Introducing books and the magical world of reading to your child is a significant moment in every parent's life.
From then on, their children build lifelong relationships with books and reading, so it is in everyone’s interests to make it right on the first try.
Some children don’t need much encouragement when it comes to books, while others require some convincing!
Here are a few ways you can get your kids interested in reading.
Set an Example
How often does your child see you with a book in your hands? Not a Kindle, your phone or even a magazine, but an actual book.
If the answer is 'not often' then you need to work on that first.
Children learn by example and they will emulate your behaviour and habits.
If they pick their mother or father as the role model, they will want to do anything they are doing, which includes reading.
So, if the last thing you were seen reading is a writersperhour review on your phone, we have a problem!
You need to step up here. If you want to get your kids interested in reading, you need to set an example.
You can’t convince children that reading is fun, important, and interesting if you don’t ever read books yourself.
On the contrary, if your child often sees you so absorbed in reading that nothing seems to distract you they'll think reading is fun and absorbing.
Your child will automatically be curious about what is so interesting and want to get into those books too.
Give them a bookcase of their own, with a wide range of suitable books for them to investigate.
Start Young
It's important to start kids reading, or at least interacting with books, as young as possible.
Even babies can get hold of simple cloth books with black and white illustrations.
Young toddlers will love bath books with their squishy pages and fun illustrations.
And you can start reading to your children from the earliest age.
Text like the rhymes from the Dr Seuss books will engage and encourage older children to try reading on their own.
When kids become interested in stories, they also become interested in learning how to read those stories.
A child who is eager to listen to books being read at bedtime and throughout the day will soon grow impatient to read those books on their own, especially if you raise them to be independent.
You won’t even need to push them.
Surround kids with books and they will want to read.
Once your child is beginning to learn to read, you should encourage their studies by reading stories together.
As they get older, this special time of reading together does not need to stop and you will help them build beautiful memories of reading books together.
So, for them, books are something that connects them to happy memories of childhood and their parents.
Find What They Love
Parents may believe that their child doesn’t like reading when, in fact, their children simply don’t like reading what they have been given.
School reading schemes are often tedious and many kids will do anything but read them!
Most parents start with classical books for children, such as Beatrix Potter, fairy tales, Aesop's Fables etc.
We give our children the books we used to love as kids or the books that their older siblings love.
But of course, every child is different.
This individuality means each will have their own personal preference in stories, no matter how old they are.
Instead of the classics or the school reading scheme, think about what your child loves.
If you are raising a child who seems indifferent to fairy tale stories about princesses, try giving them books about pirates, adventures, and travel stories.
Give them books about dinosaurs, mermaids, insects, cats, superheroes or whatever it is they are really interested in.
One may settle down with a pile of LEGO making books, while another loves books about animals.
You can even read some academized reviews to find writers or genres that will interest your child, or give you brief analyses of children's books.
Overall, every kid has their favourite story, even if they don’t know it yet.
It is your job to find that book and give it to them.
Chances are, as soon as they find the genre they love, they will keep asking you for new books as soon as they finish the ones they had.
Don’t Push Them
Whatever ou do, don’t turn reading into a chore your kid must do.
As soon as you make reading one of a child’s obligations, you will destroy it for them.
Reading should never be another task on the list that your child needs to complete.
This is why many children resist reading according to their school's agenda.
Reading should be a pleasure.
There is something magical about picking the right book and getting lost in those pages.
Your child will never learn about this if you push them to read without considering their interests and feelings.
Create the Right Space and Make Time
Like all of us, sometimes children just don't have the opportunity to read, so they don't.
Try to resist filling your family's timetable and your kid's schedule with activities.
Make sure your child has the time throughout the day to grab a book and spend an hour or so reading.
Encourage reading instead of screentime and, if possible, hide those devices away.
Start a time after lunch or on a weekend morning where everyone sits and reads quietly (back to point one, set an example).
Make bedtime a special time for reading books together, even for older children.
In your home and family, try to create an appropriate environment for reading, and maybe your kid will grab this opportunity.
You could even create a special reading nook with cosy personalised blankets and throws, an inviting space to read.
Your children might just take you up on it!
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