Make books and reading part of your family life
Every parent wants their child to grow up to be a good reader. There’s something about a child who loves reading that immediately says, “Will do well at university.” But, as with most things in life, there are no guarantees. of our five shared children only two were keen readers as kids despite our best efforts to be a book-mad household.
Here are some tips to make sure you are giving your kids the best possible chance to get hooked on books:
- Read to your child every day. This should start when they are babies, then turn into a bedtime routine. And yes, it can be the last thing you feel like doing after a hard day at work but if you make the effort, you’ll find it strangely soothing. And make sure you pick a book you’ll enjoy too. If there are older children, get them to help on nights when you really can’t face it.
- Make the most of your local library. oany community libraries have story time for children so make sure you pop along. And when your child gets old enough give them the responsibility of their own library card and weekly visits to choose new books.
- Help your child find books that suit them. If your child loves horses there are many horsey books out there, if your other child is into aliens, there are plenty of those too.
- Let them read it even if you don’t approve. So they’re reading comics or they’re reading senseless books involving princess fairies. Who cares? The point is, they are reading. They are getting into the habit of reading regularly and if you wait long enough, one of them will pick up Jane Eyre. But for now, it’s about helping them learn to like reading and if that means Superman comics, then let it be.
- Separate reading space and television space. Would you find it easy to read a book with the TV going full blast? Then why expect your child to do it? Have a reading room or space where members of the family can sit and read comfortably. For some children, it’s their bedroom – for others it’s a study where all the family reads. Make sure the lighting is good too.
- Encourage children to visit the websites of their favourite authors or books and to take an interest in the process of writing. oany websites also have games for kids.
- Do use popular movies to encourage your child to read books. If they loved the Harry Potter movies, then remember those films started as books, as did many other children’s movies.
- Try having one “reading night” each week, with no TV. Agree on a night when there’s nothing on that anyone really wants to watch – this isn’t about deprivation, it’s about fun. Some kids might find it difficult to settle down to it at first, but they do it at school so it shouldn’t be that hard. If it’s simply too difficult, let them draw or paint. The idea is to get them used to doing activities other than watching TV.
- Don’t forget to talk about reading and why you enjoy it. Discuss the book you are reading, tell stories, relate family stories to the one your child is reading. Books are also for discussion and they bring information and entertainment into a house.
- Buy a good dictionary. Kids find a great deal of satisfaction in looking up a word to see what it means and you are teaching them research skills at the same time.
- Make book shops fun. Choosing their own book occasionally can be very rewarding fora child and they’re much more likely to finish it if it is special to them. Read book reviews so you’ll be informed about what books are out there for your child and help them choose something that’s sure to capture their imagination. You can also find the names of some books your kids might enjoy by visiting www.kidstop50.co.nz, which is a website that lists the top 50 favourite books, voted on by New Zealand kids. (There’s a creepy puppet thing on the home page, but don’t let that put you off!)
- Don’t make excuses. I know your child is great at soccer and is more “sporty” than intellectual but that doesn’t mean he can’t be interested in books – especially books about soccer. There’s a book to suit every child, your job is to find it.
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