Fostering a love of reading in your child is one of the greatest gifts that you can offer to your little one, which can have a lifelong impact. Not only does reading help individuals develop language skills and expand knowledge, but it also fosters a wild imagination and creativity. Unfortunately, the number of children who read for comfort and pleasure is slowly on the decline, with this being evident in their academic performance. As a parent, there are many things that you can do to encourage your child to develop a love for reading. By simply creating a positive and engaging reading environment, you can help your child develop a lifelong love of reading. Below are some tips from this private nursery in London on how to get started.
Lead by example
Your child’s biggest hero is you. Anything you practice or say, you will eventually find them mimicking and incorporating into their daily lives too. Allow reading to be something that your child catches you doing often, the same way they would with screens and technology. Buy hard copies of books, have pride in your book collection and set a time each day where you sit and read your favourite novels. You can even encourage your child to sit with you with their own books too. By showing your adoration for this activity, your child will eventually pick it up and find their own love for it as well.
Mix it up
Reading doesn’t always have to be a thick book that is covered in a tiny black and white font. It can be a picture book, encyclopaedia, newspaper, recipe book or comic. The idea is to allow your child to explore a variety of resources to find what they like best. Allow them to discover reading in their own way and take the lead when it comes to choosing books to read.
Read often
Introducing reading into your child’s life at a young age will play in your favour as they will become a lot more familiar with it from early on. The idea is to create a positive feeling when your child reads. If reading is something they remember they did before bed to help wind down and think of happy thoughts, it is a memory they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
