Here are six tips to help get your children to tune out the television and tune into books.
1. Really explore their interests. Talk to your child's teacher about recommendations for books that would be particularly well-suited for your children and that might touch on current or future topics of classroom study. What authors have your children enjoyed in the past? If Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was a hit, try James and the Giant Peach next.
If your children don't have any favorite books already, talk to them about their interests. Your child's imagination might be piqued by a biography about someone in the news. Or you can ask each of your children to pick a favorite non-fiction subject. If your son loves spiders, put that at the top of your reading list. If your daughter is fascinated by jungle creatures, make that the focus of your library trips. Even if you end up finding books about their favorite television or movie characters, it's better than no reading at all.
2. Take time to find the best reading material. At the bookstore or library, allow your children to lead the way. Give them ample time to explore the sections that interest them. If they are drawn to comic books, strike a compromise. Let them pick out one comic book if they pick out another book with it as well. Guide them in their book choices based on what you learned about their interests. Make suggestions and see if you can encourage them to pick a wide variety of books, both nonfiction and fiction.
3. Set family reading time. Instead of sitting down in front of the TV every night after dinner, establish a family reading hour. Turn off the TV and the radio and help your child read. If they are older, listen to them read to you. As your child grows, you'll look back fondly on this time that you shared together. Even as your children grow older, they really benefit from listening to stories read aloud. Reading together at the end of the day also provides you with a great opportunity to connect with your child at the end of a busy day.
4. Engage your child in reading. Build their comprehension skills by asking them about what they've read. Get their input on the material and you'll be able to build their understanding of what reading is all about.
5. Encourage reading in other parts of your child's life. Reading books isn't the only way that your child can get experience in reading. You can play games that involve reading and spelling, such as Scrabble or Balderdash. You can have them help you with day-to- day reading tasks, such as cooking and reading labels at the store. Whatever ways you can add reading into your children's life will go a long way in their reading development.
6. Set a good example. Reading parents produce reading children. You can't expect your child to take an interest in reading if you don't read yourself. Make it a habit to read the newspaper or take up a novel now and then. If you make reading a family affair, your child will be more likely to follow suit.
Being able to read is essential for sucess in modern society and learning early reading skills should, most of all, be enjoyable for your child. It's one thing to be able to teach a child to read, but it's quite another to teach a child to love reading. Early reading therefore doesn't simply involve teaching your child to recognise letters, string them into words and put them into sentences, but must also be concerned with fostering a love of books, words and literature. Here are some ideas to nurture this love:
Be choosy - For very early reading select books with large, clear, colorful and happy illustrations and short, simple text. Lots of toddlers prefer rhyming books as they especially enjoy the rhythms in verse, but now is also a good time to begin to introduce some very simple tales in prose.
Be determined - Lots of toddlers do nothing but squirm the first time they're read to, but repeated attempts are usually successful. Introduce a regular time for reading, bed-time is the usual favorite, but if you have time in the morning a snuggly reading session in bed can be nice too.
Be creative - You know what interests and attracts your child better than the book's author. So don't feel you have to read the words exactly as they're written. Allowing your imagination to improvise along the way can enormously increase your child's enjoyment of the story and help encourage early reading.
Let your child participate - Long before your child is able to read, they can join in the reading process. Ask them to point out the different characters in the illustrations as you go along, or later get them to fill in some gaps in sentences or rhymes in books they're familiar with. As they get older try asking them questions like, "What do you think will happen next?" Joining in is part of the enjoyable experience that early reading should be - your child loves to have your attention and will actively look forward to these sessions together.
Be expressive - Remember - early reading should be enjoyable - and no one enjoys listening to a boring monotone. A toddler who is still developing language skills will find an expressive reading style not only more enjoyable, but also easier to understand.
Be repetitive - Toddlers adore hearing the same story many times. It can drive you to distraction (believe me I know!!) but it's incredibly satisfying to their young ears - and will encourage those early reading skills too.
Keep it short - Your young child won't have developed a long attention span yet, so keep those early reading sessions brief. Go from page to page quickly to keep them from getting fidgety, and be ready to finish story time after just a few minutes if they're really not in the mood.
Be cuddly - Children who associate reading with the comfort of cuddling up on a much-loved parent's lap almost always enjoy reading books later on.
Set a good example - If your toddler knows you enjoy reading, even occasionally, they're likely to think it's a good, grown-up pastime and will probably begin to start to their early reading sessions themselves.
Finally, reduce the amount of TV that's watched by your toddler and the rest of the family. Research has shown that families who watch less read more.
Both Jamie Jefferson & Ellie Dixon are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.