Reading helps young kids improve their reading and communication skills, vocabulary, and stimulates their imagination. It also instills a sense of curiosity and helps children learn about a variety of subjects. However, with short attention spans and technology taking their minds away from books, inspiring young children to take an interest in reading can be challenging. If you want to inspire a love for reading in your little ones, below are a few tips you can use.
Read Aloud
Create a reading session with young children where you get to read aloud to them. This is especially important when your kids are too young to read on their own. You can start by simply reading them bedtime stories every evening so that you create a routine they look forward to. When reading aloud to young children, make it as interesting as possible by using different intonations, mimicking sounds, and using gestures to illustrate situations. This way, you bring the story to life. You can also listen to audiobooks with your young kids to get them exposed to stories and language. This reinforces the idea that books are fun and boosts their interest in reading.
Encourage Interactive Reading
Make reading with your children an interactive experience. When reading a story, take time to look at the pictures together and ask them what they see and think about them. Ask for their opinions about the story and try to make them anticipate or predict what happens next. You can also act out what happens in the book and try to make a connection between the story and real-life situations. This not only makes reading an exciting experience for kids but also helps them pick up useful life skills.
Don’t Force It
Reading should not be a tiresome chore or a mandatory activity that young kids must endure. You need to make it fun if you want to inspire their love for books. While you may have good books that you think they should read, you should not force those books on your young kids. Give them the freedom to choose what they find interesting, and do not make it mandatory to finish a book or story in one session. This will eliminate the perception that reading is an obligation they must fulfill just to please you.
Have a Variety of Books at Home
The best way to expose your child to the reading culture is by having books around your home. You can put up a mini library where you stock children’s books and comics. This way, your child can easily access books whenever they want to. Have a large variety of books to choose from so they can be excited to read, their curiosity is triggered, and it makes them eager to learn something new each time they pick up a book.
Be A Role Model
Young children learn better based on what they see. Therefore, if you want your little ones to develop a reading habit, you must set a good example by being reading whenever you can instead of watching TV or being on your phone. Other than always reading your favorite books, you should also go through their reading materials and read with them. This way, your young kids will get the impression that reading is a fun activity and will be open to picking up a book for fun.
It is necessary to introduce young kids to reading early in life so they can get used to it and enjoy it. With the above tips, you can inspire your kids to read for fun and view reading as a pleasurable and fulfilling activity.
Author Bio:
Elisha is a qualified freelance writer for hire with 6-years’ experience in blogging, web content creation and blog post writing. He is currently interested in teaching people how to make money online, and writing articles on education, health, business, food, travel, finance, children, and technology.
