Developing Reading Habits in Children

Gaming consoles, Internet, texting – with so many distracting options that surround the lives of children nowadays, it’s common to notice neatly-stacked booksladen with heaps of dust because kids cannot be bothered with books in their free time, partly due to lack of sufficient time and majorly due to lack of interest in reading.
Children who shrink away from reading were one of my biggest fears back then, when my son was merely 3 years old. An avid reader that I am, taking chances in this matter was the risk I couldn’t afford.
Reading breeds smarter kids and compromising on this aspect of my child’s personality would’ve been a very difficult thing for me to make peace with.
Knowing this, I tried the tips given below that you may also implement to beat any slight possibility of your child turning into a non-reader:

Make a Separate Reading Room – Keep this room to be somewhat isolated from the rest of the rooms at home, if possible. A peaceful area and a comfortable décor encouraged Ron to explore the books without much pestering. Although he started with 15-20 minutes of stay in the room, his duration begin to increase with time. I only had to make sure initially that he gets in the room for a few minutes every day.
Read Aloud From Tender Years – Daily story telling sessions can be very intriguing for children, especially if you try to make alive the whole experience by changing your tones and expressions according to appropriate situations as the story proceeds.
I remember ordering one of the storybook or fairytale costumes from Wizard of Oz and dressing up as the wicked witch during one story telling session when Ron’s friends came for a sleepover on his birthday. Kids love such stuff and it just makes them more curious about the story. You may not do it every day, of course. But you can always use a special occasion.
Buy Books Together– There’s no need for you to fret over the fact that your child picks up a book that’s too easy for their age. Don’t interfere with their choice. Let him read books that he enjoys. Developing their liking for reading should be your primary focus here.
You may suggest them to try the first book of any popular children’s literature series. Ron started on with Harry Potter and is still crazy for it till date. Beginning with a series will keep them hooked and motivate them to pick the sequels on their own.


By Brenda Lyttle for The Healthy Moms Magazine


Brenda Lyttle is a freelance writer and a work-at-home mom who loves trying out new ways to enhance the skills of her 12-year old son and keeps him occupied in fun yet productive activities all day long. Lyttle loves making different superherohalloween costumes for her son every year. She commands an authority in writing on parenting, beauty products 2012, healthy living, and other related topics.
This article first appreared on The Healthy Moms Magazine on May 16, 2012