How To Develop Good Reading Habits In Children

Our first encounter with fantasy, love, heroism, and adventure was probably through the memorable pages of our favorite books. Reading our favorite tales takes us to fantastical lands, and takes our imagination to new heights. As parents in the digital generation, sadly, reading isn’t the recreation of choice for kids these days. With the attention span being reduced to short-form content of 30 seconds, we are foreseeing grave dangers to our children’s attention span and brain development at this age. Good reading habits not only encourage a firm grasp of the language but also help your child focus, one page at a time. Not to mention the levels of imagination and creativity books encourage in younger children that truly help in improving cognitive and problem-solving skills and abstract thinking. The importance of good reading habits needs to be identified at an early age so that parents still have time to establish a good attention span and an appetite for reading.

Children are like sponges - they soak in all that you tell them. Habit formation happens at a young age. Hence, the importance is always on what habits you should inculcate in kids from the beginning. Reading is one. And for kids to enjoy books, you need to do it the right way. From introducing books early to curating them for their age and more, here are some ways to encourage reading habits in kids.

Bedtime Stories - Introducing story-telling at an early age is key to getting your child hooked on books and reading. This should start at an early age, preferably around the age of twelve to eighteen months. Get your child excited and engaged through touch and feel books that encourage both texture and motor development, while encouraging familiarity with reading and books. There are several publishing houses with a series of books for every age and reading grade, which makes it easier for parents to start early, by selecting basic and useful books to help them start early with their children.

Set a Time for Reading - To develop good reading habits, one must consistently indulge in reading a book. Setting away time for essential reading can make reading a daily part of your child’s life. It does not always have to be books, as your older kids may not have time to complete a whole book amidst their busy schedules. Even encouraging them to pick up the newspaper, and read the editorials can also help them develop good reading habits, not to mention- be aware of the world and the country’s events.

There is No ‘Right’ Book - As parents, we often nudge our children to try the popular or the most vetted reading material, in an attempt to make sure they are reading the ‘right’ books. Of course, recommending the right books is a must, but being too strict about our children’s reading material can take away from the joy of reading. Instead, come to a consensus with your child. Talk to them about what they like, and recommend readings from the same genre. This can help your child not only develop good reading habits but also develop a deeper love of and understanding of books.

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