My child doesn’t want to read. What should I do?

My child is so engrossed in TV and internet, how to make him read books?

How can I develop reading habits in my little one?

Sounds familiar, right? This is something every mother is facing nowadays. With so much exposure to the virtual world, making your children read has become a daunting task. I am sharing 12 simple yet effective tips and tricks to help you inculcate reading habits in your children:

• Read him stories regularly – Make it a habit to read at least one short story to your child from one year age. Even a one page story will do. He may not understand everything but soon he will develop interest in your stories.

• Let him sit on your lap and read out loud – This physical connection between the parent and child makes your toddler comfortable. Read loudly. Books read aloud to children stimulate their imaginations and expand their knowledge. He will enjoy the story listening session. Soon you will notice that he is also trying to read with you.

• Set a fixed time for his reading – Make your tot realize that reading is as essential as other daily chores like eating, playing, sleeping and like. To inculcate this feeling, set a fixed time for his reading. It may be 30 minutes in the morning or 30 minutes in the evening. You can set the time as per your convenience.

• Gift books – Make your baby’s special occasions more special by gifting him books. There is more to the phrase “books are a gift of life”. Books always make better gifts than toys.

• Don’t over-expect – Each child is different. Don’t put high expectations like “my kid will read for this and this much time everyday”. You should not bother if he is giving a short span of time to his books. Let him progress at his own rate. Your pushing can disconcert your kid’s interest towards reading.

• Let him read anything of his choice – Your little one may love reading Doraemon stories or Barbie stories and you think like “This has no value”. Don’t fret. Let him read whatever he likes. You must not force him to read things of your interest. Remember, developing early reading habit is what matters and not the content your kid is consuming. Just see to it that it is age appropriate.

• Create a reading environment – Studies reveal that a kid belonging to a reading culture family tends to adopt early reading habits as compared to a kid from non-reading culture. Make him accessible to books in every room of the house. Surround him with books. In this way, he will grab different books at any time and read them.

• Set yourself as a role model – Now this is something that matters the most when it comes to your child’s reading habits. Toddlers tend to imitate their elders. If they see their parents engrossed in devices, they will tend to do so. Present yourself as a reader to them and they will shortly start following your footsteps.

• Make conversations about his latest reads – Make the reading process more engaging. Ask your kid questions from his latest read. Let him express his opinion on what will happen next. You may also ask him to write a summary of the story he just read. In this way, he can learn vocabulary and also enhance his writing skills.

• Let him re-read – Your baby is reading the same thing over and over? That’s a good sign as it shows his interest towards reading. Your child learns more about a story each time he reads it again. It also improves his fluency and comprehension skills.

• Take them to bookstores – Take your kid to a nearby bookstore or local library. Let him pick books of his choice. This has two-sided advantage. Firstly, your child realizes that you respect his choices. Secondly, he will garner immense curiosity to read the book as he chose it himself.

• Connect stories with real life – Make your junior read things that relate to daily life. Gift him a book on friendship stories, inspirational stories or fables. This will make his read more engaging and interesting.   

Congratulations, you’ve raised a reader!