By: Ronah Pingoy – March 21, 2020
Reading is the fundamental of all learning. It is the first step in learning all the skills needed to grow. A child will not effectively learn if they cannot read. It is said that reading is the key to every door in the real world. It helps them grow not only mentally but emotionally and psychologically. Children who love reading perform better in school. Every book that they read, they learn new things and explore new ideas. As a parent, you need to motivate your child and encourage him until he develops a genuine desire for reading. Here are the five effective ways of teaching your child to love reading.
Teach reading in fun ways
At the age of 5, children learn phonetic sounds of alphabets. The child needs to know the letter and recognize the sound of it. Once they learn the sound, they will be able to blend the sound and read the whole world. During this stage, children find it hard and cannot focus their attention. But believe me, you can excite them and get their attention by making it fun and enjoyable. Simply introduce these letter sounds and blending of sound in chants, rhymes, or songs. Instead of letting the child memorize the letters and sounds, you can make a chant with matching claps and stomp in teaching. You can also play word games to arouse them to learn more. And boom! These will make it easier to understand the concept of building words. When reading is fun and easy, a child will like it even more.
Read them a great story
At home, parents should have a “bedtime storytelling” before going to sleep. Read one book every day at a regularly scheduled time. Children enjoy listening to stories, and it helps them get to know sounds and words. Likewise, it develops early literacy skills. In general, great stories spark children’s imagination and stimulate curiosity. Have fun reading stories that are within the interest of your child. Be a patient and consistent storyteller. Pay attention to your child’s reaction, ask questions, and answer various queries so he will gladly focus and love listening to you. When the child enjoys listening to stories, he will be motivated to read, and later he will be eager to read independently so he could explore more to great stories that he wanted to learn.
Habitual reading with your child
Reading can be developed through constant practice. Practices make perfect. This is essential to enhance the reading abilities and comprehension levels of children. Through continuous reading, they turn into a fast reader and achieve extra knowledge. When reading becomes part of their life, it will subsequently be their habit. Make reading a routine. Read together with your child so you can guide him. Take 30 minutes every day as your “Reading Time.” This can also be your bonding moment with your child. Reading together with you can be an enjoyable experience for them. Every day they will look forward to your “Reading Time” because they crave for your company. Then talk together about the book you read, explain if he cannot understand. Once the child understands the story, he will appreciate and love it.
Provide a variety of reading materials
Once your child already learns to read, engross him with a variety of reading materials. Provide him different kinds of books and let him choose what books piques his interest. Also, determine what genre of books fascinate your child and make it available in your bookshelf. You need to know what books your child desires so that he will enjoy reading. If he prefers to read an encyclopedia rather than a storybook, let him be but see to it that it suited his age and could not harm him in any way.
Giving reward every time they read
Rewards can be a great motivation to encourage children to read more. Praises, hugs, and kisses can be considered a priceless reward for children. Did you ever notice that children enjoy the attention and affection of their parents? So, whenever your child spends considerable time reading, reward him. You can treat him to a movie house or buy him an ice cream. You can also have an agreement that every page he reads is equivalent to one kiss and one hug. I use this reading formula, and it is highly effective.
Reading is extremely significant to children. At an early age, it is advisable to develop this skill. Teaching your child to love reading from the start can significantly help them become confident readers in the future. Thus, as a parent, you need to ensure that they not only know how to read but most importantly, they love reading and enjoy it.
