How to make Reading Fun and Beneficial for Children
Article Complied by Mary Bensch
Here is an article that I love. It is simple, clear and practical as it provides vital information on the importance of books and reading in a child’s life.
Reading opens the door to a wider, richer world for young children. Reading books from pregnancy on in a powerful way of introducing them to a lifelong relationship with quality literature. Listening to rhythm and rhyme and identifying pictures, letters, and words are steps in the process of learning to read. Parents can help their children learn to read and even more importantly, inspire their love of reading.
Encourage reading in your family:
Provide frequent opportunities for your children to observe you reading for pleasure.
Read aloud to your children daily. Children develop a more positive attitude toward reading if they experience warm and close contact with their parents while reading. Read books, magazines, letters, email, road signs, recipes, and instructions, etc.
Bring quality literature into your home. Visit the library or start your own collection. Choose books that you will enjoy reading to your child because inevitably they will want to hear them over and over again.
Establish a reading routine that is not limited to bedtime. Read only when you are in the mood to do so. Children sense your interest and enthusiasm. Take turns choosing the stories.
Present a book as you would a gift. Make it a treat to browse for a new book. Encourage family members to give child books for birthday and holiday gifts. Offer an extra story when your child needs encouragement. Keep books on a special shelf or in a basket to show your child how to treat books with care. Mend tears with your child’s help.
Choose a comfortable place to read. Position your child so she can see the pictures easily. Let her help you turn the pages. Talk about the illustrations and what is happening in the story as well as reading the text. Help her understand the meaning when there are any unfamiliar words.
When reading a story your child is familiar with, pause occasionally to let your child fill in the next part. Often children request the same story to be read frequently; children learn with repetition. Sometimes they recite the whole story word for word as they “read” the book. Always encourage their interest!
Set a limit on the amount of screen time for each of your children. Experts recommend a maximum of one hour of total screen time (television, video games, and computer time). Avoid books based on television, game and movie characters.
Parents often ask what they can do to prepare their preschool children for academic success. Read, read, read and make it an enjoyable and a highly valued activity in your household. Remember to continue to read aloud and share stories with your children well beyond the time they learn to read independently.
We love reading in our house…so much so that we also have kids’ books in our bathrooms for potty training. This is a great article with great tips for parents just beginning this super awesome habit/benefit with their kids. [TF]