Dr. Seuss once said, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go!” Indeed, reading ignites the spark of learning and it’s an integral part of childhood. However, in this day and age, getting children to form a reading habit means fighting an uphill battle against the myriad of devices they are surrounded with. Devices can be a part of your child’s life, but they certainly shouldn’t be their primary source of entertainment.
If you are facing challenges trying to get your children to form a reading habit, fret not. We have some helpful tips to help you!
1. Surround Your Child With Books!
Keep screen time as limited as possible and surround your child with books from a very early age. Let them form the habit of reaching for a book instead of the remote control when they are in search of something to keep themselves occupied with.
2. Role Model a Reading Culture
Setting an example is one of the best ways to help your children to form a reading habit. Perhaps push your Netflix time to after they are asleep and let them see you picking up a book to read when you have the time. Chances are, they will do the same.
3. Give Your Child a Reading Corner
Children love to take ownership of things so set up a space or have a little shelf that’s their own reading corner. Let them get involved in setting up, decorating, and picking the books. This will help to ignite their passion for reading.
4. Printable Activities Help Children to Form a Reading Habit
If your child is a reluctant reader, perhaps you can start with something more bite-sized than an entire book. There is a plethora of reading-related material that you can print online – worksheets, reading Bingo, sight words list, blending cards, and so much more! You can check out HP’s printables where you can find a wide array of printable activities from colouring pages to fun math learning games!
Many of these activities are customisable to your child’s needs and you can even encourage them to choose an activity that they like. In doing so, you will give your children a sense of ownership over what they are learning.
Watch parent coach, Jacinth Liew, for some useful tips!
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5. Make Reading a Routine
Everything is easier when it’s a habit. Set aside a specific time for reading, say, for example, half an hour before bedtime, and do it diligently every single day. It becomes a habit in no time. You can also squeeze in reading where the situation permits – like the back of cereal boxes, signboards while you are driving, and so on.
6. Read Aloud To and With Your Children
Read to your children when they are young and continue to do it as they get older. You can read together or even take turns. The benefits are aplenty. Research shows that most kids benefit when their parents read aloud to them, even when they are older and able to read by themselves. Read-aloud advocate Jim Trelease explains,
“Reading aloud to your child is a commercial for reading. When you read aloud, you’re whetting a child’s appetite for reading.”
7. When it Comes to Presents, Choose Books Over Toys
Children are likely to outgrow toys way faster than books, so if you think of it as an investment, books are for the win! Also, in gifting your children books, you are building a reading culture and helping your children to form a reading habit.
8. Talk About Books Your Children Have Read
Make reading a big part of your life by extending reading to discussions of the characters and the storyline. Get creative and make them do a book review, dramatise a part of the book, or even design a poster or advertisement for the books they have read.
Use your family printer to print some of these out and put them up for display around the house or their room to make them fully immersed in the experience of books. Remember, with your HP Instant Ink subscription plan, you won’t have to worry about spending too much on printer ink or running out of it when you want it most!
9. Give Incentives and Rewards for Reading
Incentives work wonders with children, even as they get older. You can change things up and offer a range of incentives. Sometimes it can be something simple like candy, an ice cream, playtime, or it can be an accumulation of points in return for something bigger.
Use your HP Printer to print out a reward chart and keep track of your children’s progress. Making it visual will be of great help to them.
10. Visit Libraries and Bookstores
How about setting aside a day of the week that your children will speak of for years to come? It can start with a meal out, followed by an afternoon spent in the library, or picking out books at their favourite bookstore and end it with some ice cream? Sounds perfect!
Mums and dads, getting your children to form a reading habit isn’t all that hard. If they are not that into it, it might take some patience and perseverance on your end, but in due time, you will see your efforts coming to fruition.
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We hope that you have found these tips useful. Remember, if you get your children to form a reading habit when they are young, they are likely to grow up to be lifelong readers!
