The Gift of reading

The best gift a parent can give to their child is the gift of reading. Books are the stepping stones for enriching our children’s lives and expanding their horizon and inspire them to shape their dreams into reality.

The best way to develop the habit of reading for your child is to read out to them. Soothing voice of a parent is what a child relates at a very early age. Babies at the age of 3 months get attracted to colours, showing them bright picture books helps in the early motor skills. Remember the movie Baby’s Day Out where the baby visits all the places he sees in the book. Best place for a child is the parent’s lap.
Toddlers love to hear bedtime stories. Story books with bright pictures attracts the child’s attention and imagination. Fairy tales, animal stories all help in introducing a child to a new world of imagination. A routine for bedtime stories help children in forming a life time habit of reading and unwinding before going to bed.
As children learn their alphabets and simple word formation, encourage them to read books. Children at this stage love repetitive reading because of familiarity with words. The first time a child reads abook its like an acquaintance and the next time it’s like an old friend.

As a child grows and the reading skills improve take them to a bookshop or a library. Let them browse through various books. Give them the freedom to pick their own books. Don’t force your choice on them because the basic idea is to develop the habit of reading. Every book is a learning experience. Give your child the freedom to choose books of their liking never interfere.
Develop a reading corner for the children. Their own territory, their own place to enter into the imaginative world of books and embark upon a magical journey to far off lands full of fun, adventure, mystery, stories and intrigue.

Encourage your child to read books on various topics of their interest. Reading should not be presented as a chore or a duty but as a gift to a child. It should be a form of pleasure.
Discuss the books you read with them and encourage them to talk about their books. A child who reads will turn into a thinks adult who likes to introspect before forming an opinion.
This is a journey of lifetime that never ends.