Getting Kids into Reading

Encouraging kids to read is an obvious choice of an activity during lockdown that it needs no introduction.  But some parents may be wondering how to do it, especially in these times when electronic gadgets attract children's attention more than books. Here are some tips:

• Be involved, or at least, interested. The simple act of initiating a conversation with children about what they are reading can reinforce good reading habits. Ask them what they are reading, listen to them when they talk about it, and talk to them about it. Talking to children about their readings is also an opportunity to encourage critical thinking, impart values, and explain complicated topics.
• Keep it light and easy...Do not make reading a chore or else all the more will children not like it. Also, in a conversation I had with a friend who has written award-winning children's stories, he complained to me that a lot of children's books being published these days are too serious. I tend to agree. Children do not have to read about serious social issues all the time. Edward Lear's A Book of Nonsense is just that...and it's fine for kids.  It makes them fall in love with language, which will make them avid readers.
• ...Or not.  If your children are already obsessed with a certain topic -- be it airplanes, outer space, or dinosaurs -- they will want to dig deeper and deeper into it. Encourage it. Soon, one obsession will lead to another and your children will eagerly read on their own about a wide variety of topics.
• Mine your attic.  One problem in getting kids to read these days is getting new books.  E-books might be a solution, but some parents -- for very good reasons -- prefer not to expose their kids to gadgets at a very young age.  Another solution, then, would be to introduce them to the same books you or your own parents enjoyed in your younger days.  You may have some treasures hiding in your attic that your children may enjoy. Good books do not lose their charm with age.