Love for reading begins at home. Other than helping their kids to grow up healthy and happy, the most important thing that parents can do for their children is to help them develop their reading skills at an early age. Here are five tips for parents to open up the wonderful world of reading to their child.
The first tip for parents is to encourage their child to read. Aside from helping a child's wellbeing, reading also develops the kid's imagination and has educational benefits too. According to Gov.uk, just a few minutes a day of reading can have a big impact on children of all ages.
Parents should talk to their baby to aid his or her learning on how to speak and to also understand the meaning of words. Parents should point to objects and describe them as they play and do daily activities together such as reading with their children. Having a large vocabulary provides a kid a great start when he enters school.
Read aloud regularly to your child
Second, parents should read aloud regularly when they are with their kids. It is important for parents to try to read to their children every day. It is a special time for both parents and children to snuggle up and enjoy a story together. Adding funny voices when telling stories to their kids can bring the characters to life.
Florida Department of Education advises parents to read to their baby everyday starting at six months of age. The organization said that reading and playing with books is a wonderful way for parents to spend special time with their children.
Third, encourage their children to make their own reading choice. Parents should give their children plenty of opportunities to read different things in their own time.
It is important to remember that it does not just have to be books, with comics, magazine, poetry, fiction, non-fiction and other works also great reading options for children. Try leaving these interesting reading material in different places around the house and see whether their children will pick it up.
Read Also : Study Shows Vegetarian and Meat-Eating Kids Have Similar Growth and Nutrition But Not Weight
Parents should read together with their children
According to Kids Health, children can understand stories they might not be able to read on their own. If a more challenging book interests your kid, parents should read it together with their child.
The fourth tip for parents is to read together with their children. Mom and dad should choose a favorite time to read together as a family and enjoy this activity with their kids. This might be reading different things at the same time, everyone reading the same book together, or getting your kids to read to each other. The time spent reading together can be relaxing for all family members.
Lastly, parents should create a comfortable reading environment for their kids. Make a calm, comfortable place for their family to read together, or independently.