“Reading maketh a full man …” is an oft-quoted line from Francis Bacon. All civilised people know the value of reading. However, even educated parents have ignored a vital factor: reading to their children. What has happened today is that most parents leave their children in front of the idiot box to entertain themselves. Unlike in the past, modern parents hardly practise the art of reading to their children. The result is devastating. They are producing a generation of children who do not value the benefits of reading.
Before the advent of television, at least a few mothers took the trouble to read to their children. It is a misconception that you have to wait until your children grow up to read books. It is absolutely wrong. You have to read to your children shortly after their birth. At first, the infant will not understand anything about books or reading. Sometimes the infant would chew on the book covers and drool over the pages. A wise parent will not mind such behaviour. The purpose is to introduce books to children in their early stages.
Carry a book
If you read to infants, they will begin to love books in the first instance. In order to develop reading skills in children they must first fall in love with books. An infant nestled on her mother’s lap will listen to her mother’s voice. Read to them about fairies and dancing bears. They will listen to such stories with wide-open eyes. By the time the infant begins to walk, you have laid the foundation for reading.
Instead of carrying a mobile phone, carry a book even if you are walking the children. People of my vintage were born at a time when there were no television sets or mobile phones. As a result their houses were full of books. Children were naturally fascinated by the books lying around them. Those days mothers used to read books at bedtime. Most children probably did not understand the stories fully, but they listened to them avidly. For them it was a fascinating experience.
Today’s children read in silence. It is commendable if you are reading a book in a library. A beginner should read aloud as the first step in reading. When mother reads a story aloud the children will listen to the correct pronunciation and rhythm of speech. Quite unknowingly, it will become a head start for their education. If you read to a child from his infancy, he will be ahead in reading readiness when he enters kindergarten.
By reading to children they gain more than learning skills. Reading teaches sharing and involvement, two sterling qualities that should be developed as early as possible. When you read to your children you bring the whole family together and make children feel loved and treasured. Most teachers read to their students at schools and libraries across the United States. When they do so, some children climb up and sit on the lap of the teacher. Others will sit on the floor, crowding around the teacher’s feet.
Ideal time
Any mother who would like to bring up her children can start a family read-aloud program. If you have more children, read aloud to them at a particular time. At the start do not spend a long time in this exercise because children get bored easily. Increase the time gradually and you will feel their interest in reading grow. The ideal time to read aloud is before going to bed. At that time children are in a relaxed mood. If you do this regularly, they will wait in readiness. The results would flow rapidly. By the time the child begins his kindergarten studies he will be ready to read on his own. When he does so, his reading skills will improve tremendously.
Mothers should make reading aloud a habit. They have to approach children with a suitable story book at bedtime. The children will love this special time. By listening to their mother they will learn certain passages from their favourite books by heart. They would be able to recite them later. The main point is that you should allocate a particular time for reading aloud. The reading sessions should not be too long. The ideal duration would be 15 minutes. When the reading time comes, mothers should postpone other household chores.
If possible, get the whole family involved in the reading session. Children enjoy being read by people other than their mothers. Sometimes they insist on a grandparent or even a visitor to read a story for them. When both parents go for work, reading to children becomes a problem. In the absence of a parent, a baby-sitter, a childcare provider or an older sibling can help by reading to children. If grandparents are available, they are ideal storytellers. What is more, children have a close affinity with their grandparents. Some children like to have a male to read to them because they too like variety. When a girl in elementary school chose a book on football, her teacher asked why. She said, “My dad likes football.”
Home library
If children are around, keep their books in an open area. Research suggests that growing up in a house filled with books helps a child become an early reader. Most educated parents keep stacks of books in the living room so that children can read them at any moment. If you have collected a lot of books, you can build a home library. If you buy a few books every month, your home library will be a reality. You can also collect books from bargain sales, second-hand book sellers and garage sales. If you are interested in books, even your friends and visitors to your house will give you rare books. Constant reading will help you to choose good books easily. A seasoned reader becomes an expert in identifying good authors and titles. Even children can be trained to select their books. Like adults, children too need books appropriate for their interests, their ages, and their abilities. They also look for variety. A child exposed to newspapers, magazines and books will know what to buy when he steps into a bookshop.
If you are planning to read to your children or to build a home library, here are some useful tips:
• Infants enjoy looking at picture story books
• Preschoolers like action books, fantasy stories and tales about animals
• Young readers like to read books about their hobbies. Some of them may even read books that are more challenging than those bought by their parents
• Older children are interested in humour, folk tales and classics like ‘Huckleberry Finn.’
• When reading loud to children, get them involved. Passive listening is often unproductive
• Before reading a book, let the children see the illustrations and the cover
• Unknown to many parents, loud reading stimulates language development and encourages original thinking
• Finally, get your children hooked on reading and its joys will last a lifetime
