5 ways to make your kids love reading

All parents want their children to be fond of reading. It not only helps them academically, but fuels creativity. Reading is a healthy hobby that decreases your kids’ dependence on screens and gadgets for entertainment while helping them pick up languages quicker and linguistic details like grammar and syntax. This habit develops their vocabulary naturally and increases their attention span. However, not all kids are born readers or bookworms. In such a case, you need to inculcate reading habit in your child. Here is how you can do so. 

Start at an early age 
Expose children to sory books from a very young age. Akbar and Birbal, Panchtantra stories, fables, Tenaliraman are good options to start with. Find illustrated publications if possible. They lend a lot of visual stimulation. You’d be surprised to see how much interest children show in educational reading materials as well. You can also buy your kid an encyclopaedia, pocket- sized books of facts, illustrated dictionary, etc.  

Make it a bonding activity 
In the early stages, read with your children. Encourage them to read the stories out loud, help them with pronunciation and diction. Act out their favourite parts of the story and encourage them in building empathy with the characters. The more they associate these memories with reading, the more are they likely to stick with the activity for a long time. Share with them your own favourite books and tell them about your experience with reading. 

Don’t limit your child’s scope of interest 
Reading doesn’t begin and end at novels. Acquaint kids with comic books and graphic novels. Popular comic series like Archie’s and the growing trend of graphic novels and mangas (Japanese comics) can play a critical role in keeping your child engaged and maintaining his interest in reading. Let him explore genres from fantasy to sci-fi, young adult fiction to thrillers. Don’t discourage your kid from picking options that are above or below their reading level. It isn’t just about propelling his intellectual and linguistic growth, it is about helping your child establish a genuine emotional connection with reading. 

Help her seek out friends with similar interests 
A peer group that is just as passionate or involved in exploring books can further foster your children’s reading habits. They start to associate the habit of reading with the feeling of belonging to a community. Friends can introduce your kids to a wider range of genres and communal practices like sharing and borrowing books will also help them strengthen friendships and social connections. Joining book clubs in school and at local libraries and community centres can also help. 

Make use of the internet 
You can now find numerous alternatives to hard copy books that are at the same time less expensive and easier to access. Starting from e-books, audio books, translated texts to book exchange drives and second-hand sellers, you can find many resources online. Encourage your child to participate in online communities and platforms for readers. Help him create accounts on websites like Goodreads and explore its features. Writing book reviews and recommendations will also help your child develop writing habits. This will also promote analytical and critical thinking.