I observe many parents wondering how to get their kids to spend more time reading books. So much so that the complaint "my kid throws away the book in five minutes, nothing but the smartphone or the TV can engage his or her attention" has become as common as "my child does not like vegetables" used to be.
To all parents with similar worries on their minds, this page offers a list of suggestions that you could try. But before we get into that, I would like to state that I claim no expertise, but only experience, in this area. I am merely sharing some tips that I have followed and benefitted from myself. So here goes:
Begin at the earliest
A child's mind is like a sponge. It will soak up anything you offer it. Why set a limit to its capability based on our estimation of what it can or cannot do? A baby learns to start saying words on its own, does it not? We do not enroll babies in a 'Learn-Your-Mother-Tongue-In-30-Days' online course. Reading, too, should start as early as possible.
There are books that can be read aloud even to babies, so that they can learn to be soothed by the steady rhythm of our voices, if not by the meaning of the words. There are touch and feel board books that toddlers can handle themselves, without the book getting torn (only getting licked and drooled on quite a lot).
Read at bedtime. Every. Single. Night.
Read together, or read aloud to them. It can be anything - excerpts from picture books, stories found online, articles, plays, poems or encyclopaedias. Each day, we can read a couple of chapters of a book and leave it off at a cliffhanger, thereby enticing the kid's curiosity. If possible, we can make it more enjoyable for them by dramatic reading, using voice modulation to get the characters to come alive from the pages.
Keep reading yourself
We all know children observe and emulate. If they see us frequently engrossed in reading something, even those of them who are the most indifferent to books will, someday, take notice and wonder what it is that keeps engaging our attention so much. If we force a book into their hands while we sit glued to a screen ourselves, it isn't quite fair on them, don't you think?
Be the means through which they are made aware of the joy of losing oneself among the pages of a book.
Discuss what they have read
If you have not already read the same book, at least give it a glance to understand its object, message, style or important characters. And then talk to the kid about it. You could ask them which part of the story affected them the most, which character is their favourite and the reason for it, how they would have the ending or any other part of the book changed if given the chance. Tell them your views too and let them see that you are very much interested in it yourself (at least feign it, if you don't feel it).
Respect the kid's taste
Now this is where most of us seem to get on a slippery slope. As parents, it is natural for us to have a preconceived notion of what we feel our children ought to read. It could take great restraint on our part to withold from directing their choice, but we simply have got to swallow it. As long as what they choose is not inappropriate for their age, I think we must let them explore and settle into their own niches. After all, there's got to be some difference made between studying a textbook and reading for pleasure.
Explore different options
- You could take the kids to spend time in the library where they may be motivated by the sight of other people reading.
- Audio books are a great option as children can listen to them anytime, anywhere, and even when they refuse to sit and hold a book.
- Encourage older kids to find reading buddies among their friends and let them read together. They can do this even when they are physically apart, by connecting online through meeting rooms and sharing the same page on the screen (in which they must have all become specialists post COVID anyway).
- Ask children to role-play a story they have finished reading.
- Quote from books in everyday life.
In short, don't let a school textbook be the first book your children read, and make books their friends, not their tasks.
Good luck!
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