Again, Houston people have experienced chilly weather with rain throughout this week. I picked up one book, made myself a cup of tea and settled down on the couch. We do not have a fire place otherwise it would have sounded like a movie scene…:)  I didn’t realize how time had passed by just like that. That’s the magic of books. Books and reading is something that can be introduced to kids as early as you want. So, I thought of writing on this topic for today’s post – ‘Reading Time, Fun Time’.

Since childhood, we all have heard that books are our best friends. Their company will never make us feel bored. There is no other friend as loyal as a book. As they say- “A good book on your shelf is a friend that turns its back on you and remains a friend.” I keep on telling the same to my daughter who is a Kindergartener. At school they give lot of stress on reading, comprehension, and writing. After all, these are the things that actually help in long run. I am lucky that she enjoys reading. And now when she can read fluently, she feels pride in choosing the book from the library that she wants to read. We started the night time reading routine since she was, I guess, five-six months old. Yes, we are doing it since then. The only difference between now and then is earlier she would just look at the pictures and enjoys them, later I used to read and she would listen and now even if I am reading it she will re-tell the story or sometimes we do it as a dialogue session.

 Well, this is all applicable when you kid likes reading but there is other side of this too. For some kids learning to read can be pretty daunting, overwhelming. Putting letter and sounds together and interpreting, decoding their meaning is quite tough. So, how to make it a fun-time instead of dread? This is how we started:

• Make it a game (for later stages): My daughter has learnt about ‘chunks’ (little words inside the larger words; ‘at’ inside ‘hat’). While reading, we play a game ‘let’s find the chunk’. OR Try a dialogue session. You pick one character and let your kid pick other character from the story. Now start the dialogues through reading and enjoy the fun. I found it as an effective way of teaching how to read with expressions. Have you ever wondered why kids enjoy so much at Story-time? It’s because of the expressions, variation in the tone.

 

• Get crafty: I would say, little bit of craft while reading is not a bad idea. Scrapbook is an ideal example. Think of making a scrapbook of special occasions and ask you kiddo to write in her words. And later make sure to read it together. This is more important. It is fun seeing how their vocabulary grows.  You can also try making travelogue the same way (for little older kids). For younger ones, make Paper bags animal puppets or using the plastic spoons and drawing different characters from the story.

 

 

• Shorten sessions: Young readers can easily get overwhelmed with long seating time. Start with shorter reading sessions. This will encourage them to be more focused and engaged.

 

• Make your own picture book: Pictures always attract kids; especially young kids. The fun part with picture books is every time you can come up with a totally new story. We all know kids love making stories. This also helps them to think out of the box. You can either make your own picture book or issue it from the library.

 

• Join the reading club: All the local libraries have such reading club. Find one that suits your child and dig into reading.
  

 

I have always believed that there is a limit to buy games, toys. They can give them temporary satisfaction and happiness. But if your child is into books then it is not only a best source of knowledge but also a lifelong pal.

After all, “Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.  -Charles W. Eliot”

These were few of the points that I thought of sharing with you. If you have anything to add please feel free to do so.

ENJOY READING!!