Top four tips to help children to love reading
It is an indisputable fact that the love of books makes our life brighter and helps us in various ways.
Only a well-read person can be truly literate.
The love of reading broadens our horizons, helps us become successful in any business and from childhood allows us to understand how multifaceted this world can be. Reading can help us get to know other people better, become more empathic and learn to empathize with others. But how can we make our children love to read?
One of the best gifts we as parents can give to our children is to open the world of books to them and help them love reading.
Now let us share with you several ways to make reading your child’s favourite hobby.
- Read to children regularly, using expressive gestures, facial expressions and different intonations.
You can make reading before bed a favorite family tradition - turn off all gadgets and let the children hear only the native voices of mother and father. Try to read diverse books to your child but, first of all, consider what she or he likes. Do not forget about spiritual development. Let highly moral characters be heroes for your children. This is very important in our time, while concepts alien to our society are being imposed upon us.
Babies need to start reading at an early age, even if your baby is only a couple of months old. You do not need to read them only just before bed. Let the book appear even before the first toys. Today there are a lot of books in soft cloth covers. Hug your baby while reading in a gentle voice. This cute ritual will evoke fond associations of reading to your child in the future.
- The best thing is one’s own example.
Let your children see that you love to read. Try to collect an extensive library, from cookbooks to adventure novels. Let there be a variety of literature so as to create a broad outlook. Tell the children about your favorite books or interesting articles you read. Such conversations are a great topic for a pleasant dinner with loved ones. Perhaps such stories will encourage reading not only your children but other family members as well.
One can also create a family reading club even if the children are already adults, and if they are still schoolchildren, this even easier to do this. Every day at school, they are given works for independent reading, so let these stories and novels become reading and a subject of discussion for the whole family. In addition, this method will allow the child to easily understand and assimilate the works he reads!
- A book is the best gift.
Give books for any holidays: for good deeds, such as helping elders or showing mercy to street animals, for good grades or good behavior, start to reward children by giving them books. This has a double benefit - you encourage the child to improve his temper and your useful gift will be associated with those good deeds, thanks to which he deserved it.
- Urge the children join the library.
Do you remember when, as a child, we went to the library, plunged into an incredible atmosphere where conversations become quieter, and the special “bookish” smells? Make the children go to the library, let them feel this atmosphere too. Set aside a day, even if it is once a month, to go to the city library, and in the evening have hot cocoa and chocolate chip cookies while discussing the books you read that day. This will be especially useful in winter, when the evenings are long and such family gatherings are especially pleasant. Believe me, your children, having become adults, will remember these evenings with their beloved family with the warmest feelings!
It is actually not easy in our age of gadgets to instill in children a love of books, as well as to love to read ourselves. It is very rare for children who love books to grow up to harm society or commit atrocities. Teach your children to apply in life the useful things they have read about. Let books, these wonderful companions of wise people, become true friends in our life!
Amina Evpatova, As-Salam correspondent
