How to improve reading skills in kids? Reading tips for children

Reading skills are one aspect that children these days are ignoring. The digital devices are distancing away children from the beauty of the book reading. It is the responsibility of every adult and parent to encourage book reading in children. We should convey to them the benefits of book reading. 

When we explain the beauty of books and how they help them in the future, children would surely understand and appreciate the magic of book reading.

This post is a guide to explain how to make children fall in love with books, how to improve children’s reading skills and a step-by-step method of taking them closer to the fascinating world of book reading.

Why should children read books?

Reading is one of the best hobbies children can ever have. George R.R. Martin said – “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.”

A common thought for most of us, including children is: I should start reading from next year. For such people, the best question can be: why not from now?

If we explain the benefits of book reading, children may not postpone initiating this beautiful habit. Cultivating reading habit works wonders for children in many ways:

• A book is magic that navigates us to yet another different world without needing us to move.
• Children’s thoughts diversify when we read books.
• Their vocabulary and the style of talking improve immensely.
• Books can show guidance when we are stuck in our life.
• We never know which book can make a positive difference in our life.
• Reading habit helps immensely in examinations to grasp, analyze, and solve the questions.
• No wonder, great leaders and successful entrepreneurs always vouched on the habit of reading.

“That’s the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.”– Jhumpa Lahiri

The habit of reading books should start early in childhood. Parents should encourage children to read newspapers and children’s stories books. Then gradually, the beauty of book reading drags them more towards them. 

How book reading helps children?

By reading good books, children will:

• Be aware that the world and life is a lot more than we daily see and experience.
• Able to accept themselves and stop worrying about their limitations.
• Able to improve their decision making and resilience.
• They acquire confidence that anything is possible if we work for it.
• They can accept any situation with ease and confidence. Nothing or no one can bring them down.

Putting it crisp, reading good books, and re-reading them as and when we find the time, is an investment in answering the needs of your children’s curiosity and designing their inner strength.

The impact of book reading serves children in our difficult times. For instance, if they read autobiographies of successful people across the world, they realize that it is only after pain and failure that success and happiness come.

Books can provide the best source for inspiration and courage in tough moments of life. Books like Sadhguru’s books, Bhagavadgita, autobiographies of great leaders give us the motivation and help us explore a whole different world.

Tricks for book reading for children

Children often face some challenges with book reading. Here are tips and tricks that can help overcome the challenges of book reading:

Finding time to read

A challenge most children find is finding time to read. Their hectic school work, time spent on digital devices and hobbies, etc can leave them with little free time for reading. 

Here are some tips that can help children steal time for reading:

• Cut down the time they spend on digital devices and divert this time for book reading.
• Wake up earlier than the rest of your family, read at least 5 pages every day.
• Read every day at least for 15 minutes before you turn off bedroom lights.
• And needless to say, travel time and commute time are another best way to catch up on books, as and when possible.

Understanding the concept

Not all books are easily understood by children. They may be able to read the first few pages and come back to you saying that the book is not clear or they do not find it comprehensible.

Follow these simple book reading tips for children in such cases:

• Encourage them to read the first few pages at the start. Ask them to read 2-3 pages and stop. Explain the concept to them, and ask them to re-narrate that for you. 
• Then, encourage them to read the next 2-3 pages another day. Before beginning with the next pages, ask them to revise the previous pages quickly and get started with that day’s reading. 
• Choose books that are in line with your children’s interests. For instance, if your child loves sports, start with a book of sports or sports stars. The readout for them aloud and then ask them to read on their own.

“A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading.”– William Styron

Finding vocabulary tough

Children’s books are normally written in simple language. However, some books may need guidance from parents or a dictionary to comprehend them. 

In such cases, ask your child to follow these simple tricks:

• Ask them to underline words they find it tough. You could write the meaning of the word above it in the book itself. Or you can ask them to maintain a small notepad to note such new words and their meanings. 

• Ask them to read such noted words daily for 5 minutes. This helps build their confidence about reading and improves their vocabulary too.

• On doing reading like this for a couple of days, your children will feel it simple to read the upcoming books with enhanced confidence.

Choosing books for children

Introducing books and reading habits for children should be done in a step-by-step manner. Assume this as a way to introduce solid food for children. First, you feed them soft and mashed up food to give their taste buds the sense of solid food. Slowly you add whole solid food to them. 

Related: Ruskin Bond stories for Children

Similarly, to inculcate reading habits in your children, follow this step-by-step plan.

Step 1: Choose rhymes books for little kids. Sing them aloud like a song. The rhymes contain many words that teach vowel sounds and consonant sounds separately for kids. Give them the taste of phonetics through reading out loud such words. Encourage them to repeat after you.

Step 2: Then, get started with spellings. Start from 2 or 3-word spellings. Teach them daily 5 spellings and ask them to read aloud and repeat them. Make them write those spellings, (even if it’s written on the walls, let them write! All that we need is encouraging them to learn and kids love to write on walls. So don’t force stop them, it is a way they learn!) 

Step 3: You can make writing and read aloud attractive by using certain learning aids. Blackboards, kids’ boards, markers and color crayons, etc will make them fall in love with learning and writing.

Also Read: Top story books for children

Step 4: Once they are familiar with the basics of spelling and reading, you can get started with reading bedtime story books. Read sentences one after the other. Explain that sentence to them. Introduce any new words, along with their spelling and meanings. 

Step 5: Then, start with books that contain a collection of short stories. Explain each story and encourage them to read each story and narrate on their own.

Step 6: Once your child reads a couple of short story books, hand them a book that contains a single story with tens of pages. Repeat the process here: tell them to read sentences, paragraphs, and ask them to take a break for every 2- pages, revise what they read, and then continue for the next 2-3 pages. 

Step 7: Once your child completes the whole book, keep it aside. After a couple of weeks, reintroduce the book to them. This time ask them to read again, albeit at an increased speed. This time they can read it fast, quick, and in a short time. This re-reading is one reading tip for children that will help them to remember the words and the concept forever.

“The library is inhabited by spirits that come out of the pages at night.”– Isabel Allende

Tips to enhance reading skills in children

• Introduce autobiographies of great leaders. Many books are specifically written for children’s grasping. 

• Give books related to moral stories, folk tales, superheroes, etc. to introduce book reading habits in children. They will get accustomed to reading through them.

• For younger kids, opt for books that are rich in illustrations. The colors and the drawings will be a treat to the eyes of children.

• Choose books that are simple and plain for children to understand. Giving them straight away complex books will create fear of reading.

• Hand them over an illustrated dictionary that will explain the meaning of the words along with the images. Illustrated dictionaries are a great way to accustom children to a world of dictionaries. 

• Discourage children from using online help for everything. Tell them to use their minds and learn from the books. There is a reason why prominent people on the globe support book reading. Identify that and encourage your children more towards books and their minds rather than on digital devices.

We hope these tips help to encourage your children towards book reading and enhance their vocabulary. Let us know what you did to improve confidence in your children towards reading books. Happy to hear from you! Happy reading!