Tips to encourage reading

They don't want to read!

One of the great challenges for parents in the field of learning is getting their sons and daughters to take an interest in reading, but it is not always an easy task and, like all habits, it has to be cultivated with as much creativity as possible.

The development of reading is not only based on getting them to finish a book, but it is a process in which factors related to writing, spelling, attention, comprehension and the acquisition of vocabulary, among others, come into play. For that reason it is so important that they acquire the habit and manage to establish a good relationship with it, since its benefits will be reflected in other areas of learning.

To that end, below we provide some simple but effective tips to introduce reading in a creative and attractive way.

Tips to introduce reading

Let them choose and play

• Let them choose! Going to a bookshop and being able to see and touch the books awakens an extra interest in them, and we will be letting them choose the type of reading that most catches their attention. It does not have to be a novel; a short story, a comic or a book about some topic that is interesting to them is enough.

• We don't only read with a book in our hands. There are different fun and educational games to play as a family in which we develop language, spelling, creativity and, in addition, we encourage reading without realizing it:

- Scrabble. A game that promotes linguistics whose objective is to accumulate the highest score by creating words.

- Stop game. We invent several themes by columns, we choose a letter of the alphabet and in 1 minute we have to complete each of the columns with words that begin with the chosen letter.

- Question and answer games. There is a lot of variety depending on the theme and age, for example Trivial, Brainbox or Preguntados.

Take advantage of family moments

• Take advantage of family moments. Enjoying a movie session at home can also be a good opportunity to introduce reading. We can encourage them to read the synopsis of a film or of an episode of your favorite series. Another idea is to write the shopping list together; we can dictate the food items so that they write them down, or we write them and they read them.

Find the right moment and place

• Find the right moment. Involving the children in choosing the moment for reading is a way to create a commitment without imposing the task.

• Less is more. The children do not need to read for an hour a day or five pages in a row. Starting by reading paragraph by paragraph is a great step and will allow us, little by little, to increase the time and amount of reading without it being seen as a punishment.

• Look for other spaces. Associating reading with homework time is often a trigger for rejection of reading. One way to gradually introduce interest is to look for spaces different from the usual ones, such as a quiet park, a calm moment in the living room at home, or in their beds before going to sleep. Creating an environment of calm to begin reading will also facilitate adherence to the task.

Accompany them and show interest

• They do what they see. Dedicating small moments to reading as a family can create an atmosphere of calm and comfort that makes whatever reading we have in hand something attractive and relaxing.

• Interest in what they read. Showing interest by asking about the theme, the characters or the events that take place will make them feel accompanied and they will also discover that a fun and interesting space for communication can be created.

Reading, a habit that is cultivated

Like any other habit, it has to be taught and cultivated day by day, however little it may be; this way we will get the little ones at home to start developing an interest in something that perhaps, in the future, becomes their greatest hobby.