Reading
It is said that the most important basic skills are the “3 Rs”: reading, writing, arithmetic. I actually think the first stands out as the single most valuable and important educational need because with reading, you can develop or enhance those other skills too.
Reading offers adventure and entertainment. It taps our emotions, our intellect and our imagination at a deeper level than movies — because it uses more effort, it also reaps a greater reward.
Reading lifts the spirit and develops the imagination. If you want to create something, allow yourself to enjoy the creative expression of someone else as an inspiration.
Reading of any material develops the mind. When little, a child develops on all the above fronts far more when s/he reads.
But how can we get our kids to enjoy reading?
Here are some tips on getting our kids to enjoy reading…
First and foremost, from the time they are pre-born, we need to read to them.
Secondly, we need to read when they’re little. And as they develop their ability to read on their own, encourage it by having appropriate level reading material in the home (libraries still exist as do book shops!)
To get my son to read on his own, I’d start a comic or chapter book (who cares what, if it gets them going!) and then, when he was really captured I’d say, ‘Go on, it’s yours!) With the first series, the hilarious “Captain Underpants”, we read through one book. He said, “Can we get the next one?” I said, “You read this one, and when you’re finished, I’ll buy the next.” After 2 books in the series, he was off and running on his own.
Reading is a habit like any, albeit a good one. How do we develop a habit? Through repetition, right?
And the third tip I suggest is: read! I mean, I need to read if I’m going to mentor my child to read, aren’t I? And we need to let them see you doing it. A hard book, a magazine, on a tablet… But let’s get back to reading!
My story (well, my son’s actually)
When my son was 13, and I pushed him to get involved in reading, which had slackened over the past year, he found a series he really enjoyed and he said, “Thank you for reminding me how much I loved reading.” He was on a roll again for the year, although that has slackened and now at 19, it’s a hard push for him to open a book for leisure.