by Jojie Perocho-Garcia
Teacher, how do I get my child to read?
As a Literacy teacher, this is the question that I receive the most from parents. It doesn’t just cover the pragmatics of reading for young children (learning how to sound letters and stringing words and phrases together), but more so, cultivating genuine love for reading among children of all ages. In a world that has so many interests and activities vying for our children’s attention, how do we get a book in their hands, and have them completely immersed in it?
Teacher Vanessa Bicomong of The Learning Library has probably heard this question hundreds of times too, and she shared important tips to the Mommy Mundo community in her talk “Raising Lifelong Readers” last March 20, 2021. This event kicked off Mommy Mundo’s Everything Parenting series, where we hope to share valuable insights from experts on different parenting topics under the sun.
T. Vanny prefaced her talk by reminding all of us why reading is an essential skill and endeavor that we must encourage in our children. First, parents are the child’s first teachers. Sending them to the best schools matters, yes— but the closest learning sanctuary is our homes where children develop reading mindsets and behaviors. Second, reading is the foundation of learning. It is an important tool in understanding and working through all subject areas, be it maths, sciences, social studies, and even artistic expression! Finally, kids who love to read, read better. It is a virtuous cycle that greatly rewards and engages children, constantly opening many learning opportunities for them.
In her lively presentation and even livelier conversation with our resident MM host Eliza Santiago, T. Vanny highlighted three important things that parents must remember in raising readers in their homes.
1. Choose the right books.
It’s not the number of books that you have in your shelves, but their quality and appropriateness for your young reader that matters more. Their age, interests, and current reading ability must be considered when curating books for them.
For toddlers/ beginning readers, they must be offered sturdy board books that will survive all kinds of enthusiastic exploration— repeated readings, eager page flipping, drooling, and even chewing! The more they feel comfortable with books, the more their fondness for reading will grow.
Preschoolers love books about preschoolers! They find it very interesting when characters go through the same feelings, go to familiar places, and work through challenges that are familiar to them. Alphabet books, like the classic and interactive Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, also help in building their reading interest and skill.
T. Vanny also suggested providing fun books for our children’s developing sense of humor, books with good illustration (“when they are exposed to good art, they develop a good sense of beauty”), books with story lines that elicit questions and discussion, books you enjoyed as a child and would like to pass on, and books with reading levels that will challenge but not intimidate your child. So make sure that you take a moment to browse through your next book purchase, and see if it’s a good fit for your child!
2. Read to and with them.
Make reading a part of your family routine, and make it something everyone looks forward to! Take turns leading Story Time, or just be with them as they try to read their favorite books. T. Vanny recalled how she read to her kids every night until they were ready to continue the habit on their own. She also emphasized the importance of involving dads in reading to the kids, especially sons, as studies have shown how gender heavily influences modeled behaviors.
3. Show a genuine interest in reading.
Tips 1 and 2 really won’t have a leg to stand on if parents don’t foster a real love for reading. Choosing the right books for your child requires your discerning taste; reading to and with them will take time and effort, and they will definitely see if you enjoy it too! So commit to loving reading as well. If you’re already a voracious reader yourself, then your reading enthusiasm and habits will naturally show. If you need to reignite that passion for reading that may have been lost over time or buried under busy schedules, then your child’s love for books is the best reason to pursue reading again. What were your favorite titles as a student? When did you last read for leisure? What to-read books have spent forever on your bedside pile? Taking time to read shows your child that it is a habit worth forming, and you can even make it a practice to share ideas about books you read. Eliza mentioned how she shares new learnings from books she just read with her son, and it encourages him to do the same too!
Remember that like many lessons we want our children to absorb, reading requires us to walk the talk! If we want our kids to read more, because we believe that it is good for them, then we must also show them we read too.
Raising lifelong readers may not be as easy as ABC or 123, but it is something that will benefit your children and whole family in the long run. Beyond the pragmatics of phonics and sentence syntax, beyond honing comprehension and the ability to understand context clues, reading opens the mind and the heart. Books embolden your children to engage in conversations, strengthen the power of their imagination, and grow in empathy. The love for reading is a gift that they will always carry with them.
If you want to revisit this very fruitful #EverythingParenting event, head over to the videos section of Mommy Mundo’s Facebook page and rewatch T. Vanny’s tips!
About the contributor
Jojie Perocho-Garcia has been an educator for 14 years now. She keeps her quarantine days busy with preschool and high school tutorials, reading, watching Kdramas, and being MamaJie to her husband Jeb and kids Alba (4yo) and Rogo (1yo). You may find her on Instagram and Facebook as @teachmomsy where she shares education tips, parenting reflections, and homeschooling highlights.
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