Reading to me is like a mug of hot chocolate on a cold morning or a nice cool swim on a sweltering day or lying in on Sunday morning with no commitments to drag me from my comfortable position. Much like the analogies stated, with a busy household and family to run, reading is not a pastime I get to engage in as much as I like. It’s amazing if I even get a moment to read the headlines.
Much to my dismay, my older children do not share my immense love for the written word. My carefully cherished Enid Blyton novels, rather than be read are used as coasters, door stoppers or an intricate part in a fort my son is building. Why are my children allergic to books? Studies show that by reading children are able to improve and acquire a vast number of useful skills rather than just improving their language skills; the ability to concentrate, to build imagination for them to process, reason and engage in what the writer is trying to say are all important attributes to cultivate. When questioning my daughter as to why she wouldn’t read another favourite classic, her response was “Oh Mum, I’ll just watch the movie!”. Unfortunately this is the result of the easily accessible technological word that we live in, everything is at our fingertips and no one wants the time or effort to engage in physically tiring work such as reading.
Children don’t like to read for various reasons. Some are too busy with a variety of activities that they do not have the time. Then others who find reading difficult say that’s no fun. Either way, if a child doesn’t want to read he will always find an explanation. Feeling frustrated about these turn of events I do resort to drastic measures to get them to read. I cajole, encourage, bribe and eventually threaten when I fear that things are not going my way! But unfortunately this has not solved the problem and of course my approach has been wrong.
Here are some ways to successfully encourage your child to become a reader.
1. Start your children reading about subjects that they enjoy. My son is currently into dinosaurs and has got himself some books on the subject. Even if his main interest is to look at the pictures, his curiosity will get him around to reading the subject matter.
2. Children learn through example and if they see you reading, whether it’s the newspaper or a novel they too will be encouraged.
3. Encourage older children to read to their younger siblings. Older children take a great thrill in showing off their abilities which they feel are superior to their younger counterparts. The younger ones will enjoy having stories read to them.
4. Try and set aside some time in the evening or after dinner where everyone has to read. Just like how they play, watch T.V or practise their musical instruments, a time can be reserved for reading.
5. Children can sometimes be daunted by the size of the books. Introduce them to a bookmark and reassure them that they do not have to finish the book in one sitting, they can always stop when they are tired and come back to it later.
Trying to help children get on the right path is not an easy process. These are just some tactics I can recommend since I am also looking out for suggestions to help my older two along. I can only show them the way, it is up to them to go on the journey.
Text by Mayuri Jayasinghe
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