Books are a fundamental part of human culture and civilization, serving as essential tools for education, personal growth, and the safeguarding of knowledge and ideas. They offer a gateway to the past, a lens on the present, and a vision for the future. Instilling a love for books and valuing them in your children is essential for their intellectual and personal development.
No child is dumb! I believe every child is smart and unique if parents guide them well. If your child is not reading you might want to apply these 10 principles I will be sharing in this article. Do not forget reading books as a child has a profound impact on their intellectual, emotional, and social development. It contributes to their academic success, enhances their imagination, and promotes empathy and understanding. Encouraging a reading habit from a young age is one of the most valuable gifts parents and caregivers can provide to children.
Here are 10 ways to get your child to value books.
- Lead by Example: Children often emulate the behaviours they see in adults. If they see parents, guardians, or caregivers reading and valuing books, they are more likely to develop a similar attitude.
- Start Early: Introduce books to your child from an early age. Even infants can benefit from being read to and looking at picture books. Make reading a part of their daily routine. This way you prioritize reading.
- Make a Monthly Budget for Books. Let your child look up to a new and interesting book monthly. Let your child see how you invest in books. Also, ensure the books are age-appropriate, so your child won’t struggle with reading books. That can be discouraging.
- Create a Reading-Friendly Environment: Set up a comfortable and inviting reading space at home. Ensure it’s well-lit, quiet, and filled with a variety of age-appropriate books. Also encourage your child to keep the books safe and tidy after reading.
- Allow Choice: Let your child select the books they want to read. Allowing your child to choose what interests them can make reading more pleasurable and engaging. Find books related to your child’s interests, whether it’s animals, sports, adventure, or science. This can foster a passion for learning.
- Encourage Discussion: when your child has read a book, discuss the story, characters, and their thoughts and feelings about it. Encourage critical thinking.
- Set Reading Goals: Challenge your child to set reading goals, such as reading a certain number of pages or books per week or month. Reward achievements. Your child will be inspired to read more. Your reward doesn’t have to be too expensive, candies, new writing material, balloons, etc can be used for younger children, for teenagers, you can step up their reward as you can afford.
- Gift Books: Birthday cakes and other material gifts are not the only gift items to get for your child. Consider giving books as presents for birthdays and other special occasions.
- Incorporate Technology: Yes, while physical books are important, e-books and audiobooks can also be engaging. Use technology to diversify the reading experience for your child.
- keep Books Safe: Encourage your child to take good care of their books. Advise them not to read in a messy or cluttered space. Ask them to clear the table before reading to prevent any spills of food or water that could damage the book. Promote this habit of mindfulness.
- Hang out with books: Whenever your child is going out to the saloon or barber shop etc, encourage the child to go with a book. Don’t give phones or tablets to the child, give the child a book. For the several minutes or hours the child will be there, the child is adding value and maximizing the time. Give it a try!
By incorporating these principles, you can create an environment that encourages children to value books and develop a lifelong love of reading. Not only will reading develop your child cognitively, socially, and the over well-being, but your child will also travel the world by flipping through the pages of books.