ENCOURAGING KIDS TO READ FOR FUN
Written by Caroline Meyer
It is a well-known fact that people who read more have better analytic skills, can focus and concentrate better and are generally more knowledgeable than their peers that don’t. Teachers can get children to trudge through books at school, but this often has the opposite effect. They become bored and feel like reading is a punishment and not something they would do for fun. The aim is to get kids to read because they want to. As children get older, their penchant towards reading increases or decreases depending on whether or not they enjoyed reading when they were younger. So, teaching a child to love reading from a young age will go a long way to encourage an enjoyment of reading throughout their lives.
The home environment has to be conducive to developing a love of reading. It is critically important that parents are understanding and supportive. If one or both parents read regularly for fun, this also sets a good example for the little ones. Parents can have a nice environment set up for the children to read in or save reading for quiet time before bed every evening. It’s even better if a parent will sit and read with the child during the day, having them follow along and eventually allow the child to read to them. Bedtime stories should be in a relaxed environment but can be the highlight of the day for a curious youngster. Get books that run in a series, so the little ones can enjoy the anticipation of what happens next to the character in the book. You can even get them to tell you what they think is going to happen to work their imaginations before you read the next story.
Interactive books that can include the child’s name and include characters with familiar names such as the cat or dog’s name can also prove interesting and a favourite for little ones. You don’t always have to go out and buy expensive books for your little ones to enjoy. Books from 2nd hand stores and thrift shops are great for older kids or let them get books from the library. For the little ones, you can cut out pictures from magazines and use that to tell them stories. Avoid the chewie type books from sources unknown as they could be harbouring creepy crawlies. Change up stories as you go along as some kids will like one type of story, while others prefer something else. One might like a stay at home story while other kids might like an adventure. Try different types of genres to find ones that your kids love so that they really want to read the books. Include some fiction in with the non-fiction as kids do enjoy learning when they are younger. Finally, being able to identify all the fruits in the healthy eating book can bring a sense of accomplishment to your little one that can spur him on to becoming a reader for life.
Don’t forget the classics! Let your kids enjoy the books that inspired many children to become readers such as the Wind in the Willows and similar stories. As they get older, they can enjoy some of the heavier classics. Some children will enjoy reading Animal Farm for fun, while others may be delving into Shakespeare. Don’t hold them back. Besides topics that are perhaps far too mature for their years, don’t stop them from attempting books that may be a year or two above their current age recommendation. Make sure the reading is moderated by play time and everything else that a growing child needs, but if they enjoy it, let them choose to read over watching TV or playing a video game during downtime if they want to. Encourage reading as much as possible and you are sure to have a child that loves to read. Reading leads to good vocabulary, more curiosity and greater general knowledge.
If they are struggling to read, check for medical conditions first and try and correct issues such as poor eyesight as this can cause them to hate reading as well. If this doesn’t resolve the issue, you can look at mental issues that can affect reading ability. Thereafter, show patience and keep at it. Try books on a slightly lower level or that are about things they really like and enjoy and let them work on expanding their mental horizons themselves as they go along. If you stimulate the reading bug in your child, you may find yourself unable to keep up eventually with their thirst for more.