Every parent also doubles as the first teacher of their kids. There are many things that parents will need to teach their kids that they might never learn in classrooms. Even those things that are learned in the classrooms need to be reinforced at home.
When it comes to reading, you can help your child become ferocious readers. If you want to raise your kids as readers, you need to help them do the basic daily activities that help boost their reading skills and increase literacy skills.
Learning is a skill that needs to be taught, learned, and practiced regularly. To be proficient at reading takes a lot of hard work and practice. You have to get your kids to put in the time and effort if you’re going to make readers out of them. Make sure that from the start of their lives, they have a positive reading experience. This will spur them to want to learn to read by themselves.
Whether you’re a reader or not, if you want to make your kids readers, you must ensure that you create positive associations with the reading activity. It shouldn’t be something that is forced or that they find boring and uninterested in. It has to be something that is their second nature, and they love to do.
Reading plays a vital role in learning and education. The success of kids in their academics hangs all-around their level of literacy. Helping them to develop a strong reading habit and grow their reading skills will help them to thrive.
You have more work on your hands as a parent if you wish to raise a reader. If you don’t know how to go about this, the following tips will help you.
1. Make sure they live and grow in an environment that’s full of books.
Even before they start to crawl, make sure that you already have baby story books everywhere around your home. Create a book-filled environment around them from infancy. As they grow older, make it easy for them to access magazines, newspapers, and other forms of books or reading materials that might interest them. Make sure that every room in your house has book baskets. Label all the items you have in your house, including dresser drawers and toy bins. Activate closed captioning while watching TV. All of these will force them to start reading from a tender age.
2. Read out loud to them.
Before they get to the stage where they start to read for themselves, make it a daily habit to read books to them. It could be your night ritual to read a story or a book chapter before going to bed every night. This becomes a part of them, such that they quickly pick up books to read one after the other by themselves, as they grow older.
This technique isn’t only useful for when they can read yet. It also works for you if you notice that your child struggles with reading. Win back their interest in books by reading interesting stories to them.
3. Discuss the books they read.
If your child is already six years old and above and can read by themselves, then it’s time to start holding conversations with them. Since you’re not going to be reading it to them again, you can as well ask them questions from it. Create time for them to summarize each book or chapter to you once they’re done with it and ask them questions. The excitement of summarizing and discussing the book with you will keep them reading.
4. Don’t be eager to move up levels.
Reading is a skill that needs to be learned and practiced. With this, the child will get better. One mistake you’ll make is to move up book levels too quickly before the child is ready to advance. Until you’re sure that they’re ripe for the next level and have the knowledge and vocabulary to handle next level books, let them continue reading in their comfort zone. There’s no need to rush. It could backfire if you rush them before they are ready. Once they go from reading and flowing to consistently struggling to pronounce words, it could discourage them and make them lose interest in reading. So take it as slowly as possible. The more books they can conquer with ease, the more confident they get in their reading skills.
5. Take them for library visits regularly.
If you start to train your kids with books early enough, it will make sense to start taking them to the library as they come of age. They are likely going to be excited at the possibility of seeing so many books by different authors. This way, you’ll be opening them up further into the world of books and what will be their world as a reader. You should create a family routine that ensures you visit the library regularly together.
6. Be a role model.
The best way that children learn is by doing what they see older people do. As a parent that wants to raise readers, you have to be ready. Your babies must see you pick up novels, magazines, newspapers, etc., to read apart from when you’re reading out to them. This makes it easier for them to emulate you. Make it a conscious practice to read in their presence and watch them pick it up from you.
Conclusion
Raising reading children isn’t an easy task. You have to do a little bit extra than other parents, but you know it’s for good. Your children will end up being that little extra among their peers.
Author Bio:
Arthur Evans is a professional freelance writer working for an A-grade best essay writing service UK. His job is to coordinate with students, understand their thesis, dissertation requirements, write and deliver premium-quality work within the deadline. Feel free to contact him via Twitter.
