For any child to become a good learner and develop a healthy learning attitude, he or she must be able to develop an interest in reading from any early age. This is when the role of the parents becomes crucial. Parents should embark on the task of encouraging their children to read more in more creative ways from an early age.
A Few Tips by Helene Goldnadel for Parents to Promote Reading Habits at Home:
Choose a specific and convenient time to read to your child. This could be just before a meal or at bedtime.
Instill a habit of the whole family reading together.
Make the spot for reading a comfortable one, for example you could pile up a few pillows on the floor.
Let the child select the book for reading.
Hold the book in such a manner that the child can see the pictures and let the child take the initiative in turning the pages.
Make sure to discuss about and explain the pictures and characters from the book.
Prompt your child to point out letters, shapes, colours and animals.
Encourage your child to read to you and read out loud. If the child is a preschooler, initiate a method wherein the child is allowed to interpret the story using his own imagination.
Benefits of Reading Aloud:
Reading aloud to the children and letting them see the parents actively involved in reading is perhaps the best way to get the children interested. Most children love being read to. Beyond reading, the children feel that the parents care for them and feel appreciated and cared for. This helps them to associate reading with 'happy' moments. Parents could use 'read-along' format-based audio cassettes.
Using Playtime to Encourage Reading:
Most children react best to learning when they are playing. They look upon this approach more positively rather than being 'instructed'. Parents can involve the child in lots of daily activities and conversations which help to develop his literary and reading skills. Talk to the child while playing. This could be about spellings of things he loves to pay with. Later on, the child should be encouraged to read about that particular thing from a children's encyclopedia. These days, encyclopedias for children as young as four are available.
Using Daily Activities for Learning:
Ordinary daily activities can also be an occasion for learning. For example, recognizing commercial signs and logos while out walking or driving is one of the first steps in learning to read. A common trip to the nearby mall or a grocery store can be used to this effect. Encourage the child to talk about the things he observes there. Ask him to make simple, small sentences about these things. Discuss about the various colors and shapes of the various goods on display.