Every parent knows how important reading is for their children, but they often struggle with nurturing this skill. They try buying new books, only to see them gather dust after a few days. Thoughts like ‘Isn’t it the school’s responsibility to teach reading?’ ‘My child will rather play video games than reading a book,’ ‘I’m too busy to read every day with my kids,’ etc., add fuel to the fire of confusion, overwhelm, and inaction.
While we at Delhi Public School Kota, ranked among the top 5 schools in Kota, agree that schools play a crucial role in nurturing reading skills in children, we firmly believe that a parent’s role in developing their child’s reading habits is far more powerful than any school, teacher, program, or reading app combined. After all, your kids spend more time with you than with their teachers or any app designed to nurture reading skills, so your participation matters.
We always recommend parents not just teach their kids to read but also make them understand why reading matters. Simple, consistent activities like choosing to read a book instead of watching TV, showing excitement about a new book, maintaining daily reading streaks, etc., can profoundly impact your kids. If you still doubt your role in the process, the following points will clear it for you. Read on.
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Early Reading Guide
Your role as your child’s reading guide starts at a young age. And no, you don’t necessarily have to read Shakespeare to your kids to spark interest in reading books. In fact, we at Delhi Public School Kota would like to recommend making age-appropriate efforts for tangible results. For example, if your kids are too young, start pointing at pictures in a board book.
You can also read bedtime stories around their favorite characters or narrate stories that your parents would read out to you. These steps may look trivial but can significantly help create positive associations with reading. If you’re clueless about the type of stories to read to young children, buy any age-appropriate book with multiple engaging stories.
To increase their interest in the process, don’t just read the words written in the story but also ask questions like ‘What do you think happened next?’ or ‘Why do you think the character did that?’ It will keep your children engaged throughout the process, making them hooked to reading.
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Reading Companion
Reading preferences evolve with age, and so does your role as a parent. If you were serving the role of a reading guide in your child’s early years, ensure you switch to a reading companion’s role as they grow old. In this stage, your role isn’t limited to sharing stories found in a book, but it expands to sharing your personal reading experiences and having meaningful conversations around that subject.
Try to make ‘reading’ a shared experience instead of a solo activity. For example, whenever your child comes to tell you that they’ve read the first chapter of a new book, don’t just say, ‘Good job.’ Strike conversations around their reading experience by asking related questions.
You can also start a new ritual that requires all family members to share their best reading/learning experience after finishing each chapter of a book. It will add an element of curiosity and fun to the reading process, and kids will start looking forward to their and others reading experiences.
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Reading Habit Builder
As your kids enter their teenage years, you must embrace the role of a reading habit builder. You don’t necessarily have to turn your house into a library to foster reading habits, but ensure that all relevant books are easily accessible. In this regard, we at Delhi Public School Kota, one of the top schools in Kota, firmly believe that there is no right or wrong way to facilitate habit-building because no two kids are the same. Depending on your child’s preferences and your house layout, you can create a book nook in one specific part of the house or place different genre books in different rooms.
Besides making books accessible, you can also give non-verbal cues that convey the importance of reading in one’s life. For example, if your kids often wake up seeing you having your morning tea/coffee, add a book to this equation. When kids start noticing their parents with books, they subconsciously attach a value to it. Over a period, you’ll notice your kids picking up this habit voluntarily.
Conclusion
Many believe that schools play an important role in developing reading habits in kids. While that’s unarguably true, the fact is that a parent’s role is incomparable in this process. While kids learn ‘how’ to read in schools, they learn ‘why’ it matters from their parents.
Having said that, we would like to clarify that parents aren’t expected to read a hundred complex novels or become literary experts to develop a reading habit in their kids. You just have to start where you are, use what you have, and do what you can in your capacity to spark an interest towards reading in your children. It can be something as simple as reading a bedtime story or having fun conversations around recent reading experiences. Regardless of the habit-building method you choose, remember to remain patient and consistent for noteworthy results.