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Books are the world in your hands. From being an armchair traveller to discovering facts and honing skills, falling in love with the written word is one of the best things you can achieve in life. Inculcating this wonderful habit in your young ones is a pride beyond compare. More than any report card with flying grades, the satisfaction of a child lost in pages of make-believe surpasses all joy. Make it a pleasant experience. Read out to them, introduce picture books and get plenty of them, so they know that they can have another one, even if they did not enjoy the first. Kids enjoy reading out, along with their parents, and indulging in role-play gives it meaning and dimension while making it a playtime activity. Such an activity gives you quality time with your child, which, in turn, makes the bonding activity all the more enjoyable. Catch them young. You can introduce pop-up books, books with stickers and jigsaw puzzles to help them develop an interest in reading. At this stage, they are the most malleable and habits introduced at a tender age get hardwired. Just like a house that stocks a lot of eatables has people eating more, a house that is full of books is bound to attract everyone towards them. As they grow, so will their interest in books. Surround them with books. At every age, they will want books of a different kind. Ensuring a wide variety of books to skim through will enable them to find their own way in the world of books. From comics to novels to autobiographies and fine coffee table books, stock them all or keep a steady supply from the nearest library. Forming a book club with like-minded parents and swapping books or discussing the same book in groups will also motivate them. This way they get to mingle with kids their age and look forward to such interactions. Display books around the house; they are prized possessions to be proud of. A small motivation can
go a long way. Try to reward
them for reading by allowing extra time for activities they enjoy.
Say, half an hour of extra TV for every book read or a favourite
ice-cream for every hour spent reading. Similarly, to make them try
out newer styles, reward them with a movie at the multiplex. These are
things that we normally let the kids do anyway, tying them to reading
makes it easier for both to get what they want, with a smile.
Read everything. From wrappers and billboards to shopping lists and pamphlets, let them read everything. Any text is good text as long as they are reading it. The internet is a wonderful option that provides an age-appropriate, interactive experience, a huge library waiting to be explored. Involve them in choosing what they read. The books they enjoy the most will invariably be one that they choose along with you. Every child has favoured subjects, type (comics, magazines, story books and novels) and level. Have them read books at their pace, not what other kids of their age are reading. When we put forth a collection of carefully selected, age-appropriate and highly recommended books, we forget that books are more like clothing that needs to be tried on and chosen for personal taste. Make an example. The biggest role models for kids are their parents, so read when they are around. When they see you reading they want to be a part of that world too and will follow your example. Turn off the idiot box and rein in the power of written word. Parents who follow every soap on TV have kids who enjoy all those soaps as well. Don’t expect kids to pick up books on their own and sit in another room and read it all by themselves; such habits have to be carefully cultivated. Don’t fuss over correct pronunciation, initially. Resist the urge to correct them every time they stress a syllable wrongly or cannot say a word properly. Continuous reprimanding will only make them lose interest and make it a herculean task of trying to please you. Remember, we want them to love reading, and grammar classes can wait a while till you introduce them to the wonders of a dictionary, that is. Choose your timing wisely. No point trying to introduce reading to a child whose friend is calling out to him for a game of cricket. The best time is when the only other option is something they abhor. Asking them to clean their room, help with household chores like lining the dustbins or read a book will invariably result in a book in hand.
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