Here are simple tips on how to foster the joy of reading in children.
Reading is probably one of the best escapes from the pressures of life,
next to traveling. However, with the popularity of electronic gadgets and
video streaming services and applications, reading has experienced a decline
among the youth. Honestly, I will also have to admit that it has been months
since I last held a book, which by the way, remains unfinished up to now.
How To Foster The Joy Of Reading In Children
The joy of reading
While movies and videos are an easy way to get lost from the world, that does
not mean that I have forgotten about the joys of reading altogether. I do miss
holding and reading a book a lot and, given all the time in the world, I will
spend a good chunk of it flipping through pages of a book and getting lost in
the story. However, I get distracted a lot because of the work involved in
promoting my blog posts as well as creating social media content.
Introducing my children to reading
Reading is a wonderful habit that I also want my children to acquire. But
again, the presence of gadgets at home is proving to be challenging. Even
so, that does not mean that I have to give up on it just yet.
Here is how I try to incorporate reading into our daily activities:
1. Set aside time for reading
Setting aside time for reading should be a deliberate effort in order to
introduce and form the habit of reading in children. There is no ideal time
for it but we found bedtime to be a good opportunity for it when our toddler
is a little sleepy and already winding down.
Aside from bedtime, early morning is also a great time to read because
children are not yet too keen on getting out of bed. It’s a great activity
to start their day! Keep in mind, too, that it does not always necessarily
have to be a book that you will read. You can flip through magazines,
alphabet cards (my eldest son loves this), and even packaging and product
labels.
2. Buy books that children will find attractive and interesting
If you are buying books for your little one, make sure that it is colorful,
attractive, and with the right balance of text in each page. After all, you
have to pull and maintain their attention when you are reading to them.
Age-appropriate books should do the trick well. It’s just a good thing that
most modern children’s books are beautifully designed and very eye-catching
with their bright colors.
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| Books from Adarna House |
We recently bought several books from
Adarna House. Mommy Khris and I were the most excited when they arrived at our house.
The designs are impressive and the stories are well-written and full of
values. I personally loved reading them because the stories brought back a
lot of childhood memories.
We made a bit of a blunder though because the books that we bought were made
for eight-year-olds. But the illustrations are still so colorful and the
stories are still amusing. A side note though is that I am exposing my
children to the Tagalog language (well, both in English and Tagalog).
It is my first language (Nueva Ecija/Bulacan Tagalog) which I find to be
beautiful. I do not want my children to grow up thinking that their language
is inferior to English and that it should be relegated to the language of
the uneducated. Anyway, that’s another story altogether.
3. Do not force it
The most important thing to keep in mind is to never force reading to your
children. Let them appreciate it at their own pace. Admittedly, we were a
bit worried at first because our firstborn had no interest in reading while
children of the same age were already reciting “apples” and “bananas” with
much enthusiasm. Anyway, we realized that we just have to let him be.
He still watches videos on his iPad but he is now more interested in
alphabet songs. We taught him how to read through flashcards but he would
not pay attention. We thought that he was just disinterested. Then one day,
he began picking up random cards, reciting the letters, and reading the
example words for each letter.
We were astounded because he remembered our mini-lessons. He would forget
some words and remember others but it still made us happy that he had
progress (he has Global Developmental Delay but, again, that’s another
story).
Anyway, my point is to not pressure our children to learn because they will
eventually learn things in their own time.
Epilogue
Reading books may have experienced some decline in this day and age because
of the popularity of gadgets and streaming services. However, that does not
mean that reading should be neglected altogether. It brings a lot of joy and
stimulates imagination and creativity and that is something that I want to
develop in my children.
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