The pleasure of reading | How to motivate our children to read?

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NAVIGATION MENU

We have recently celebrated Book Week at WISS. As every year, our students have been able to see and acquire new books to read at home. But, what if my son doesn't like to read… what can I do?

Getting a child to read on their own initiative is one of the most difficult challenges that adult readers have. Electronic devices (mobile phones, tablets, computers) are currently helping to make reading an increasingly difficult activity.

Reading, and especially reading comprehension, is a basic tool for the acquisition of increasingly complex learning. Reading comprehensively facilitates the organization of thought, favors a better understanding of reality and contributes to the management of emotions and behavior.

How to motivate our children to read?

At first, we can look for extrinsic motivation, but the goal is to get to intrinsic motivation by introducing them to books about their own interests so that they enjoy reading. From the WISS Student Support Services Department we recommend a series of simple guidelines to introduce children to reading:

1. Reading ourselves: children, especially the youngest, learn by imitation. It doesn't matter if they see us reading the newspaper or novels. Any time and place is good for reading.

2. If we choose to read to our children, it is recommended to play with the voices, the intonations and the emphasis in the dialogues to characterize the characters. Give life to the story.

3. Let the children choose their own books. If they are the ones who decide, they will select books that, a priori, interest them more and it will be easier for them to read, because the contents themselves can be motivating.

4. Visit bookstores and libraries, and participate in activities where books and reading are the protagonists.

5. Associate reading with positive moments: giving books on birthdays, Christmas and other special occasions predisposes to associate reading with happy childhood moments.

6. Congratulate on achievements: when it is the child who reads, you have to make him aware of his progress and congratulate him on them. «You no longer stumble on commas; Very good" or "Now you read faster" are concrete and motivating phrases that demonstrate your own ability to learn.

Reading is a mental exercise whose benefits are innumerable. Some of them are:

• Exercise the mind

• Improves oral and written expression, helping to transmit knowledge and culture

• Encourages self-taught learning

• Stimulates concentration and imagination

• Activates empathy and expands vocabulary

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The pleasure of reading | How to motivate our children to read?

Mar 24, 2023