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Reading, reading, reading – how you can develop your child’s love of reading
We actively encourage our children to run, jump, play and move to stay fit, healthy and strong. Well, reading is fitness for the mind. It's the running, jumping and moving of the intellectual and academic world and we should encourage our children to read daily getting them and keeping them fit for learning.
Most importantly, reading provides mental stimulation, requiring the brain to work to decode abstract symbols, synthesise the ideas and make meaning while providing a sense of relaxation and escape. And if you join a library you get all this brain exercise for free!
If your child is struggling to learn to read, be determined to expose them to the written word through sharing books with them, reading to them and of course audio books. Talk to them about the reading, the new words and the old words used differently. Talk to them about the story, the knowledge, the characters and the plot. Talk to them about what you liked and didn't like in a book and why. Let them see you sit and read for the quiet solitude that it offers, the entry into another world.
In the OECD’s 2012 PISA Report “Let's Read Them a Story! The Parent Factor in Education”,results from PISA tell us that while most parents are often excited about their child’s first day of school and dedicate time to preparing them for the start of their educational journey, such as buying uniforms and other equipment, most parents do not spend enough time thinking about an even more important school accessory: developing a habit of reading. According to PISA:
During their first year in school, around a quarter of children, on average, do not have someone in the household who reads to them regularly; and, as they struggle to make their way through reading their first words and sentences, only around 40% of young children will look up from their first book and see their parents enjoying a book of their own. Since parents are a child’s most important role models, it is crucial that parents show their children the value of reading by reading with their children when they are young and demonstrating positive attitudes towards reading.
The Parent Hub website has some useful tips on reading for primary school children. https://www.parenthub.com.au/news/kids-news/top-reading-tips-parents-primary-school-children/
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