Reading and writing are among the basic skills a child learns in early childhood education. What can you do to make your child more eager to reach for books? We suggest.
A parent, whom the toddler never sees with a book in his hand, may not be convincing when convincing the child to reach for reading. Read your favorite titles often, and your child will notice that it can be a really enjoyable activity. Books should be in the toddler’s environment from the very first months of life – at first the colorful ones, filled with rustling, reflective materials, and then the ones, in which the text is enriched with a large number of multicolored pictures.
Reading together can be a great way to spend time with your child. Make this activity a ritual, for example in the evening. Each day, read your child a favorite story before bedtime. Even a few minutes during the day will be enough. For older children, show them some of the words in the book while you read, and encourage them to read some of the words aloud themselves.
Also, set times when the toddler will try to read on his own. This ritual will work better in the afternoon, for example, right after dinner. In the evening, the child may be too tired. Determine not only the time, but also the time you will devote to this activity. This will make daily reading a part of the day that your child will be prepared for.
Toys or the TV are always within your child’s sight, and many items a toddler can reach for on their own. Why should it be any different with books? Don’t place them on the top shelf to be reached only when there is a set time for learning to read. Let the books be within your child’s reach, and maybe one day you’ll notice that your little one has become interested in one of the readings on her own.
Not every child will be fascinated by books, but the problems may lie quite elsewhere than at first glance. It may turn out that reading is associated with punishment or an activity that a child has to do if he/she has been sitting in front of the TV for too long. Parents’ over-ambitious approach can also be discouraging for the toddler. If the child was constantly forced to read, he will not associate this activity in a good way.
Devices around the child can be a distraction. There are few toddlers who will give up playing on the phone or computer to pick up a book. Here, too, the example that comes from above is important – if a parent relaxes exclusively in front of the TV, a child will have no reason to do otherwise.
Lack of desire to learn to read can be related to various dysfunctions, for example dyslexia. Until the third grade of elementary school, specific learning difficulties in reading and writing are not diagnosed, but only that the child belongs to the dyslexia risk group. An official diagnosis can be received when the child is in the fourth grade of elementary school. Difficulties in reading may also result from eye problems – they make the child tired after only a few minutes of reading.
Learning to read will be fun and effective if you choose the right books. Currently the offer is extremely rich. You will find books with the syllabic method, but also with the simultaneous-sequential method. Readings are divided into levels, so you can easily find something ideal for your child. When choosing a book for learning to read, focus not only on the method or pictures, but also on the story told in it. If it is interesting, your child will certainly be more eager to read. Some titles are enriched with tips for the parent, as well as gifts in the form of stickers for the toddler. When giving such a prize, it is worth emphasizing that it is a well-deserved gift for the effort put into the book.
