Longer life, better memory, deeper empathy, more academic success—the list of benefits of being a book reader runs long. Which is why it is perfectly understandable for every parent to wish that their children would read more. So here are some tips for you to jumpstart the long-term project of making your home a haven for books!
Keep books accessible and visible. Let your children be exposed to books, so make these handy. Place books, for instance, near their toys, in their bedroom, in the living room, and other parts of that house where they usually stay. This way, they can easily grab a book whenever they want.
It is also important for emerging readers to be familiar with how books look. So, avoid putting books atop tall shelves, inside the cabinets, and other areas that are out of their sight. Also, display books with the covers visible to children. Unlike older readers, beginning readers usually pick a book based on the attractiveness of the cover.
Create a special place and time for reading. Designate a reading corner in your house. Carve out, for instance, a part of the toy room, living room, or their bedroom to become the reading corner. In this corner, creatively display books in shelves, hang some of them, or feature some prints of covers on the wall. It doesn’t have to be fancy and expensive, just remember that the atmosphere of the reading corner should be inviting and interesting to children.
Assign also an hour of the day or a day in the week dedicated to reading books. For younger children, bedtime is usually a sweet spot for reading time. Also, celebrate book events in your home, such as the National Children’s Book Day in July and the National Book Month in November.
Though children are free to read wherever and whenever they want, designating a place and time for reading gives them the impression that reading is a special activity.
Provide children with a varied selection of books. Many children easily get bored with the same material over and over again, so it is best to diversify the types of books available at your home. Some of the book types you may include are comics and graphic novels, chapter books and novels, board books, and picture and storybooks. Other reading materials, such as magazines and posters, should also be welcomed.
Some children are also reluctant to read because we introduce books to them as something serious and in competition with their toys and gadgets. But books can actually be toys and in gadgets too. Interactive books, such as flip-the-flaps and pop-ups, as well as audiobooks and ebooks, are some of the few examples.
Make sure they see you reading! We can encourage children to read all we want, but if they do not see the people around them reading, they will never think that reading is worthwhile. When they see that an adult they love, respect, and look up to takes time out of the day to pick up a book, they realize, by implication, that books are things to be enjoyed. All these tips will work best if you find time to model reading to them and to read with them.
Easy-to-follow tips, right? And if you’re planning to stock up on books for this project, Adarna House can help you with the perfect book for any reading level. Just head on to adarna.com.ph and browse our catalog by age.
(The online bookshop sale of 20% off across all items is ongoing until Dec.15, while our bookshop sale will last until Dec.21 in North Luzon and Dec.22 in Quezon City.)
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