Parenting Guide

6 Ways To Help Your Child Be A Happier Reader

Published by SchoolAdvisor | Jul 24, 2015

Reading conjures up images of kids yawning in boredom, stuck in an orderly classroom, where they battle sleepiness on a warm, sunny afternoon.

However, could it be that we as parents are able to change what reading means to our kids? Here are 6 simple, no fuss ways to bond with you kid through reading and encourage happier readers.

1. Read Every Day

A recent OECD study comparing the role of parents in education in different countries found that the factor that best predicts better reading performance when a child is 15 is whether she/he was read to during his/her early years.

2. Point Out Authors and Illustrators

This helps your child to be familiar with the stuff which make a book worthy of being read. In a short time, they'll have their own favourite authors and illustrators.

3. Read The Same Books

Reading the same books to your young children repeatedly will help them be familiar with sound patterns and indirectly help them learn literary devices such as similes, alliteration and metaphors. Soon, they'll be able to recognize rhyming patterns on their own and learn new vocabulary.

4. Make Reading Engaging And Interactive

When you read with your pre-schooler, stop to pause and ask them about their understanding of the story so far. Ask them to guess how a character might feel or what is about to happen next. The fun in reading is in the guessing.

5. Discuss Stories

After reading a story with your child, take some time to ask them how they felt about the story. Ask them what they liked best, who their favourite character was and why did they do certain things in the story. This will help your child engage in higher order thinking skills (HOTS).

6. Make Eye Contact

Parent are sometimes so busy with their smartphones and work that they fail to engage in eye contact with their kids. Take shared reading sessions as an opportunity to pay attention to your child by looking directly at them.