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Reading is encouraged from a young age, as it is crucial to helping children build their vocabulary. It opens children to exploring new worlds and widens their knowledge about places and people. If you want to get your children to improve their reading skills and comprehension, then just encouraging them to read is not going to be enough. Additionally, telling them to read is not going to work either.
As educators in the best international schools in Bangalore, we want parents to encourage their children to read – we want children to enjoy picking up a book, magazine or gadget to read. So, our teachers have helped compile a list of ten ways that have helped many children love books over the years.
Let’s start:
1. Ask Them About School
What kind of reading lessons do your children get to do during their classes? Asking them will help you figure out what the best schools in Bangalore do, what practices and techniques they use to encourage children to read, and which of those tactics might work at home for you and your little ones.
2. Talk to Them
If your children don’t like to read, ask them why. Some might say it’s hard. If that’s the case, though, check if any of your children have a reading disorder. If they struggle as a reader, they might have dyslexia. Knowing what the problem is will help you figure out ways to help your child. Addressing their reading problems early on will ensure that they become better readers, able to enjoy the process much more.
3. Make Time for It
If your ‘s schedule is filled to the brim already, that could be one of the reasons why they regard reading as an unwelcome task. You’ll want to make room in their daily schedule for reading. Allow them to enjoy the activity free from pressure.
4. Read Them Stories
One way to encourage them is to set aside time every day to read aloud to them. You could do this before bedtime. Read them stories and act those stories out. Change your voice to suit the princess, wolf, elves, and more. That will help encourage them to read and to have an active imagination.
5. Ask Them to Read the Stories
If your children refuse to read but always bring their favorite books so that you might read those stories to them, then it wouldn’t hurt to be a bit surprised in your approach. What you could do is read the lines wrong intentionally. If your children already know how to read, they’ll be incensed at the way you’re changing the lines and they’ll insist on reading those themselves. That’s one way to trick them into practicing their reading.
6. Pick the Right Books
Are you choosing books that are a bit beyond the comprehension and reading abilities of your children? That could be why they’re bored. Make sure to match the reading materials you pick with your child’s abilities. Ask the teacher for help with book titles.
That way, they’ll be motivated to read. However, that doesn’t mean that you should stop them in case they happen to reach for books that might be a bit beyond their abilities. If they’re determined to read through those, then encourage them. Don’t stand in their way.
7. Let them Pick
Don’t try to pick the books all the time. Let them choose what stories they like. When you shop online for books, browse through the selection with them. Get their opinion. Which stories do they want to read? Which ones interest them? What kind of literature do they want to read? Encouraging their taste in reading materials will motivate them to read more. In fact, you won’t even have to remind them. They’ll pick up the books on their own and they’ll even ask you for them.
8. Create a Reading Nook
Another way to get your children to read is to create the perfect reading spot for them. A reading nook where they could lie down and read for hours is perfect. You could create this nook in their room. That way, whenever they want to escape into a story, they could just plop down into that nook or corner and start reading.
9. Show Them You Read
Another way to create readers out of your children is to show them how much you love reading as well. Make it a point to have them catch you reading. Children are mimics and they’ll often imitate their role models-which are the adults around them. By showing your children how much you love to read, you can entice them to keep reading as well.
10. Read with Them
If your children struggle to read, then read with them. That’s one way to bolster their efforts and encourage your children to keep at their efforts. With your help and guidance, your children will find reading much easier. They will grow more comfortable with the practice.
11. Choose Funny Books
There’s nothing like funny books to instill a love of reading. The right stories will make a difference in whether your children fall in love with reading or not. If you’ve been reading them dry material, that could be why they’re bored and often fall asleep.
But if you read something that they end up loving, then you’ll successfully make readers out of your children. That’s why you should let humor work its magic. Pick stories with a timeless appeal too. That will help.
12. Provide Access to Books
Make it easier for them to find books. Have plenty of books at their disposal. Don’t put them at the top of the shelves where your children can’t reach. Make it accessible to them. The lower shelves should work nicely. That way, if they want something, they can easily reach out to get those titles.
Give your children a prize when they reach 10 books. You could put together a bin of goodies for them to choose from. The goodies don’t need to be expensive. But getting a surprise for every ten books can help increase your ‘s engagement and get them to add to their reading pile every day.
