7 Ways To Encourage Your Child To Read More

Reading is a wonderful way of igniting your child’s imagination, and research suggests the importance of starting this habit young – because if they do not enjoy it while they are young, the odds are, they won’t enjoy it any more when they get older either. Here are seven ways to cultivate the bookworm in your child.

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1. Bring In The Variety

2. Take Them To The Library

3. Bedtime Stories

4. Model By Example

Children often mimic their parent’s behavior, and you want to be able to set a good example early on in their lives. Within their sight, make a calculated attempt to read the newspapers daily, take a break at the sofa with a book in hand, or a magazine on holidays. When they see how enjoyable and effortless reading can be, this subtle conditioning will prove to be more restful than rule setting.

5. Store Books In Easy To Reach Places

Put some reading material in the back of the car seat, the washroom, along the dining hall walls, in a glass shelf in their rooms – kids who grow up with books all around learn to see them as allies rather than eyesores in their learning pursuits. As they become older, start sourcing for books that match their hobbies, so they make the connection that a good book can help further their interests in sci-fi, botany, cooking, travelling, astrology and more.

(Photo: Giphy)

6. Try Audio Books

If your child is truly adverse to a physical copy, try audio books. One advantage of reading is the widening of their vocabulary and social awareness, skills that audio books can impart as well.

7. Organise A Read-A-Thon

With a few fellow mummy girlfriends, bring the children together for a day of Read-A-Thon. Just think the full works of a staycation: kids in their PJs, pillows and favourite stuffed toys, surrounded by snacks and soft drinks. In this cosy setting, parents and kids can take turns reading their favourite books, or select a ‘challenge book’ – one that probably is a tad harder to read for their age, and so giving you the opportunity to teach new words and ideas.

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