This is a guest post by Eve Pearce.
Children are never too young to be introduced to the wonderful world of reading. Even babies in their cots can be read to and shown books. Reading will play a massive part in their lives from infancy to retirement. Writing is absolutely everywhere, from the ingredients on a breakfast cereal packet to the stories in a child’s favourite bedtime story book; from train timetables to letters from the doctor. Yet it is not enough to simply know how to read. To get the most out of words, your child should learn to love them and fully embrace the power of written language.
In a world full of computer and mobile technology, capturing young imaginations through reading alone can be a challenge. Here are some ways to start when they are very young.
Enjoy yourselves
Children learn better when they’re having fun and being congratulated for their efforts. So don’t make reading sessions too dull, long or serious. Let your child help choose the reading material and help them decipher the letters. Very young children might choose food packets, picture books or magazines lying around the house; slightly older children will respond well to material pertaining to their own interests.
Whatever they choose, so long as it is appropriate, go with it and explore the words together, looking for individual letters – perhaps those found in their own name and showing them how the sound is made. Do not be afraid of repetition – going back to the same book or magazine article time and time again will help consolidate the knowledge in their minds and memories.
Don’t forget that reading needn’t be expensive either – quite the opposite, in fact. There are many, many free resources out there, from leaflets and downloadable ebooks to community book clubs. Get online to find good deals on buying books. Many companies deal direct with publishers, or even authors and illustrators to bring customers fantastic deals that cut out the costs of a middle man, such as a mainstream bookseller or publisher.
Other sites, such as Amazon offer eye-wateringly good deals on children’s books – and there are even websites out there that hunt out and list freebies, 1p deals, seasonal or bulk buying discounts or voucher codes. Hunt around online while the children are in bed and enjoy their delight and surprise when a delivery of books arrives in the post with their name on the box a few days later.
Not just in books
We tend to connect books with reading, but these are just one of hundreds of places where words can be found. Look up, down and all around you as you run errands into town, visit friends’ houses or simply go about your daily business. Children who love transport and vehicles might learn their letters from the number plates of cars parked along the street as they walk to the supermarket or to nursery. Others might notice the huge advertising billboards around town – these usually carry large letters that can be discussed and taught from a long way off.
Picture perfect
Pre-schoolers have literally hundreds, if not thousands of picture books available to them nowadays. From old classics, such as Eric Carle’s ‘Very Hungry Caterpillar’ to slightly more modern gems, such as Valerie Thomas’ ‘Winnie the Witch’, the simple stories are enhanced and improved by imaginative illustrations. Never cover the pictures up when teaching a child to read – the images will help them work out how the story is progressing.
Befriend your local library
Find your local library, join it and visit it often. Not only will you be able to borrow dozens of age-appropriate books to take home and read with your children for free, but there are often other resources available to help your children learn to read, such as computers, storytelling sessions or ‘rhyme time’ music mornings. Youngsters can also apply for their own library card pretty much from birth, which will delight them, and which you can use to start instilling into them to importance of caring for – and not losing – the books that they borrow.
Facing facts
Children love fascinating facts, especially as they start learning about specific topics at school, such as mini-beasts, parts of the body or space. Look out for easy-to-read factual books in the shops or libraries, or go online to find child-friendly education sites. If you encourage them to learn facts by reading and researching them for themselves, you might even cut down on those annoying “Why? questions that every child seems to be bursting with. Maybe.
Magazine publishers have cottoned on to the fact that children like facts as well. There are now countless titles out there aimed at children, covering every angle of their chosen interests. A cheap magazine could be a much better alternative reward for good behaviour, or for reaching a milestone than endless sweets or chocolate. Feed their minds, not their stomachs and the benefits will last for much longer for all concerned.
Finally, always follow your child’s lead to make sure they are not tackling anything too easy or too hard for their current reading level. Encourage all progress, however slight and correct mistakes with patience and love. Read with them every single day and keep in touch with their teachers and key-workers to keep up with their progress at school. Time and effort put in at this young age will pay dividends as your children grow into confident, capable and above all, keen readers into their teenage years and on into adulthood.
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