Encouraging Reading Habit in Children

Reading has been acknowledged as one of the main factors that contributes to the vocabulary and knowledge of children. Reading books improves their scores in schools because it is an activity that fuels the imagination of the child and aids them in increasing the concentration levels. It is the duty of the parents to encourage their children to read books. Boys v/s Girls While boys generally are more attracted to toys and gizmos (PSP, Bey Blade) and cars, girls are more sincere when it comes to reading books. But whether it is a boy or a girl, the parents do have a role to play in encouraging the children to read. How to go about it? I am indeed thankful to Shahrukh Khan and Anju Ashar, Headmistress, Tiny Tots Nursery School, Thane, Mumbai. Shahrukh, we all know is a doting father to his children. Shah Rukh had once said in an interview that he tells his children stories but adds a twist to the tale in the end so that the story ends in a different way. In this manner, the children do not get bored and Shah Rukh is also able to fuel his creative bent of mind. Shahrukh's advice was worth following and I did. The result was fabulous! Shah Rukh admitted that he has a practice of reading to his children whenever he had the time. Anju Ashar had advised me to start reading out to my children regularly. She then told me, "Once you get into the habit of reading to your children, start reading the stories only halfway through. Your children will be inquisitive enough to pick up the book and finish reading the story all by themselves." Tips to encourage and internalize reading as a habit 1. Start at a young age - may be when your kid is 3 years old or more. 2. Pick up the simplest book - say Panchatantra. 3. Read the story with pauses and expressions that your kids get interested. You can even make sounds like Amitabh did in "Mr Natwarlal". (Remember the song - "Mere pas aao, mere doston, ek kissa suno"). 4. Finish the story and ask them the moral of the story. 5. If they are not able to get it, explain to them patiently. 6. Repeat this process every other day. Make it a practice as vital as going to the bathroom is for you. 7. As they progress in age, encourage the children to read these books all by themselves. 8. Amar Chitra Katha can be a good starting point. These comics have been existing for ages now.   9. Jataka Tales, Panchatantra, Thenali Raman tales, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Arabian Nights - gift them books on their birthdays. 10. Encourage your children to refer to the dictionary whenever they are stuck with a word whose meaning they cannot understand. 11. Ask them questions, seek interpretations of the stories and nurture their inquisitiveness. 12. Whenever they pester you for buying books, don't be a miser. Any expenditure on purchasing books is not an expense, it is an investment. 13. Once the reading habit is inculcated in children, they will progress to reading books like Enid Blyton, Harry Potter. 14. Ensure that when you buy books it is always a good mix. If you buy an Amar Chitra Katha today, buy a Jataka tale the next time. 15. If you have purchased Naughtiest Girl this time, why not purchase "The Blue Umbrella" by Ruskin Bond or "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"? 16. Beware! Some publishers are notorious for reprinting classics like "Gulliver's Travels", "Jane Eyre" "Tale of Two Cities" "Oliver Goldsmith" with so many printing errors and poor quality of abridging that reading such books is an eyesore for children. Do not go by the gloss or enticing cover of the book. Go by the content before you decide to purchase a book for your child. 17. Set aside a monthly budget for purchase of books and ensure that you invest some money in building a mini library for your kids at home. Even if you subscribe to the membership of a library in your area, having their own study will excite your children. 18. As much as reading is important, writing is equally important. Otherwise, this writer would not have been able to write this article. When you are a voracious reader, your mind develops the analytical abilities and if you have the drive, then you can develop your writing skills and become a writer. At the end of the day, whatever you do, you should be able to enjoy the same. Otherwise, it will show in the output produced by you. An appeal Please be stingy with criticism and be generous with praise for your children. This will boost their self confidence. Make them understand that mistakes only improve your performance. A proverb that I read sometime back was - "Failures are those who did not know how close they were to success when they gave up". Mother tongue I am proud to say that I am proficient in my mother tongue to such an extent that today I have been asked to translate an English book (on self development) in Tamil. My mother is responsible for this. When I was a small kid, she would read out a serial story to me from the Tamil newspaper "Dina thanthi" that intensified my interest to acquire proficiency in Tamil. So, if you want proof that reading is definitely a productive way of engaging your child, you need not look any further! All the best!  (Please share your experiences and opinions on Reading Habit in Children as comments below.)