Reading is a promising habit. Books must be introduced to kids as early as possible. A child is never too young to be brought close to books. Did you know that even infants react to books? Yes, that's right. Reading stories to babies is a positive reinforcement. They love to hear you recite rhymes or to read stories to them. Books are fun, and presenting books to kids is a great way to encourage them towards academics. Buying books online with your child helps him or her to develop interest and know more about the genres one can find.
The sooner you bring books into their lives, the better it is. They will grow to enjoy reading.
RelayRead offers some pretty interesting ways to introduce books to young minds.Let’s take a look at it:1. Make it a Regular Practice
Reading is fun. Reading relaxes you. But a habit of regular reading comes with practice. Make sure that you read out to your child everyday. Kids enjoy listening to stories. Reading out to them engages them in the story and builds a curiosity to find out what is going to happen next in the story. Reading time every day aids in building their concentration. It helps them to concentrate better as they grow.
Reading is also a means to channelise their energy. Some kids are super active. Parenting such kids gets tough. A habit of reading regularly will help channelize their energy into something productive, and it will also help calm them over a period of time. The only way to do so is by taking some time out with kids everyday for reading. You can start doing it with babies who are as young as 6 months.
2. Infuse Life into the Story
Kids love being read out to. And if you get into the character, even better! Kids enjoy it when you act like the character you are reading about to them. Voice modulation is the key - moo with the cow in the story or roar like the ogre. You will keep them captivated for long this way.
Modulating your voice in accordance with the script creates a feeling of reality. When children listen to it, they are entertained and their interest in the plot increases. They want to know what happens as the plot thickens. So try it out the next time when you read to your child.
3. Let Them Explore
Kids love to learn new things. So when you introduce a new book to them, begin by showing the cover page. We at RelayRead have already discussed the various parts of a book in this blog. Even kids' books have similar parts. Make it a regular habit to go through the title of the book, the cover page, the artwork, the colours and of course the character detailing. This is a great way to develop imaginative power in them. The next time they will pick up a book to read all by themselves, they will observe all these things.
4. A Day at the Library or a Bookstore
If you want your child to read more, take him to a bookstore. Show him around. Tell them about the various genres. Help them explore for themselves. Encourage them to pick up books of their choices. Introduce them to certain characters of novels or series. Comic books are a great way to get pre-teens to read.
Book Libraries are a good way to introduce books to them as well. It’s old-school but it is promising, and you can expect good results. Kids will also get used to reading in school libraries this way. Library time also helps inculcate better concentration power and discipline in kids. They will eventually develop better reading skills as well.
5. Stay Informed!
If you are beginning to introduce books to your kids, make sure you begin to stay at the top of the game. You must keep yourself abreast with the current happenings in the world of books and authors. It is easy when you have a toddler, you can select books based on their needs and learning capabilities and requirements. But as they grow, they get exposed to a lot of things. Some literary stuff may be helpful, some may not. It is always rewarding to stay ahead in the game as a parent or guardian.
You must be aware about the latest authors, latest book launches and the genres your kids like to explore. If nothing else, you will have an answer whipped up in no time if a question comes along your way in regard to books. Keeping yourself informed about current events can also be pretty helpful because it allows you to connect the dots with relevant present day examples. This opens up more options for you to help your kid explore further. This way you can also encourage them to read about a certain topic. For example, you can lead your child to read about who Malala Yousafzai is and what she stands for.
6. Keep the Books Handy
Kids are involved in a lot of activities throughout the day. While spending time playing outdoors or spending time with friends has a very positive effect on kids, in today’s context children skip reading books and end up spending time on their phones and tablets. It is good to have a mini library of their books placed where they will be able to see it often and is well within their reach. Keeping the books within the reach of toddlers and preschoolers is a great way of encouraging self reading habits. They may only pick up a book and look at the pictures, but that's a great start, you see! Once they are able to read, they will begin reading the stories too. Books must always be handy in the kids room. This way kids will grow to enjoy reading time and gradually bring it into practice.
7. Set Goals
Goals are a great motivating factor. We all work on goals. It is always useful to introduce the concept of setting up a goal and fulfilling it at an early age. Set reading goals with the young ones in your house. Participate with them. They will enjoy beating you at the game.
More importantly, this will help kindle the love of reading in them, that too at a very young age. We are not limited in terms of availability and accessibility in today’s times. There’s always the option of reading books online. A lot of times, there may be more options available online than at the local bookstore. The choice belongs to the reader. The focus should be on setting the goal and fulfilling it in the given time. You can encourage your child to pick a book and finish reading it in a given time, or motivate them to study a certain character of a story. You can get as creative as you want!
8. Encourage Exchanging Books
A great way of developing interest in reading is exchanging books with your friends or family. You can always inspire your kids to exchange books online or do so with their dear ones. The idea behind exchanging books is to read about what someone else finds interesting and understand their perspective. This activity will help your child explore new areas in reading and build an open mindset and a deepened thought process.
You can motivate the kids to exchange books with their friends and find out why they love that book so much. You must encourage them with the thought that their friend also has an opportunity to read their favourite book. This activity will keep them involved. It also helps develop responsible behaviour in children as they will be required to keep the books they have received in exchange in a good state.
9. Organise Book Reading Sessions
Kids enjoy listening to stories. It helps harbour imaginative power. Book reading sessions are a regular activity for school going kids. But with the schools closed, you can’t do much about it. Encourage kids to have sessions with family members or a couple of close friends. Organise book reading activities for kids. They will enjoy spending the story telling time with their friends over cookies and milk.
We sure hope you are able to introduce books to young minds. It is a time taking process and do not expect results in the first try. It will take time. But rest assured that it's going to work and give great results in the future. Reading books is a healthy habit and should be encouraged thoroughly, beginning at the earliest.
