Reading is crucial in a child’s life, especially the young ones. This is why reading must be developed and instilled to young children early on.
Reading is one of the cheapest educational activities that you can develop in your children. Once your children have developed the habit of reading, improving the habit should follow to enhance it better.
Different activities could help the child improve reading skills. Children do not only learn reading in school. They also learn reading at home. Parents and family members must always take into consideration the ability of the child in reading, so they could determine how to help the children improve their reading skills. Children learn better by doing things on their own and parents must find a way to help the children learn on their own.
There are lots of things that a family could do to help the children improve reading skills.
Games
There are games that could help children improve their reading skills. The best game to introduce the children, is scrabble. Let the children play scrabble with the elders. By doing this, the children will learn to read words on their own, form words that they know, and at the same time enjoy the game. This is an activity that would make the children aware of words. The advantage of children playing scrabble everyday is that they can decipher words on their own. They learn how to read and spell words. Playing scrabble doesn’t only give the children fun time, but they learn a lot of words.
Word Games
You could also play a guessing game. Use flash cards with letters, disarrange the words and let the children arrange them then read them. This will help the children be able to read words, and at the same time they learn to spell the words. Making this a daily activity will train the children to form words on their own.
Reading Books and Magazines
Reading books, magazines and other reading materials will help the children enjoy reading and develop the habit of reading. This habit will help the children improve reading skills. A family that reads together will make reading more fun and interesting for the children. Make sure that books and other reading materials are always available and accessible in the house. If the children see that the family loves reading, then they would follow and be interested in reading too.
Setting a Good Example
Always set an example for the children to follow, because children do what they see around them. If they see you reading books and any reading material, they will likely follow. Children who live in an environment with many reading materials develop reading habits better than those who grow up in houses without books around. You can also buy CD’s and let the children watch them. Choose video’s that are colorful with lovely characters so that the children will get interested in them easily. Buy also those with big letters so that the children will read them easier.
Limit the Use of Computers and Gadgets
The worst distractions of children from their educational activities are the computer and the other gadgets that are readily available for them at home. If you want your children to develop the hobby for reading, limit their computer and gadget activities, and let them have more time to play with their traditional toys and read their books.
Teach them to appreciate books
Children will learn to appreciate books if you buy books for them and read books to them. They will easily see the importance of books and the benefits they can get from them if you teach them how. The availability of books at home is very important too. More reading materials and less toys and gadgets will make the children appreciate reading more.
There are children who love to read everything they see around them once they learn how to read. While shopping you can let the children read the labels on the products. You can also let the children read street signs, titles of books that you buy, titles of movies, names of different products that are displayed in stores and everything that they see around. Children love showing off that they know how to read and that is good for starters. These kinds of children will improve their reading skills better than those children who refuse to read when asked to read.
Remember that children learn things better with proper guidance and by hands-on experience.
