Tips for inculcating a reading habit

Pleasure Corner
Make a pleasurable corner for your child in his/her room which will have his/her favorite toys and along with it keep some exciting books also.

Right Age
Introduce books to your child at an early age. You may start to encourage your child to read by him/herself when the child is in Sr.Kg.

Right Books
Give your child the age appropriate books. Provide your child different kinds of books that are appealing to a child for example, initially give them simple and colorful books, picture books, etc.

Set aside some time
Set aside some time for reading for your child each day. This way you are stressing the importance of reading. Initially ten to fifteen minutes is usually enough.

Make reading pleasurable.
Sit with your child and read out the stories to him/her. Point to the words as you say them. Do not pressurize, if your child loses interest divert to another activity.

Maintain the flow, do not interrupt
If your child mispronounces a word, allow them enough room for self-correction.

Encourage
Increase your child's confidence with constant praise for even the smallest achievement.

Visit the Library
Visit public libraries more often and use the library regularly.

The More the Merrier
Provide your child a variety of reading materials eg. picture books, hard backs, comics, magazines, poems, and information books.

Suggestion for choosing books
The following are some suggestions of what to look for when you are choosing books for young children.

1. Children enjoy books that relate directly to their lives and experiences.
2. Infants enjoy board books, books with bright colors and pictures.
3. Toddlers enjoys books that they can hold, few simple words and rhymes
4. Between 2-3 years, children enjoy books on transport, food, animals, families etc.
5. At this age, they also enjoy silly books and nonsense rhymes!
6. Preschoolers enjoy books on going to school, numbers and counting, words that they can read. You can read aloud to them and sometimes they never tire of hearing the same story over and over until you know it well yourself.