Encourage your child to read with comic books
READING is a lifelong habit. The easiest way to cultivate this habit is to build routines around it. Previously, after dinner many families would read the newspaper together.
Mum and dad read the news and the children read the comics page and eventually progressed to sports, entertainment, the news and full books. However, now most people don’t get newspapers every day, so we need to adapt.
Comic books are a good entry point for reading – you can find suitable ones for a child as young as seven. There are many comic books based on TV shows and movies. Chances are your child has seen and likes a character that also appears in a comic book, so use that to encourage reading.
A weekly trip to a bookstore to buy a comic becomes a fun routine (never use it as a reward or punishment).
You can also look over the comic and ask your child what happens and see if he understands. This also lets you check that the comic is a good fit.
If your child is a weaker reader, you can read the comic book with him, helping with words and building confidence.
Let your child do as much of the reading as possible. You only read when it gets too difficult.
The next step is moving your child from comic books to picture books then full novels.
Many children find the Geronimo Stilton / Thea Stilton books a good second step. More advanced readers have loved the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. These can lead to Artemis Fowl, Percy Jackson and eventually, Harry Potter –all good books kids love.
If your child is developing as a reader, you can transfer your weekly bookstore trip from buying a comic book to buying a picture reader – always let your child pick the title.
If your child resists and wants a comic, alternate between buying a book one week and a comic the next. If your child earns an allowance, let him save for a comic book while you buy a storybook.
Some children will want to read comic books their whole life. As long as they aren’t only reading comics, this isn’t bad. There are comic books written for all ages and some mature comic books can deal with very serious ideas.
You don’t want to stop a child from reading comics if that is his only preference. A child might get bored of comics and change. You can encourage that by seeing which movies interest him and getting him to read the book adaptation.
Star Wars books are very good for this and the movie books often lead to many more, guiding a reader into the habit of reading long stories for fun.
Remember, someone who reads may change from one type of book (comics) to another (novels) but someone who has been discouraged from reading may never take up the habit again.
■ To learn more about the British Council’s English courses for children aged five to 17, log on to www.britishcouncil.my/children or call 03-2780 3809.
There are many comic books based on TV shows and movies. Chances are your child has seen and likes a character that also appears in a comic book, so use that to encourage reading.