For The Love of Books & Kids

The moment I read this topic, i recalled my thoughts. I often say that I really want my kid to be a reader. I don't mind if he becomes a bookworm - obviously out of textbooks as well. Ironic but so true it is that kids who read books have always been treated as socially incapable nerds without the realization that probably these were the kids who made history.

Reading books has reduced dramatically in today's youth. This might be true to some extent pertaining to other sources of inculcating this blissful hobby - eBooks, internet, fancy newspapers, and many more. For those who say that they do not have time to read a book, I say that you do not want to. If i want to read a book, I read it anywhere and any time - finish a chapter sitting on toilet seat, trying to read while in cab (which I always fail after 5 minutes - to dizzy), reading some lines in between my computer recognizes my commands, family watching TV- I reading book in between them, thinking that this is last chapter Ii read for the day at night (not closing until I  cannot recognize words) - anywhere!!!

Coming to the reading habit in kids, it's true that some kids might develop this hobby by themselves. There are definitely some ways we can try to make out kids start reading and love books:

1. Narrate Stories ASAP

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Kids love stories. ASAP means as early as possible. I started telling small poems and stories to my son as soon as he started grasping things. Although he cannot speak as of now, he is still learning to do so, he can narrate some 2 or 3 stories to me in actions! How i do that? I ask him which story he wants to listen today? He says - bho bho - i narrate him "The Greedy Dog". He says - peehoooooo - I narrate him - "Rabbit and Turtle with a peacock friend added in between". He says - kho kho - I narrate him - "The cap seller and Monkeys", the cap-seller becomes his favourite animal or a smart kid.









2. Buy Them Books with pictures ASAP

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Remember the movie - Baby's Day Out? The kid could not have survived if he had not seen the bo bo book.
As soon as my kid started showing interest in cars, I bought him a transport book with big pictures. Kids have some fancy with animals so I also bought him an animal book. Everyone was surprised that he was able to recognize almost all animals and vehicles from the book in days.
as he grows up, i am starting to buy him small story books with interesting pictures, colours and graphics. Kids tend to get attracted to the images rather than the text.









Well above two have been applied by me till now, there are other tips as well. Read below:

3. Read with them

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"When I say to a parent, "read to a child", I don't want it to sound like medicine. I want it to sound like chocolate. " — Mem Fox
If we tell the kids to do something and we never do that ourselves, they would definitely come back ans say - "But you do not read!." i am sure we would not have an answer to that. Reading with the kids is a great idea. A team always score more as opposed to an individual.
Read with emotions and emphasize on words rather than plan reading. Picture this- "A big jungle" and "A big (eyes and hands wide open) JUNGLE (with force in voice)" and see the difference.
As kids grow up, try setting a time on how many pages one can read, just for fun.







4. Gift a book

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Instead of buying them an expensive video game or toy, buy them a new  colourful book every month. Kids have a short attention span and thus get bored with the same kind of stuff. It is likely that they have not finished reading a particular book, yet they don’t want to continue. A new book every can also serve as an incentive for them to finish their current reading material as soon as possible.











5. Try Reading  with Role Play

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Any child would love to see their mom and dad making funny noises or acting. Interactive and informal games that are fun and enjoyable could also do the trick. we can use a combination of interactive storytelling with interesting props, role play and open-ended questions that give full freedom to the child's imagination.





In short, make them feel that reading that book is real fun.

Remember - "Reading should not be presented to children as a chore or duty. It should be offered to them as a precious gift." — Kate DiCamillo

This post was written in response to Indispire - Topic 20

Do you love books? What do you think is the key which can make kids love books more? Drop in the comments.