World Book Day: Introduce Book Reading Habit To Your Child

The topic of reading comes from the fact that today is World Book Day. Every year, 23rd of April is observed as the World Book Day, which is organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, to promote reading, publishing and copyright. In 1995 UNESCO decided that the World Book and Copyright Day would be celebrated on 23 April, as the date is also the anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare.

With the bombardment of technology on us, children today are forgetting the reading culture and more inclined towards viewing everything on screen. So seek this opportunity by seizing this special occasion to introduce your child to reading. How parents read to their babies, toddlers and preschoolers have a huge impact on how much they love reading and how readily they learn to read on their own. So here are a few simple steps that you can ensure to develop the good habit of reading in your child-

1. Reading books with illustrations:

   If you have a child who is below 5 years of age, books with illustrations will be of great help as it will catch the attention of your little one. A lot of pictorial books are available in the market that will suit your child’s age and will spark an interest in him/her

2. Asking questions based on the pictures:

   As you are reading a pictorial book to your child, make sure you ask him/her questions based on the pictures. For example, if you see a dog or a tree in the picture, ask your child to point out at it and ask him/her to describe the colour of the same. This will grab the attention of your child towards the matter and will assure how attentive your child is towards reading

3. Cuddling while reading:

   Cuddling your child whilst reading will help your child become comfortable during the activity. This will also help your child to become confident as he/she grows up and can read out loud in the class

4. Relating the book to real life:

   If you are reading a book to your child consisting of how the character visits a grocery store or a playground, relate the same scene to your real life where your child accompanied you to the store and playground. This will help your child to establish a clear rapport with the book

5. Keep various interactive books:

   Lift-the-flap, pop-up, and textured books are great for interactive reading or kids with short attention spans because they keeps children occupied and engaged

6. Ask prediction questions:

   "What do you think the mouse will do after he makes a mess?" "What do you think Lucy will draw next?" By asking your child to predict what will happen next in the story or to remember what happened previously in the book, you help them learn to read on their own

7. Follow your child’s lead:

   Children are restless and have a short attention span, so your child may hover to his/her dream world in between the reading session and may come back again after some time, so don’t make reading feel like a punishment to your child and allow him/her to engage in the same on own

1. Develops a child’s linguistic skills:

   While you speak to your child every day, the vocabulary is limited and repetitive. Reading books will ensure that your child is exposed to vocabulary on versatile topics. The more words your child learns, the better. You can teach your child to use the new words in every day sentences

2. Exercises your child’s brain:

   Reading to your child from the time he/she is young will boost and promote and their early reading skills. Research shows that specific areas of the brain are affected when young children have reading exposure at home from an early age

3. Enhances your child’s concentration:

   You may find it annoying to read with your child who constantly runs around, tosses the books or flips the pages. But if you consistently read to your child every day, your child will learn to concentrate and will sit still for longer periods of time

4. Teaches your child about different topics:

   A range of books can be read to your child, which will teach him/her about versatile topics such as different cultures, animals, different people, language and so on

5. Develops your child’s imagination and creativity:

   The biggest reward of developing the habit of reading to your child is that it will help your child’s imagination to widen

6. Develops empathy in your child:

   When a child can put himself into the story it helps them to develop empathy. They identify with characters, and they feel what they are feeling. This will enable your child to understand and relate to emotions

With such amazing fruits to bear through the habit of reading, start with this activity right from today, marking this special occasion of World Book Day.

Did you like the blog? Found it useful? Do share your thoughts with us in the comments section below;we'd love to hear from you.