Here are five tips for creating a culture of reading.
Tip 1
Almost every Indian family starts the day sipping their cup of morning tea while reading the newspaper. At least one member of the family does this. That’s probably the most desi way we know to start our day. Ask your child to join in when you read the newspaper. Get your child to join this family ritual which has the habit of reading daily ingrained in its core.
Tip 2
You join your kids in their reading journey. Talk about the book they are currently reading or just finished reading. Hear them narrate snippets from the book. Laugh at scenes that made them laugh, feel sad when they felt sad after something they read. Let the book play in their minds, and situations and scenes from the book slip into their conversation. Yes, this requires investing time and energy. But trust me, it is worth the effort. Try taking out a little time each day to talk books. Dinner times are good for such conversations. Just ditch the TV at dinner time.
Recommended reading: 4 Easy Ways To Develop Reading Habit In Children
Tip 3
Don’t make ‘hollow attempts’ to cultivate reading habits. These days children are too smart to identify these. If you insist that your child should read, start reading yourself first. Children learn best by observing their parents. If you love reading and already read regularly, then great. But if you don’t, start reading. There is no age to start reading. Now you might be wondering that “I am a non-reader. Which book do I start reading? How do I choose a book?” I will make it a little easier for you. Start picking something related to professional development or personal development to start with. If it still seems challenging, start reading magazines. What you read and the language is not important here. At the very minimum, ensure all adult family members read the newspaper at least. This will help kids understand that reading is important.
Tip 4
Maximize children’s access to books. Keep reading material in every room of your house. This will ensure child’s access to books and printed material. This will help them understand that reading is as natural as breathing, eating, sleeping. Let your child develop a personal collection of books. Owning a bookshelf filled with books they love will give them a sense of pride and identity. After many moons when they grow up, looking back at their collection will only make them happy. Get yourself and your kid a membership of the local library. Just like you eat out once a week with your family, you can visit the library once a week with your kid. Also, attend book launches, literary fests, and author meets, if possible.
Tip 5
Grandma’s bag of books – something we all have heard in our childhood. I will give you a contemporary take on this. Storytelling sessions are amazing opportunities for families to bond. If you have a flair for writing, co-create a story with your kids. This will take the whole reading experience to the next level.
Bonus Tip
There are two things that you should not do when creating a family culture of reading.
1. Don’t approach creating a culture of reading with a ‘reading log’ mentality. This approach will make reading a chore. This approach will erode the joy of reading in leisure for pleasure.
2. I have consciously not talked about e-readers. When I am trying to develop a family culture, I will choose the most traditional way. This will ensure all family members across generations get to bond without inhibitions or fear of technology. Our millennials will find Kindle very convenient. But this is not true for their grandparents or even for parents in many cases.
We wish you all the best in your journey to cultivate a reading culture.
