Reading books is an ongoing discovery – a world filled with excitement, adventure and knowledge. Thus, nurturing and growing a love of reading in your children is essential.
Reading is boring. Why should you read when, with a flick of a switch, you can watch entertaining programmes on TV? No thought needed, no effort required. Then there’s the internet, computer games, social media, downloading and listening to music. With so many technological distractions, books are collecting dust and our children’s brains seem to blow a fuse at the sight of a book. It’s time to change all of that. The foundation of our society is built on education and a good education starts between the covers of books. Reading skills are critical for pre-school learning and childhood development, and reading is important to every child’s success in school. Reading is knowledge and long after the TV programmes and computer games have ‘expired’ and are forgotten, knowledge will live on forever! Every parent lives through the same nightmare of trying to encourage their children to take an interest in reading. Many of us didn’t read much when we were younger, but as we’ve grown older and wiser, we somehow see the value and importance of reading. Well-known author, poet, playwright, director, performer and storyteller, Gcina Mhlophe has dedicated her life to contributing to literature and helping to preserve the heritage of African storytelling.
As a little girl, Gcina was influenced by her grandmother’s tales. And for the past 13 years, Gcina has worked tirelessly in running the NOZINCWADI Mother of Books Literacy Campaign, to help make South Africa a reading nation. ‘Encourage your child to ‘own’ books from an early age,’ says Gcina. The sooner your child enjoys reading, the easier it will be to encourage good reading habits going forward, she adds. She shares some of her tried and tested tips to help you to encourage your little ones to read:
The right book for the right age:
There’s no point in trying to force a child to read something beyond their years. Firstly, they probably won’t understand it, and secondly, if they don’t understand it they will easily become bored and look for something else to do other than reading.
Make reading interesting:
Every child has areas of interest. It could be a sport like cricket, fairies, characters from a children’s movie, outer space, places of interest or history. The list is endless and will keep changing as your child grows. You need to identify their area of interest and get them books with suitable content. There’s nothing more helpful and satisfying than reading about a topic that’s close to your heart.
Regular reading:
Reading isn’t something that should happen when you have a spare five minutes. Make a point of setting aside a regular time to read to your child (when they’re unable to read for themselves) each day. It’s also important to set aside ‘reading time’ every day for children who are old enough to read on their own. Depending on the age of your child, you may be happy with one chapter a day. Of course, if the story is gripping, one chapter could become two or three – just to see how the story develops. Encourage the habit, and it’s set for life.
Look forward to reading:
Reading to your little one should be something both of you look forward to. Be sure to read out aloud and as animated as possible. Get involved in the story and the characters – shiver when it’s cold, sound happy when you should, and get your child to laugh if that’s what’s happening in the story. Reading is all about bringing the story on the pages to life.
Also see: 5 reasons readings is good for you
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