Motivation to Love Reading
With the age of technology and the rise of the use of gadgets, there are already a lot of activities that would put reading slightly further from one’s priority list. Kids these days would spend more time playing online games and interacting on social media than reading books. As parents, you know how valuable reading is, specifically developing a love for reading. Your child gains comprehension and reading ability and enhances his communication skills. He also gets a new outlet to relieve stress since reading helps reduce stress and promotes relaxation and learning.
So how can you motivate your child develop a love for reading? Here are three tips to help you and your child start the journey:
- Read and discuss.
Set an example, and read in order to encourage your child to do the same. You can try to set a certain time of the day or week just to spend time and read with him. Talk about the book you are reading and what you’ve learned from it, then see how he reacts. Seeing you enjoy what you are doing and actually doing what you are pushing him to do encourages him to give it a try. Once he starts to read regularly, you can start reading the same book and holding discussions about it. This allows your child the chance to share his views and to learn from you. It also leads him to make reading a daily and fun habit.
- Choose and recommend.
Not having reading as a daily habit makes it hard for your child to know which books to read. You can start by letting him choose which ones he finds most interesting. Getting a book that he really wants to read will help boost his curiosity and reading ability since he is reading something he wants to read. After a few months, you can try searching for the most recommended book lists and encourage him to try reading these books. By this time, he will have already developed an interest in other genres and in well-written books.
- Explore genres.
It is said that children who read different genres of books develop their thinking skills, and improve their vocabulary. Aside from these, they broaden their worldview, while boosting their self-esteem. Your child gains more inspiration when they read stories with new and unpredictable plots. The more you expose your child with various books, the more they appreciate the value and worth of reading, which could also be the first step to him creating his own library.
