Bring out the Reader in your Child

An interesting and beneficial piece of article read during the Aidilfitri holidays:

Bring Out the Reader in your Child (from Jusco Pearl magazine, Sept 2009).

Some important points that I have grasped from this article are:

1. “When you open a book with your children, you are opening the world for them".

2. Why kids lose the desire to read- this is because they tend to associate reading with work, not pleasure, as they learn reading skills in school”.

3. The desire of curiosity and interest is the cornerstone to becoming lifelong readers.

To create a supportive reading environment:
1. Read aloud (the earlier you start doing this, the better, even a baby of a few months can see pictures, listen to your voice and turn cardboard pages).
2. Make it special (no distractions of tv or telephones, hold kids and share the pleasure of a story book)
3. Bring the story alive (use sound effects as you read, if the dog says woof woof in the book, bark like a dog. If the truck rumbles along the road, make a rumbly noise. Children love sound effects when reading as it makes the story come to life, reading made fun!)
4. Continue reading aloud-many parents tend not to read once their children are able to read to themselves. You should
a) Create a reading-rich home
b) Model reading to child by being a reader yourself
c) Let your kids be IN CHARGE of what they read
d) Make reading a happy and creative pursuit