Margaret Fuller, an American journalist has rightly said: “Today a reader tomorrow a leader”. But how do you prepare your youngsters to become good leaders. You can start by developing strong reading habits in them right from their preschool days.
Children are influenced by what they see and try to emulate the same. They have a steady diet of violent PC games and indecent cartoons which have unfavorable effects on their development; on the other hand good stories and books can create a positive influence and enhance their social skill. Reading books also helps children to be more responsible, respect natural environment, be co operative and sharing.
Most parents would say “But my kid hates to read. He just can’t sit in one place to read a book I am tired of making him read a book but he just does not budge.” There are many parents who face this same dilemma.
A child would never read a book if he is asked to do it even if you explain the benefits of reading a book. Parents know their children best and can successfully nurture their reading skills and help them become effective readers.
- You can start by surrounding your child with a galore of options of colorful reading materials. Choose books which are colorful and have short stories.Let your child choose the books that he would like to read. Select books which appeal to them. For e.g. Girls love to hear stories about dolls and Cinderella whereas boys prefer speedy bikes and cars.
- Set aside a time for reading. You can start by sitting together for 15 minutes daily and read stories aloud which would help them in developing language skills.
- Encourage them to read advertisements and photo captions in newspapers, names of stations, menu cards, movie time listings, weather reports, and other information.
- You can also use modern tools such as eBooks, CD’s to develop their interest. Children enjoy working on gadgets and at the same time develop their skills.
- Lastly,parents need to remember that their reactions have a great impact on how good a reader your child can be. Appreciate, Appreciate and Appreciate all his little endeavors which would take them a long way to develop their confidence and enhance their skills. Their mistakes should be treated as an opportunity to learn new words and not as an embarrassment.
Inculcating strong reading habits is one of the best gift a parent can give to their children which they will cherish for a long time and will help them develop a multi dimensional personality.
