Developing a Reading Habit

Here are a few tried-and-tested techniques to help get you started:

Before reading a book to your child, read it through once yourself to identify areas you might want to concentrate on.

Point at each word with your finger as you read, and encourage your child to follow along. Even before your child can read, they can be highly stimulated by the pictures they see in books.

A child's attention span tends to be rather short, so choose simple books with plenty of colourful pictures.

If you are concerned about little hands tearing and smudging books, buy sturdy toddler board books that can withstand some 'abuse'.

Parents who show that that they enjoy and benefit from reading will set good examples to their children.

Children are constantly imitating adults, so if you make reading out to be a fun and enjoyable activity, it is likely that your child will as well.

Make reading a treat instead of a chore! Don't just read to your child at bedtime - read to him throughout the day or whenever time allows.

Show enthusiasm and excitement, and vary your reading tone to give characters different voices. Make your own puppets out of household items to use when reading.

Involve your child in the reading process. Let him turn the pages of the book, and give him adequate time to look at the pictures and ask questions.

If your child has developed an adequate level of reading comprehension, ask him simple questions about the story after each reading session.

Most children will have 'favourites'. Read your child's favourite books often, and make them available to your child at all times by placing them on a shelf within easy reach. This allows your child to look at his favourites whenever he desires.

All children have an innate desire to communicate. Write simple notes and letters to your child, and encourage him to do the same to you.

For children who have yet to master reading and writing, simply let them 'read' you their mental notes, and then read your notes to them.

Visit to your local library regularly, and engage the help of the children's librarian to assist your child in choosing books that are appropriate for his age group.

When he is old enough, obtain a library card for your child. This will help him acquire a sense of responsibility alongside an interest of reading.

By making reading fun, and keeping your child's reading experiences positive, you can nurture a child to grow into an avid reader, and one who views reading as an enjoyable pastime.

A Book Is a Child's Companion

If we want our children to enjoy the companionship of books, we must allow the child's contribution to the relationship to be wholly salient. We want the child to know that he is relevant to the book. So as we look at a book with a child, we are flexible about how that process goes. We forget that we know it has a beginning, middle and end, and we allow the child's pleasure and interest to dictate what it is to which we will attend, and of what the interaction will consist. We attend to the child’s agenda. We do our best to explicate the demands of perspective the illustration demonstrates, and we spend the time we need to cover and uncover, make disappear and reappear, our own faces and hands, until this loses its interest for the child. Only then do we proceed in the book. It is not unlike taking our child to the beach to view the vast ocean or to admire the sunset while acknowledging that the tiny sandcrab that scurries over the toe of his sneaker and totally captures his attention is a wholly worthy competitor for our intent and deserves our closest mutual attention. We are flexible, and we care about what our small friend's interests are because only then can he bring his whole self to the encounter. And that is what we want. We want the child to know that he is relevant to the book.

Babies and toddlers are enriched by books. Even more important, the relationships between very young children and their parents are enriched by books. Books provide a source of mutual pleasure for parent and child that is likely to last a lifetime. We introduce infants and toddlers to books not simply because of what they will learn from them, but so that they will grow to love them. It is a gift beyond measure.

Talk About Books

Talking about the books you read is just as important as reading them. Discussing a story or a book with your child helps your child understand it and connect it to his or her own experience of life. It also helps enrich your child's vocabulary with new words and phrases.

Here are some ways to help your child acquire skills in comprehension, reasoning, and critical thinking:

Ask your child about the kinds of books he or she would like to read.

Talk to your child about your favourite books from childhood, and offer to read them.

Encourage your child to ask questions and to comment on the story and pictures in a book – before, during, and after reading it.

Look at the cover and the title of a book with your child, and ask your child what he or she thinks might happen in the story.

Encourage your child to think critically about the story. Does he or she agree or disagree with the author? Why?

Think out loud about the story as you read, and encourage your child to do the same. For example, ask, "Does this make sense? Why or why not?"

Give your child time to think about the story, and then ask him or her about it again a few days later.