10 Tips for Reading to Kids You Need to Learn Now
We are all aware that today, most children are much more interested in watching television for hours, playing video games at night and gossiping on the Internet than in reading.
According to recent figures from the US Department of Education, children spend an average of four to six hours a day watching television or movies; And that’s before the Coronavirus pandemic.
Children who read have been shown time and again to be successful.
They are doing better in school and in life.
“Once you learn to read, you will be free forever.” – Frederick Douglass
Children who read tend to score higher on tests and exams more often than their peers who read less often. However, getting children to simply open a book can sometimes be very difficult for parents and teachers alike.
Keep this in mind, it is never too early to get your child on the road to reading.
The US Department of Education recommends that parents begin reading to their babies when they are six months old. The reason is that hearing words over and over, over and over again, helps them become familiar with those words.
Reading to your baby is one of the best ways to help him learn.
You can start by simply spending time talking with your baby and toddler, helping them develop the vocabulary they will need to get into school and start reading.
And in due course, by pointing to and naming the objects around them, they will begin to understand and associate the words with the objects. Before long, they will eventually start adding those words to their vocabulary.
If, after a while, after a few years, you come to the conclusion that your child shows little or no interest in reading, relax, there is hope.
“There are many little ways to enlarge your world. The love of books is the best of all.” – Jacqueline Kennedy
Sometimes parents have to be creative and a little crafty. You can still turn your reluctant child into a reader.
The following 10 tips can help parents make their most stubborn children read all year long:
1. make words come to life
When reading to children, choose a book that has large print. Point to each word as you read it. In this way, your child will recognize and understand that the word that is spoken is the word that he sees.
And to add to that, did you know that a child’s love of reading can grow when words come to life? After reading, go out and share that experience as a family.
This can create a deeper family bond and has the added power of putting words in visual context.
What do i mean?
If you are reading a book about rabbits to your child, go to a pet store. Let your child see the rabbits, recite a few words from the book while pointing to the rabbits.
This creates a powerful combination; the child can relate to what he is seeing and hearing; making reading as fun as possible.
2. Read to open a long-term dialogue
One of the best things you can do to make sure your child grows up to read well and enjoys reading is to read to them every day.
As we said earlier, reading together will create a special and strong bond between the two of you.
And this has an extremely important added benefit that will help open the doors to a dialogue that will continue through the most difficult years of adolescence.
The US Department of Education suggests that when parents read to their children, it is important that they take the time to talk about new words.
Take the time to explain what each new word means and do your best to include as many sensory methods as you can; sight, hearing, touch.
“Today a reader tomorrow a leader.” – Margaret Fuller
3. Listen to your child
When parents spend time talking and reading to their children, they should also take the time to listen to their children.
This will help your children prepare to read faster.
When you read and talk with your child, use sounds, gestures, songs, and even rhyming words to help your child learn about language and its many uses. Inspire your child to do the same and be on the lookout for them.
This is vital.
There is nothing worse than a child feeling like they are being ignored.
When you go out to the grocery store with your child, practice pointing to the words printed there; You can point to a fruit and ask your child what that fruit is and ask him to spell it and talk about it for a minute.
4. Never leave home without it
Take some books with you wherever you go. You never know when and when your child is excited to read, cherish the moment and make the most of it.
Of course, this can also be beneficial at times when you don’t want to be disturbed, which is why handing your child a book provides fun activities to entertain them and keeps them busy while you’re driving, chatting with friends, or running errands.
5. Keep books close at hand
In addition to creating a quiet and special place in your home for your child to read, write, and draw, be sure to keep books and all other reading materials within reach of your child.
Perhaps you can provide your child with his own bookcase or small bookcase. This will not only make them feel special, but it will also communicate that the reading is special.
An added bonus could be that you find a book on your shelf to read in front of the child. In this way, the child can see that you are reading too, and this will make him realize that reading is important.
“So please, oh PLEASE, we beg, we pray, Go throw away your television, And instead you can install, A beautiful bookcase on the wall.” – Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
6. Read a favorite book over and over again
Get in the habit of recognizing your child’s favorite books and reading them over and over again. Repetition has the power to push words deeper and deeper into the child’s mind.
Plus, you can think of ways to make it more fun every time you read that favorite book.
Be creative.
Over and over, read the stories that have rhyming words and repeating lines, and have your child join in the fun.
7. Give encouragement
Parents play a crucial role in reading to children and this greatly affects the child’s education. Children whose parents encourage them to read are more likely to read many more books than those whose parents let them read.
Encourage your child to read as often as possible, without putting pressure on him, as this can put him off. Reading to children requires tactical persuasion, and getting children to read on their own requires creative encouragement.
“Reading without reflection is like eating without digesting”. – Edmund Burke
8. The early bedtime trick
This is an excellent persuasion method that many successful parents have used in the past to read to their children. Set your child’s bedtime to 30 minutes before the lights go out.
Allow them time to complete all tasks before going to bed; like brushing teeth, putting on pajamas, saying goodbye to others, going to the bathroom, etc.
Once this is done, let them jump happily into bed, and then you open their favorite book, or the book of your choice, and read to them.
This should be done before the official lights go out at bedtime.
After that, just smile and say, “It’s time for bed now. Would you like to turn off the lights or would you like to stay up and read some more?”
Most of the time, unless the child is particularly tired, he will choose to read a little more. In this way they think it is their idea (powerful, huh!).
Let your child choose the book he likes to read until it is time for you to kiss him, say good night, and turn off the lights.
9. Temptation to read during the summer
When possible, join a local summer reading club at your local library, or arrange to read with your neighbors’ children in the backyard. Take turns reading to the children who are present (some love to show off their reading skills).
On a rainy summer day, with the advanced technology these days, you can always have your child read to his grandmother and grandfather over the internet.
If your local library is closed, or your child doesn’t want to be locked indoors, you can always take him to an enclosed park, put a blanket on the grass, and read to each other.
Practice the art of having parents read to their children and then children read to their parents.
Think of ways that you, your child, and other children can have fun with him.
“I think we should spend less time worrying about how many books children read and more time introducing them to quality books that will make them a pleasure to read and readers for life.” – James Patterson
10. Read the entire book before watching the movie.
If your child is interested in seeing a particular movie, get the book and ask the child to read it before taking it to the movies.
Establish a “rule” not to take them to see the movie until they have read the entire book.
This will encourage them to read, and the added bonus is that they can understand the movie more because they read the book with you and, most likely, you added life to it; explaining things the child did not understand.
Here are your 10 reading tips for kids that you need to learn and implement now, or at least ASAP.
Reading is very important for children. It prepares them for adulthood.
Reading is a prerequisite for success and perhaps everything in life.
If you think about it, in all areas of life there is something to read: road signs, food labels, newspapers, recipe labels, letters / emails from banks or work. We are all surrounded by things to read.
We can’t help but read … Period.
“Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, a duty. It should be offered as a gift.” – Kate DiCamillo
Try your best, make it one of your life missions, turn your kids into avid readers.
The more methods you can combine into your child’s reading experience, the more likely you are to help your child become a good reader.
Always, constantly think of ways to instill in your child that reading is fun. And, for you as a parent, remember that you can never be too old, too crazy, or too crazy to pick up a book and read it with your child.
Reading to children is a necessity in every home.
“Stories are the most important thing in the world. Without stories, we would not be human beings at all.”