Parents’ views on reading habit in children

Stories unite people. We might not remember dates, events, passwords, etc. but if someone ever told us an interesting story, we’ll always remember that. That is the power of stories. As a result, reading aloud to kids and telling them stories is a great way of keeping their attention, and inculcating the habit of self-reading in them. Many parents argue that once their children are able to read they should read by themselves, which is true, but in addition to that, reading aloud to them will help the children develop more and more interest in reading, and children with a habit of reading are likely to succeed academically as well.

Best tips by parents to inculcate a reading habit in children –

• Reading Den
  A cozy space in the corner of any room, decorated with cushions and/or soft toys, with some books, can be kept as a ‘reading den’ for children, where you read out to children or they read themselves.
• Reading Time
  Setting apart a reading time from daily routine can be really fruitful in inculcating a reading habit, an hour before bed, or an hour in the morning, whatever matches with your and your children’s routines.
• Enacting Stories
  Enacting out stories using toys and/or objects to children, makes them more interested and invested in the story than they normally would be.
• Retelling Stories
  Asking the children to retell the previous day’s story randomly throughout the day is a great way to not only communicate with them but building up the excitement of retaining what’s being read to them.
• Using Impressions
  Making impressions and using accents during reading has a special effect on children and they listen more keenly.
• Letting Children Choose Books
  Reading out the books chosen by children themselves not only excites them but also motivates them to take more interest in reading in general.
• Discussions
  Random discussions over previously read stories keep the children invested and push them to take an active interest in the stories being read out to them.

Children often tend to copy adults, hence if you keep reading stories to them, they will find it as an interesting thing to do and will read more often. Reading is the primary medium of gathering knowledge. Hence, children who are in the habit of reading are more likely to do better in academics as well.

Becoming better and fluent readers is a long journey for children as well as for their parents. This journey can be made much easier if we make our children learn phonics, as it helps in matching sounds with symbols, making it easier for children to understand and read words. Get started today by booking a free demo class with Learn2Read and see for yourself how phonics can make a difference in the learning journey of your children.