Honing a habit of reading for oneself is one of the toughest jobs. Especially when you have your work and family to take care of. We have seen even the most passionate bookworms let dust gather around their bookshelves. It could be burnout or simply a disinterest to do anything more mentally taxing than switching the television on.
In many cases, you will find adults not having a reading habit. They are so immersed in the other OTT platforms and binging habits that they are making us forget the simple habits. The beauty and peace of a good book, and the joy one gets upon finishing one.
We are sure you not only want these beautiful self-caring habits for yourself but would also like to pass them down to your children. In this excerpt below, we will be getting into some of the best day-to-day guides to help build your reading habit and your kids by proxy.
A Guide To Improving Yours & Your Child’s Reading Habit
Here is a challenge to increase your reading and concentration for each day to come.
1. Start With Online Books
It is quite easy to go about the bookshop and buy every book you would love to read or every children’s literature. It would be much better to first go to the space of every curious cat, ‘the internet.’
Either invest in an audiobook or get free online books for kids. Take time out from your busy schedule, and you also encourage your child to sit with you. The two of you can indulge in some good ebooks. Then if you find the story particularly interesting, you can go buy the book from your local bookstore.
This way you wouldn’t be wasting time and money on books which you might not like, only to realize it post buying.
2. Create A Cozy Reading Nook
Sometimes it is indeed the environment that encourages us towards an activity. The appeal of aesthetics is indeed huge when it comes to excite us towards reading. The aesthetic is not just for adults but will very well attract a child as well.
Therefore, before you sit with a book, why not make it a fun activity?
- Create a comfortable space with cushions and blankets.
- Set it up near a window or a fireplace.
- Play some aesthetic ASMR tunes from any device.
- Add some warm lighting of your choice around to set up the mood. In this way, you do not have to worry about straining your eyes in low light or switching on the big light as it might ruin the set mood.
3. Read Aloud
If you and the child are reading separate books every day, you can make a little shift in your routine and try reading the same book. Pick a children’s literature you loved as a kid or you would like to explore now.
Reading out loud helps provide an immersive experience to the child, build their imagination, and overall increase their curiosity towards the stories.
You can make it an adventure by creating a tent and having a reading session within. Or even read under the covers under a torch light. It is all about making that experience worthwhile.
4. Discuss The Stories
It is not just about reading but understanding the stories within. The moral of the ending and the principles that the strong protagonists hold. It is, afterall, a way of bringing the stories to reality and understanding how they affect our day-to-day behavior.
A great way to help increase your and your child’s reading habit is definitely by discussing these stories more often. Keeping the characters alive in the sense of making them into a role model.
The more they resonate with these stories, the more they or you will be coming back to visit your bookshelf.
Why Build A Habit Of Reading For Children
Cultivating a reading habit in children sparks imagination, enhances language skills, fosters empathy, and paves the way for academic success and lifelong learning.
Besides the excellent vocabulary and the academic aspect of it, reading also helps generate a healthy coping mechanism for stress. Now, it is also considered as one of the best self-care activities anyone can do in their free time.
Plus, developing a reading habit in children fuels language acquisition, sparks the imagination, cultivates empathy, and lays the foundation for academic achievement and a lifelong love of learning.
