The Art of Reading by Kiona Gross
Back to school means reading literature and education books for students. While some students dread having to read for class, others love it and relish books and learning. How can you help your child be one of the students that enjoys reading and learning? Simply by beginning to read to your child aloud as an infant. When you read to your baby, you are sharing more than just quality bonding time, you are fostering a love for books, the ability for storytelling, and the yearning to be curious- a trait that needs to be fostered in young children, or they will never acquire it. With culturally diverse books, you can open up the world to your child, enhancing how they perceive people from around the world, thus allowing your child to explore the world, its people, and different cultures. Giving the enjoyment of books to your child is a lifelong gift that every parent should partake in. Here are some simple tips all parents should do to help their children learn enjoy reading.
Read Aloud to Your Child
Even before your child is old enough to read for themselves, parents can still show their child the love and enjoyment of reading by reading aloud to them. Reading aloud should begin at birth or even while the baby is still in utero. It is important for babies to stimulate all their senses, they should be able to touch, feel, hear, and even taste books. Allowing a child to play with a picture board or textile book will help with their tactile learning. They will start to figure out colors and numbers. Reading aloud to your infant helps to develop auditory perception and initiates the process for them to think about how different words sound and how these words form. Children love to mimic and your child will try to imitate your sounds and words, which in turn, begins to stimulate their language development. As they listen to you read them stories, their vocabulary will increase and help them use longer sentences. Many times, children who are read to will begin reading on their own, without any formal instruction. And the more children read, the better they become at reading. Reading aloud to your child should continue past the age where children can read for themselves. Reading aloud can be an activity your child can participate in and read books back to the parent.
Allow Your Child to Choose Their Books
As your older child begins to read for pleasure, it is vital to allow your child to choose the books they would like to read. Parents need to remember it is okay for children to read below their actual reading level. Children sometimes enjoy reading books lower than their reading level and it is important to allow the child to enjoy this luxury. As they increase their consumption of books, they will naturally gravitate towards a style and usually towards higher reading levels. Parents must remember they should not put any expectation on their children’s pleasure reading.
Decrease Television Watching and Increase Storytelling Times
Studies have shown that children who watch more television between the ages of 1 and 3 have decreased attention spans by 7 and have a harder time staying focused. However, when you read to your child, you are increasing their ability to focus on what is being said and increasing their attention span. Reading to a child will stimulate their own desire to tell stories. Storytelling is an integral part of learning, and uses their imagination to rely events in their everyday life. Foster all of these benefits in your child simply by reading out loud to your child on daily basis. Your child will begin to relish story times and the enjoyment of reading begins.
Join Local Book Clubs
As your child becomes older book clubs are a great way to have children socialize around what they are reading. Many independent bookstores offer book clubs for all levels of readers and all ages. Here, a child can be with friends while learning how to discuss books outside of school. Many times bookstores will bring authors into the store to interact with the book club. What a privilege for children to meet their favorite authors and be able to interact with them in a comfortable setting. Most local libraries will also offer reading activities and clubs. If a student would like to start their own book club and they do not know where to begin, the local independent bookstore or library is a great place to start.
If you want your child to enjoy reading, books, and learning it is important to begin to read to your child from the beginning. In today’s hectic world, share some quiet moments and your favorite childhood stories with your children. What you loved growing up, your children will also learn to cherish. A good book never goes bad! Allow your child to embrace the joys of reading. It will last a lifetime.
