At a recent Simply Her Family Workshop, parents picked up tips on cultivating a reading habit in their little ones.
At a recent Simply Her Family Workshop, parents picked up tips on cultivating a reading habit in their little ones.
Kids keeping busy with play-dough while their parents sit through the informative session.
ANITA’S READING TIPS:
DON’T RUSH
If you find that your child isn’t picking up reading as fast as you would like him to, don’t panic, says Anita. The key here is to just go with the flow – so stop whenever your child feels like a break. Reading should be an enjoyable activity, so forcing your child to read might make him averse to it. Parents in most countries don’t worry about their children learning to read until they’re about six years old, adds Anita.
DEVELOP PREREADING SKILLS
If your child can’t sit still yet, it might be a good idea to help him develop pre-reading skills first. Songs and rhymes are particularly good for helping children pick up words. You can also familiarise them with the concept of print, including how to flip pages and reading from left to right.
START WITH THE BASICS
When choosing books for your child, start with simple ones. Picture books are perfect – the pages are colourful and attractive, and the storyline is simple enough. This helps sustain your child’s attention and keep him interested. And the pictures act as references to help him associate words with the right representations. This is one way of improving his vocabulary. Keep the picture books for as long as your child is interested and be enthusiastic even if you have to read them over and over again.
CREATE A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Immerse your child in a literature-rich environment by offering him a good range of books to choose from. Help your child with his language skills by making notes and signs around the house; use multiple languages to get your child familiar with the different languages that are spoken at home and in school. Anita says the window for a child to pick up languages ends by the time they are five years old, so exposing your little ones to a multi-language environment should be done early.
THE EVENT:
At the Family Workshop in January, Anita Wilks, senior trainer and consultant at Lorna Whiston School, offered handy tips to parents to help their three- to five-year-olds develop an appreciation for reading. The kids also had fun exercising with the coaches from Gym With Me, while kitted out in comfy Skechers footwear.
Children having a ball of a time with Gym With Me’s exercises, all while togged out in Skechers sneakers.
