Raising a reader is even more difficult than being a reader. My grandma from the paternal side was a career woman in the 60s and 70s. My mom and all my aunts had full-time jobs at a time when women hardly studied or thought about being financially independent.They were all book lovers.Parents, and grandparents all have a role to play in giving us our reading genes. Moms I feel have the biggest role to play.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
When I was a kid I remember I spent my summer vacations reading fairy tales with my mom and coloring the pictures and sketches that came with the books. Sometimes they didn’t need to be colored, but try telling that to a five-year-old.I never remember my mom ever pushing me to read a book.I read books, newspapers magazines anything I could get my hands on. The second-hand/much-loved book library at Golpark was a treasure trove. The books were often torn, sometimes dirty and dog-eared, and sometimes outright smelly but if it was a Perry Mason(later ), an Agatha Christie, a Famous Five I would read it. My father used to take me there and the reading cost was a flat rate of Rs 10 and a deposit of Rs 100 depending on how many books you took.
A cost-effective, eco-friendly, just right for book-friendly people.
My daughter likes reading her fairytale books with plenty of pics. She loves being read too. As a family, we read all the time for fun, education, as a weekend activity, and family activity too. We study together all the time. My hubby, unfortunately, doesn’t read storybooks. But that’s what having a voracious mother for a reader helped. I read to her when she was a baby, I told her stories when she was inside me. Now we read to each other.
Tips from a Bookworm Mommy to Raise a Reader
#1 Read to her even if you think she doesn’t understand. Remember your voice, emotions, and vocabulary all have a role to play in her growing up. Not audiobooks and not storytime on YouTube .read to her even if it’s one page per day. Audiobooks are important but not just then!
#2 Tell her about why you love reading. Talk to her about the joys of learning to read. Tell her stories about your first books and how you made friends over a shared interest in books.
#3 Read something you would enjoy too.I still love reading Famous Five and Faraway tree and all Enid Blyton books. So Start reading something which works for both and it won’t be a chore.
#4 Comics are not all bad. The wonder woman, Superman, Phantom, Birbal, and even Archie’s comic books taught us something. So don’t ban things. Just keep a watch on what she consumes. What she reads she will learn. So more positive the message the better it is.
#5 Try picture books when they are very young. I believe it’s never too early to buy books. It’s a journey, better to start slowly and steadily. The tactile pleasure of turning pages is incomparable.
#6 Have books at home. My shelves are full of colorful children’s books, my own and some new ones. My daughter likes picking up one and trying to read when she finds us reading our books. That’s an easy one to establish a love and respect for books.
#7 Have book reading tea parties with her friends. Where they each read a chapter of a fun book they pick together. It’s a cool way to make reading interactive and is like a Grandma goose storytime. Just better
#8 Ask her to read the same book or different books or mix them up. Both help in wiring up the brain to recognize and pronounce the words and similar ones. This helps in fluency and better reading skills.
#9 Carry a book for her when you have to wait somewhere. Don’t give her your phone give her the book.
#10 Take her to libraries and bookshops with you. Some of my fondest childhood memories are the library visits with my sister. She was a reluctant reader at first who one day became a bookworm!
Be thankful for books and reading and spread the joy around. Give her books as gifts with toys. Books are my favorite gift, even more than chocolates.I think the love of reading is contagious at least from mothers to daughters it is!
Research and educationist suggest
To raise a reader, be a reader.
I think that is the crux of it. We have to lead by example. One day I want her to read my blog, my books ,my stories about her, and my advice to her. I may or may not be there. When she grows up as a reader she will one day know how much being her mommy made me a writer and an artist.
Writing this for #MondayMommyMoments.
#MondayMommyMoments Prompt this week :
So don’t stop writing. This was written as part of #MondayMommyMoments because Good things happen to those who persist.You can also read my post 16 Secret Study tips from a Bookworm Doctor Mommy