Raising A Young Reader

Whether it is reading a novel, a magazine, sharing an article or even reading a birthday card, parents can make reading more enjoyable for children by making it a fun thing to do.

Develop Those Good Habits!

What can you as a parent do to help develop good reading habits with your child? Here are some suggestions:

1. Create Loving Associations With Books And Reading

   Reading together is a time for family closeness. Create a positive energy when it comes to reading so that your child can associate it with spending a wonderful time with Mum and Dad. You can try reading to your child before bedtime if he or she is younger.

2. Make Reading Together Fun And Memorable

   Parents should convey positive impressions about reading by making it a fun activity for the entire family. When reading to your child, make the story come alive to make it exciting. Use sound effects, gestures and motions so that your child will be able to associate reading with fun. Once you are done reading, let your child talk about their favourite characters or favourite parts of the story.

   Also, practise the idea of “shared” reading, whereby you read along with your child. Have your child read to you and only help when he or she struggles with pronouncing a word. Say the word slowly so that your child can listen to how it is being pronounced. However, don’t make your child repeat after you as this may demotivate her. Instead, just let your child pick up on the pronunciation on their own, as this is the best way to learn.

3. Be A Reader Yourself

   No point trying to raise a reader if you aren’t someone who enjoys reading yourself. Let your child see you read – whether it is the newspaper during breakfast or a magazine during the weekend.

4. Let Your Child Pick Out Books

   To encourage your child to read more, let them pick out the books at the library or the bookstore themselves. At the same time, introduce your child to the dictionary or encyclopaedia, as there is a wealth of information in them. When your child asks a why question, help them search enthusiastically for new knowledge in the two reading material. This will not only teach them how to use the dictionary or encyclopaedia effectively, but encourage knowledge seeking as well.

5. Be Creative!

   Reading doesn’t mean just from a book; you can encourage your child to read at all times by introducing different reading materials. For example, your child can also read from cereal boxes, supermarket brochures and flyers as many often contain very interesting phrases and words. When at a restaurant, have your child read off the menu. Other fun reading materials includes comic sections in the newspaper and colourful TV programme books.

These are all great starting points to help raise a reader. Keep it positive, make it fun, and you can be sure that you will have a child who loves nothing more than a good book.