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Page 8 THE VILLADOM TIMES I & IV • April 30, 2014
How to foster a love of reading in children
Today’s parents know it is not always
easy to instill a love of reading in children.
Whether they are watching television, dab-
bling with their smartphones, toying with
their tablets, or engaging in social media,
youngsters now have more distractions
than ever before. It is no surprise that many
youngsters may not be enthusiastic about
abandoning their gadgets in exchange for
curling up with a good book, but instilling
a love of reading in kids early on can pay a
lifetime of dividends.
Children learn at a much faster pace
during their first six years than at any other
time in their lives, and the right kind of
stimulation during these years can provide
the foundation for future learning. In addi-
tion, reading at an early age can inspire a
child’s creativity and imagination. Though
many parents can recognize these benefits,
that recognition does not make it easier to
get kids to embrace reading. No two kids
are alike, so parents might need to employ
different strategies to get each of their kids
to embrace reading. The following are a
handful of ways parents can foster a love of
reading in their youngsters.
Embrace their hobbies. When encourag-
ing kids to read, parents may find it easier
to get them to pick up a book if that book’s
subject matter pertains to a favorite hobby
or interest. A seven-year-old with a passion
for baseball will likely be more inclined to
read an age-appropriate novel about Amer-
ica’s pastime than a book about fishing.
Use youngsters’ enthusiasm about a given
hobby or interest to lay the foundation for a
love of reading.
Do not limit reading to books. Books
are not the only reading materials that can
foster a love of reading in kids. Local news-
papers and magazines have sparked many
kids’ initial foray into reading, and such
source materials can be just as inspiring as
novels or short stories. Magazines made for
youngsters give kids something they can
start and finish reading in the same day.
Children might want to read the sports page
or check the arts and entertainment sec-
tions. Parents should encourage such explo-
ration, even if it means leaving novels on
the bookshelf for the time being.
Read to youngsters. Another way to
foster a love of reading in youngsters is to
read to them every day. Many young kids
just learning to read may be discouraged
if their reading skills are not progressing
rapidly. Reading to kids every day can
inspire them to work harder at reading so
they can be just as good at reading as Mom
and Dad.
Discuss reading materials with your
children. Many people enjoy talking about
books they have read as much as they enjoy
reading the books, and kids are no differ-
ent. Parents who want their youngsters to
embrace reading can initiate discussions
about what their kids are reading, dis-
cussing the plot of novels, or the details of
newspaper or magazine articles kids read.
Ask them what they like and dislike about a
book or ask for a recap of a story they read
in the newspaper or an article they read in
a magazine.
Extend the reading experience. After
they have finished a novel, adults often find
it enjoyable to watch films based on that
novel. Doing so extends the reading experi-
ence and gives readers a chance to see if
their interpretations of a story were similar
or different from someone else’s. Kids also
enjoy such extensions, so reward them by
taking them to the movies to see the film
version of a favorite book or to a museum
that is displaying an exhibit that is relevant
to a book a youngster just read.
Though their youngsters may have many
distractions at their disposal, there are still
many ways for parents to foster a love of
reading in their children.