Every good book opens up new avenues to discovery for the reader. One can learn about new people, events, places, experiences and improve one’s language command, vocabulary and communication skills. In the digital age, people have shorter attention spans to go through large chunks of text. Hence the acronym, TLDR (Too Long Didn’t Read) has made its way into news articles, professional emails, and even Merriam-Webster’s dictionary.

Here’s a question for you - When was the last time you saw your kid choosing to read over-consuming content on the internet?

Reading is slowly dying.
With audio podcasts, vlogs and streaming content available at a click, it’s hard to stick to reading!

How do we ensure our kids develop a habit of reading and treasure it? 

Reading not only helps children to create an imaginative world of their own but also makes them learn values and discover new realities through an ocean of stories. It is also beneficial for fundamental, cognitive and memory development in kids.

Let us go through some methods to inculcate a reading habit in our kids: 

1. 1. Read to them
   The first experience that children have with books and stories is when you read to them. This creates an interest in the written word as well a curiosity to know more.
    
2. 2. Lead by example
   Modelling is the best way of teaching. We can read while travelling or in our free time instead of being hooked to the smartphones. Children learn by example and seeing the elders read, they will enact that as well. 
    
3. 3. Hold book discussions
   Reading is fun and engaging when you can voice your opinion about it. We can hold book clubs or discussion for each book and have a fun flow of opinions and characters and alternate endings to the book we read. 
    
4. 4. Adding reading to the daily schedule
   With busy schedules and routines, reading can often take a backseat. Children can begin with reading the newspaper each morning, or every chapter from a book while travelling or free time. 

Reading is not what most of the young ones believe these days; Boring!

It’s just like any other interest, sometimes kids develop it naturally, all by themselves.

Sometimes you need to introduce them to various methods and mediums so that they can read whichever the way they want. Help your child to select a medium.

 

Evolution in reading mediums over the years:

1. The traditional hard paperbacks:

Reading your favourite book in paperback has a special touch to it. Some people love the feel of books in their hands. The turning of pages, the bookmarks, the handwritten notes at a corner, the autograph of the author on the book. 

Also, paperbacks put less strain on the eyes and also help sleeping better. When you read a hard book you tend to connect more with the storyline and the character, contributing to better imagination. 

 

2. E-reading:

Amazon took us by surprise when it launched Kindle. Honestly, everyone was a bit paranoid about kindle and e-reading before we actually knew how it works. The best bet that worked in e-reading’s favour is access to innumerable books on a single device. Just search and you have it. Also, you can add bookmarks or highlights as you do in regular books. And with the added advantage of low light emission, which does not cause strain on the eyes. 

 

3. Audiobooks:

Not as popular as paperback or kindle, audiobooks are a fresh concept. Whether you are working or chilling, you can always sit back and enjoy listening to some stories. However, it doesn’t work for all of us. Some feel there is no attachment to the story when you are listening to it. You mindlessly go around doing your things and the audio is running in the background.

 

Well, we feel exposure to all of them is necessary and we can choose what we like the best. 

We can apply these methods to introduce kids to reading, but let's not force them into it. Reading as a whole is not a final act to be accomplished or inculcated in children, it’s more like a hobby, an entire world waiting for them to unbox willingly. We believe in introducing our students to different methods and genres of reading. Thus, leading them towards enchanting stories and awe-worthy experiences through the gem called ‘Reading’.