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| Fostering a love for books in preschool |
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Though your toddler might be too young to read for themselves, fostering a love for books can be sparked as soon as he can turn a page. A love for books and for reading is something they can carry with them through life, and making books a natural part of life can have a myriad of benefits.
Not only is snuggling up and reading a book together wonderful for your relationship, studies have shown that those children exposed to reading at an early age are more likely to do well in all areas of education. Books also teach basic speech skills, improve communication skills and language comprehension, enhance imagination and assist in ability for logical thinking.
As parents there are several simple things you can do to encourage an interest in books in your child and make reading a fun part of your shared daily lives.
Read daily from day one
From the moment your baby comes home, you can begin to raise a reader. Young babies love to hear your voice and be cuddled. Attach books to a loved routine and it will be something they grow up to look forward to. Make the books exciting and fantastical, as you enter an imaginary world together.
As Albert Einstein famously said, "If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales." Regular reading time will also enhance concentration, so even if they squirm around and are distracted at the beginning, before long the reading sessions will give them longer attention spans and better memory retention.
Set a good example
Kids learn from what they see you do. If you are seen to enjoy reading – whether it is books, magazines or blogs – your child will pick up that enthusiasm too. Try to make reading part of your day-to-day and this will be reinforced to your children. Point out road signs, instructions and recipes, to reinforce the link between reading and everyday life.
Visit the library
The local library is a wonderful place to explore and a great way to introduce new genres and try new books. Nowadays they have cozy reading areas and child-friendly corners with toys and games. Most libraries also have storytime and other regular literacy related activities for kids. Try to always let your child choose whatever they want to read, they are much more likely to enjoy a book if it is something they have chosen themselves.
Let them read to you
You may be tired of reading the same story over and over again, but kids love to hear the same story, and re-reading gives them the chance to connect the words on the page to the words they hear. Read it enough times and they will read it back to you! Even if they can't read it, let them make up the story as they go. The interpretation they create from the pictures, as well as the mimicry of your reading is a wonderfully entertaining thing!
Create a reading space
It doesn't have to be big, or crammed with books, and it doesn't have to always be where you read. But creating a cozy, quiet corner where your child can curl up and flick through a book will become a loved little reading sanctuary, and a place where your child will connect comfort and calm with books.
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