When a child sees something new, they become enthralled! They want to take it in their hands, touch it, and feel it! This is how a young child’s inquisitive mind works. This is where a parent’s role is crucial. This is the point at which you enter the picture! It is the time to introduce them to items that will quench their interest. Colors, photos, words, textures, characters, illustrations, and numbers are just a few examples. Or something that has everything, like books!? How to develop reading habits in your kids? How do you develop a love of reading in your children? Continue reading to find out the tips that will make your kids fall in love with reading books.
Tips to follow to develop reading habits in kids:
#1 Start Early
Many parents are stumped when it comes to instilling the habit of reading in their children. Reading is something that children do not want to do. They prefer to play outside, watch TV, or, more commonly these days, play on phones and tablets, but they will not willingly take up a book to read. The earlier you introduce kids to books, the easier it will be to develop a reading habit in them. It leaves a lasting impression when you introduce children to reading at a young age. It prepares kids for school and assists them in adapting to the reading-focused learning environment in future schools, while also encouraging them to return to their original love of non-academic literature!
#2 Make reading cues
The Montessori school or environment encourages kids to want to learn about the world through reading. You can establish a similar atmosphere at home and set reading cues throughout the day. You don’t need a lot of bookshelves or a lot of space to read. It could be a couch corner or a chair in your child’s sleeping area. Choosing a comfortable area with adequate light and space to store a book or two will help your kid associate reading with comfort and coziness.
The bedtime reading practice is a lovely cue that also serves as a reminder to relax and sleep. You can also make small reading nooks for your toddler to explore books in. Here is one more idea, you can even set aside time for both you and your child to read their books.
#3 Read aloud to the kids!
Reading aloud to a reluctant reader is an excellent approach to pique their interest. Children learn early language skills and develop sound awareness when you read books aloud to them. They also help to develop important listening skills. Most importantly, reading is a wonderful way to interact with your children and build meaningful bonds. Such events stay with them for the rest of their life.
Allow your kid to witness you reading, whether it’s books, periodicals, or graphic novels. What children observe is what they learn. If you enjoy reading, your child will most likely share your enthusiasm. Make it a habit to read every day.
#4 Make it a habit to read every day.
You may begin raising a reader the day your baby arrives home. The calming cadence of a voice reading aloud, as well as being hugged on a warm lap, soothes babies. If you make reading a part of your daily routine, your child is more likely to enjoy it.
#5 Visit the library regularly.
The library is an excellent resource for discovering new authors and books for free. Many libraries also provide children’s story hours or other literacy initiatives. Trips to the library allow your child to acquire healthy reading habits while also observing other children doing the same.
#6 Allow kids to choose what they want to read.
When you give your kid time to look around and explore, that trip to the library might become even more memorable. Children are more likely to desire to read books that they choose themselves. Give your kid a section of books to choose from if you’re worried about finding the correct reading level or topic.
#7 Re-read the books with your kids.
You may grow bored of reading the same story again and over, but your kid might like it. Kids enjoy spotting details in stories and pictures that they missed the first time around. They can also correlate the words they see on the page with the words they hear by rereading. Your child may eventually begin reading the book to you.
Montessori uses ingenious methods make children better readers.
There are some interesting strategies to raise lifelong readers in Montessori schools. A few tactics are proven to be effective in establishing an independent reading habit. Montessori teachers create and enhance a learning environment that ignites a child’s desire to learn independently. This environment is also intended to provide children with a sense of independence. Simultaneously, they develop a strong work ethic, which is a valuable life skill. The Montessori method encourages kids to imagine and use all of their senses during learning. Montessori reading materials are multisensory and visual.
This fits in wonderfully with reading, which is more than just deciphering words. They learn to use their senses to make real-life connections and to imagine scenes or scenarios in their brains. Reading is developed with a mind-body connection, which promotes information retention, using a Montessori approach and combining visual, aural, and kinesthetic learning techniques.
Takeaway:
Reading is one of the most important skills for children that helps them to achieve long-term success. The more books a child reads, the richer their vocabulary gets. There are many benefits of reading books. Reading helps children’s brain growth greatly. Reading helps children improve their attention span, strengthen their language skills, and improve their memory retention and concentration. Parents are encouraged to take steps to help drive their children to read because building reading habits in kids benefit them in different ways. Follow the tips mentioned in the article to develop reading habits in your kids.
