Schooling
Are you worried that your child is a little too fiddly and chirpy to master reading habits? Of course, the importance of reading cannot be understated. While raising an early and enthusiastic reader might seem like a daunting challenge, it really isn’t if done right. What is important, though, is to reacquaint yourself with reading first. Haven’t you heard that children pick up habits from the things they observe around them? Reading is not very different.
Alpine Convent School, the best CBSE school in Gurgaon, explains that early reading is a good habit that helps young scholars flourish in flying colors. Not sure if baby books are the real deal? Guess what? You can read any story to a newborn. What’s important is to keep reading and storytelling. Read whatever is around you – a parenting manual, comic, magazine, cookbooks, baby books, or whatever. Even a dystopian novel works fine. Wondering what sense it makes? Well, the sound, the rhythm, the words, everything influences literacy and language development in young children.
Raising happy readers is not as hard as you think if you know the hacks.
Five things you can do right away to instil the habit of reading in children
Bedtime stories are good
Is it time to enrol your child in an international school in Gurugram? Or, is the little one just old enough to hold a book? Regardless, always keep a story book handy for the child to flip through before dozing off. Don’t you drop by to kiss your munchkin good night? Spare a few more minutes and pretend to read or turn the pages of a book along with your kid. Little did you know that a simple routine like so sparks fondness for bedtime story books in children, and it eventually grows stronger with time.
Thinking of audiobooks and interactive stories online? Well, that doesn’t count. Read stories aloud instead.
Keep story books in the nooks and corners of your home
Surprised how stacking books here and there could help your young one develop reading habits? Well, it works really! Not just hardcover books, but any reading material that draws your child’s interest caters to the purpose. Keep pretty and colourful baskets of books, comics, magazines, and more everywhere around your home.
Cut down on screen time for kids
Is your child crazy about video games? Good! Television and online games (in proportion) do spark the smarts in children. However, if overdone, it could adversely impact their learning. Set limits and turn down screen time for children. Introduce reading activities instead. It serves as a critical step towards a child’s early reading habits.
Are you thinking of keeping the little ones away from the television screens? Definitely a no! Try and sift out programmes that are appropriate for their age and taste.
Technology is a boon too
Of course, reading out stories has its own perks. But, audiobooks or stories on tape are good too. Practice and enable children to avail both. Listening is just as significant as reading. It improves phonetics and pronunciation in young children.
Flashcards are exciting and entertaining
Kids have a fleeting attention span – a problem that most parents are aware of. Grappling with inattentiveness in children is a lot easier when you resort to engaging and fun activities like flashcards. Wondering how to go about it? Cut out images and letters from cards, magazines, old books, etc. Bear in mind that these alphabets or words have a distinct ring to them and a different rhythm too. Create a deck and allow small peeks when the little one is not sure of words. Inspire the kids to pick up new words and phonetics. It raises children into confident grown-ups.
Did you know that children mostly kick off reading on their own around 6? Don’t be too hard on yourself if the little one shows no interest in reading while he is just 3 years old. Work around the above-mentioned tips and prep your child slowly and steadily. Also, do not go all out and use all the strategies in a single go. Figure out a system that works for you and your child. Implement the strategies as and when required. If not, it could feel like bulldozing the little one to read.
How to encourage school-age readers?
Is your little one not so little anymore and ready to step foot in the top school in Gurgaon – Alpine Convent? Excellent. Wondering how to keep working on your child’s reading skills now? Team up with teachers to help polish children’s reading skills. Schools like Alpine encourage young scholars to find an interest in books. Team readings, activities, and attractive libraries inspire children to practise reading.
Need more tips? Let’s look at a few tips:
Write down short notes for your little one – Treat it like a game to keep your little one happy. Leave a note somewhere in your child’s bag or lunch box.
Motivate children to read out loud – Don’t stop a child from reading out loud. Praise and appreciate the little one every now and then. Indulge in conversations discussing a book or a story.
Don’t let go of being a good role model- As mentioned earlier, children pick up habits. So, ensure that you keep reading in front of your little one.
Introduce activities that require a bit of reading- Kids love activities and plays. Next time, you find your child opening a new box of building games or getting crafty at creating a kite, encourage the little one to read the manual.
Alpine Convent, the best convent school in Gurgaon, leaves no stones unturned to school and encourage kids to learn and read better. Besides, the school’s curriculum shapes a promising future for the young gun.
