Children are all unique in their own way and the activities that they’re interested in will vary from one child to another. Reading is a fundamental tool that helps a child’s development as they grow. There’s a lot that they can learn from reading, whether that information is real or made up.
Reading should be embraced by all children from a young age, but some may find it more challenging than others to engage with. Here’s how to make reading enjoyable for all children at any age.
Pick the right books
What typically piques the interest of children when it comes to books are those that match their personality or interests. Perhaps they love the outdoors and therefore would appreciate a story on exploring the outdoors? It could be a child who expresses a lot of love for their family and therefore would engage more with a family-orientated story.
In order for children to be interested in what they’re reading, they must first be interested in the book itself and its appearance. Be selective about the books that are picked out.
Utilize online resources and educational programs
There are plenty more resources available nowadays, which makes it easier to help teach and encourage children to read.
The internet, for example, is a wonderful knowledge base when it comes to the science of reading. For those that are struggling to engage their children, it’s well worth taking a look online to see what resources may be helpful to read up on or show to those children that are struggling.
Read with them
A lot of kids can benefit from having their parents be involved in the activity they’re doing. While it’s important to let them play and learn on their own, it’s also good to assist them and make learning fun by getting involved.
With that in mind, read the books with them. Perhaps take it in turns to read the book and then slowly release the responsibility to reading so that the child becomes the main storyteller.
Act out the story
Still struggling with them staying focused? Why not act it out? Even those who don’t have an acting bone in their body can make reading fun with a funny voice or big hand gestures.
The more exciting and fun that’s made out of reading a book, the more they’re going to want to do it at home. Get them excited about reading by adding some visual interactions to the story.
Create the right environment for reading and learning
It’s all about the environment that’s created when it comes to reading. Create a little reading nook in the home to help them focus and ideally, keep out any technological devices that are going to cause a distraction. That is, unless, the book is being read on a tablet or Kindle.
Making reading enjoyable is easy enough with the right tips. As a pretty important skill to have as an adult, it’s necessary to do everything possible to encourage reading at home.