Parents’ role
PARENTS play a very important role in the nurturing of young readers.
Those with young children should spend time reading aloud to the child. No matter how young the child is, parents should read to them because babies love to hear their parent’s voice.
It has been said that children are made readers on the laps of their parents.
Many mothers-to-be even read to their unborn child in their womb and this has resulted in better bonding between mother and child.
Parents should buy books that cater for young minds. These books are called “Big Books” and have brightly coloured pictures with bold prints. Some have pop up pictures that are three dimensional.
When you read to the young ones, make them sit beside you or read to them in bed. Show them the book as you read by pointing to the words.
Read slowly and lively dramatising when necessary. Allow the child to marvel at the pictures on the page. Encourage the child to read along or to engage with the text by reciting interesting repetitive phrases found in the book.
After reading the book, talk to your child about the pictures, the title and moral messages in the story. Try to make the story meaningful and relevant by connecting the story to the child’s own life experience.
Make frequent visits to the bookshop and buy books that appeal to them. Take the child to book fairs and book sales whenever there is one and allow them to buy books of their interest.
Book sales provide an excellent opportunity for families to stock up on reading needs for the year.
Parents should take the children to the public library and register them as members. Children should be encouraged to spend their time in the library during the school holidays.
Parents should have a mini library — a collection of books and magazines in the home where children can easily have access to them.
On special occasions buy or present the child with books which he can keep in his mini library.
A home without a collection of books is like a body without a soul.
Finally as a parent, be a role model by reading in your spare time. It is no use telling the child to read while you watch the television. Even when watching television, encourage the child to read the subtitles.
Have a lot of reading materials like newspapers, magazines and books in the home. Let the child be surrounded with books and he will grow up to love books.
Allocate time to read together as a family instead of watching the television.
A family that reads together, stays together.
Reading to your child will benefit them in the long run. They will have a passion for reading and life long learning.
It improves them intellectually and shapes their personality.
Parents play a significant role in making our society a reading society as it builds character, sharpens our thinking and widens our awareness and experience.
Reading bridges the gap to attaining knowledge and linguistic mastery.
To make reading a part of our culture and to become a knowledge based society, parents have to inculcate the reading habit in their children.