Reading is a great educational tool. It trains memory and attention, develops the ability to focus, and use imagination. Although, most of us parents may not have time to actually read, we still enjoy it. But, how do we help our kids to like it too?
Here are some ideas:
Develop a habit of reading stories before bedtime. Every night spend some ‘reading-time’ with your kids. This will show them that books can be exciting. They will wait for it daily to find out what happens next. This is also a way to spend quality time with kids. As they grow up, they will practice reading at bedtime by themselves.
Another trick is finding books with nice illustrations. This is something that can entertain a kid and catch his attention. For the little ones there are ‘game books’, and for the growing-up ones it can be any story with beautiful pictures. You can even buy a really big-sized, colourfully illustrated story book with lots of little elements on each page that they will look forward to discovering each time they read it. This may be a bit of a splurge, but a book is something that will never go ‘out-of-style’. It will stay in your family, and one day your grandkids may read it too! Here are some options.
Interactive reading could be something that will boost your child’s critical thinking. Ask questions after reading and encourage a dialogue or conversation. This could be a topic during dinners, for instance.
Over time, reading will be associated with fun, and your child will be motivated to start reading as well.