How to Introduce Good Reading Habits among Toddlers
Nowadays, children are glued to the television set as it is the easiest type of entertainment. Books are passé and boring, as they require an effort on the part of the child. However, it is very important that children develop good reading habits at an early age.
Create a small library
Children love shopping, especially when it is for them. Take your child to the bookstore and pick out a variety of books, such as, picture books, sticker books, activity books, colouring books, pop-up books, short stories, etc. The child will be eager to go through them once he/she has returned home.
Three stages to inculcate reading
There are basically three stages to inculcate good reading practices among children. The first stage is to ‘read to the child’. The parent should read out the story and point out the pictures to the child. This will need several repetitions so that the child becomes acquainted with the story.
The second stage is to ‘read along with the child’. Here, both the parent and the child should read the story together. This helps the child to use the correct pronunciation and to remember key words in the story. It also aids the child to read the story through the pictures (especially when the child is too young to actually read the words). This is often called ‘picture reading’, whereby the child uses the corresponding pictures to tell the story.
The third stage is to ‘let the child read to the parent’. This imparts a level of confidence in the child and allows him/her to master the language.
Sharing with Friends
It is impossible to keep buying books all the time and, hence, a library system can be devised among a few friends. In this way, children can exchange books for a few days and thereby get access to ‘new’ books.
Reading Club
Some cities have reading clubs for children where these children group together once or twice a week under the supervision of a teacher. The teacher guides the children on the best methodologies to adopt (phonetic or by sight) and helps the children master the art of reading and story telling. However, some kids feel that this is similar to a school system and may not like to attend such clubs.
