ADVICE RATING |
 4.62 (Highly recommend) from 35 votes (615 Visits) |
I have always loved books and go through books as quickly as I can get my hands on them. I especially love children’s books and now I have the perfect excuse to buy them – two gorgeous children to nurture and share with. As a consequence my son has
loved books from an early age.
However, I know from contact with other parents that this is not always the case. If you are not a reader yourself it can be difficult to know why and how to read with your children.
Your child needs to read one thousand books before they learn to read. This does not mean that you should teach them to read. Your time reading with them should be fun for both of you. By making it fun you make them want to read. Surround them with words and they begin to make connections that will help them learn to read later.
By showing your child that books are fun you create a love that should last a lifetime. They will want to surround themselves with books and will enjoy reading and learning.
You also give their imagination a huge boost. Your child will have access to a whole world that they may never see in reality. They can count animals in the African plains and travel on an iceberg with penguins. They can also discover all sorts of things that they won’t see in every day life – for example, monsters, dinosaurs, pirates and fairies.
Books give them a great chance to see life through someone else’s eyes and can open up great discussions between parent and child. Books can help you broach subjects you might be struggling with – such as birth, death, grief, change, sharing and even toilet training!
However, the best reason to read with your children is that it gives them a great boost. Someone that really matters is willing to take time to do something together with them. Every time you sit with your child for even just a few minutes you are saying that you care about them and that they are worthwhile.
If you are having difficulty reading with your child, can I encourage you to make the time? Even ten minutes a day will make a huge difference. Try and read three stories a day, even if it is the same story three times over. Your child will develop favourites that you could well end up knowing off by heart!
Find books that both you and your kids enjoy. If you see a book at school or on “playschool” that they really enjoy, try and get it for your own use at home. Also, look for books with subjects they like. For example, if your child loves trucks they will love a book about trucks and this makes getting their attention a lot easier.
Have fun reading out loud. Read with animation – make silly voices, act out the story, ask questions and let the story come alive. Try playing eye spy with the pictures in the book. Get your child to tell you what they think should happen next. It should be a joyful experience – not a chore. If story time ends up with you both laughing loudly then that is a huge achievement – though, you might want to keep some ‘quieter’ stories just for bedtime.
So, enjoy sharing your time with your child and as Australian author Mem Fox says “Read aloud every day because you just love being with your child, not because it’s the right thing to do”.
(November 2006) (
.
