also reinforces how words and sentences sound. It would also help to ask children to find rhyming letters and words in their reading.

• Parents are the best role-model and examples for their children to read; parents that read and enjoy books and magazine in front of their children are quite sure to build readers in their children.   

• The best way to encourage children to read is to fill their rooms with books not only for knowledge, but also for recreation and fun. Grown-up kids that have grown with books around them consider them as their best friends and allies in the pursuit of learning and adventure.

• Reading story books are for young kids; encourage your older children to books of their interest and hobbies. This would make children realize that a good book can not only expand their knowledge in the area of their interest, but can also expand their horizon.

• Young children could be shown books that they could read; older children would benefit by being given the independence to select their own books.

• Introduce your child to a library at a very early stage; let him/her experience the wonder and excitement of the library that is a place that opens up a whole new world of learning that would last a lifetime. He/she will then understand the need to visit the library more often. Make sure then that your child has a library card.  

• Make it a habit to visit the library with your children until they are old enough to go alone and also select their own books. The librarian in your children’s library would be in a position to suggest appropriate reading material or books that would be appropriate to your children’s age, reading levels and interests. 

• Last, but most important encourage reading in your children by keeping books and magazines that would interest them within easy reach; they would thank you for building the habit of reading all their lives.

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