There are a number of ways by which parents and teachers can help foster children's love for reading. One way is to find out if a child struggles with reading- this could either be a phonetic or word problem. With the help of teachers, parents can investigate a child’s reading difficulty as well as find ways to help them overcome it. By doing so, children are not discouraged to keep trying knowing that they have the support of such important personalities as their parents.

Another way to promote a love for reading is to read books together with children on a daily basis. Reading bedtime stories for about 15 to 20 minutes per night, for example, can foster reading habits. Bedtime stories also help children to associate reading with relaxation. Whiles reading, children may point out any words they are familiar with and read them out. Parents can also make the process interactive by asking questions about the story such as: ‘what do you think is going to happen next?’ Such questions help children familiarise themselves with story structures.

Also, parents and educators can make reading enjoyable by giving children a
a variety of books. Though there is a need for diversity, books must be checked to ensure that they are tailored to different age ranges. To further spice up reading, parents can select pop-up books or other creatively designed texts for their children. Parents can also vary their tone of voice from time to time, as they read- as this helps to maintain interest.

Children learn a lot from their parents. Seeing parents read newspapers, books or even magazines often indicates that reading is important. Therefore, parents can help their children to create and sustain an interest in reading by being role models for their kids. Children would love to join their parents with their books and read together.

It is always important to set up a conducive atmosphere for every endeavour that we wish to make successful. The same applies to reading.  Setting up a mini-library in a child's room with some colourful reading materials may also encourage them to read more frequently.

More importantly, technology has made reading much easier than before.  Parents can subscribe to e-books on their computers or tablets for their children to use. Most e-books come with several functions such as narrations, music, and dictionaries. These provide support to children who struggle to read, including those with learning disabilities. E-books offer children unlimited access to reading materials. However, parents are advised to set up parental control measures so as to ensure that children are not distracted with irrelevant or adult content while reading.

Reading is a vital literacy skill. It is therefore important that children cultivate the habit of reading as reading helps to shape a child’s progress in life.

REFERENCE:

Information from www.oxfordlearning.com, www.kumaon.co.uk, www.penwings.com was used in this story