As parents, the idea of promoting reading in our children always haunts us, knowing that they must read to learn and that it is extremely important to create a reading habit from an early age. However, promoting reading in our young children is not something so simple and requires time and dedication, one more complicated to possess than the other. However, there are numerous ways to get our children interested in reading from an early age.
Reading brings numerous benefits, especially if it is a habit that is cultivated from a young age. Reading enhances the imagination, helps the child learn, has fun alone, and favours her ability to concentrate. We, as parents, can apply some of the advice below for our kids to enjoy reading:
Tips for our little ones to enjoy reading:
Devoting time to our children
It is common to find that we lack time to do everything we have to do, but it is vital to organise ourselves in such a way that we can dedicate 30-20 minutes a day to accompany them with reading, listening to them read and being with them. As per Aark Learnings In this way, they will feel accompanied and we will be complicit in their activities.
Understanding reading as a game
We must get our little ones to see reading as just another game. For this, a series of activities can be programmed around the book and its history, so that they can witness the playful part. Like, for example: reading to their stuffed animals, dressing up or drawing a picture at the end of the reading. If we are the parents who read to the children, it is important to dramatise the reading with intonation and gestures.
Taking an interest in their tastes
Just as not all children like to play the same games or see the same drawings, they don’t have to like the same books either. Let us take an interest in their tastes and adjust the reading to them so that they themselves are the ones who, through it, motivate themselves to read.
Seek guidance and select age-appropriate reading material
However, when buying a book, either in the library or when buying it, it is always good to ask for advice from those who know the best children’s literature and its suitability for different ages (booksellers, teachers…) Each book is recommended for a certain age, although it will also always depend on the maturity of our child. Choosing a book that is not in line with her learning level can be detrimental to the child by making him feel that it is too difficult or too easy for him to understand or read.
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Propose and suggest reading, letting them choose
Once we know the tastes of the little ones and we create a list of possible books based on their age and maturity, it’s time to make our book recommendations so that they freely choose what they want to read. This way they will feel listened to and have decision-making capacity throughout the process of involvement in reading.
Reading in creative spaces
It is advisable to put aside the desk and look for places that feed the imagination. Many children enjoy, for example, reading in hiding places, corners or closets, adapting their environment to the world they perceive through reading, thus stimulating their imagination.
Stimulate and not impose reading
Stimulation of reading is essential for them to see and feel the importance that it has in their lives, but such stimulation should not become an imposition. Just like parents, children can be tired, exhausted, or angry for any reason. On those days you can do without reading or other routine activities. The goal is for them not to feel pressured by reading.
Discuss books and relate them to specific situations or moments
Naturally take advantage of talking about books and their stories to the little ones at any moment or situation that occurs throughout the day. This helps create positive associations between what they learn through reading and its application in their lives.
Let them be in contact with books
The world is surrounded by books, and they should be able to perceive it. One way is to take them to libraries and bookstores, and even show them online resources where they can acquire new adventures.
Always have books on hand
It is important to always have books on hand so that when the time comes to read them they are available and there is no waiting.
Trading books with other children
Getting into the book trading game with other children can be beneficial for little ones. It is another opportunity to get closer to new readings and interact with other children through reading, making them share adventures with each other, and strengthening social ties.
Establish a daily routine
Provide a daily reading area and time for the youngster, such as right before bedtime or right after a snack. Creating a habit and making the child link that time to enjoy is the best way to boost her interest in reading.
Digital reading is also reading
Reading in the digital world is already part of us. With the appearance of tablets, ebooks and mobile phones, interactive books arrived in which the child builds her own story. We must get our children to relate to these formats and achieve a reading routine that involves the many resources available.
Boost their imagination and creativity by encouraging them to write their own stories
With reading, imagination soars and the best way to give an outlet to this creativity is by encouraging the child to sit down and write, to try to shape their own story. With this type of activity, children improve other aspects such as creativity, grammar and spelling, making their learning educational and interactive, something more dynamic even because they themselves build their own universe, making it shareable with the rest.
Children see and act. Children learn by imitating the habits and philosophies of their parents and the people around them, especially the younger ones; this is how they learn. Being a good example is therefore unquestionably one of the most crucial pieces of advice.
