5 Activities To Motivate Children To Read
Motivating children to read from the earliest years is essential to strengthen a habit that favors intellect and communication. Reading is a magnificent exercise that increases concentration, activates brain processes, helps expand vocabulary and improves oral and written expression. In addition to the above, it brings many other benefits to academic and personal life.
As Oxford Learning specialists put it, reading should be a celebration and not a frustrating experience. The key for children to build this conception is to relate them to written language even before they learn to read. It is also necessary to take into consideration that each child processes information and learns in a different way.
Why are some children not motivated to read?
- Because it makes them look like a mandatory task.
- They have difficulty understanding what they read.
- They think reading is boring.
- You have not yet found a book that interests you.
How can children be motivated to read?
Once you have identified the correct way to approach your child and encourage the habit of reading, you will be able to know which of the following actions will be most effective.
1. Read as a family
It does not matter if it is a cookbook, a children’s story book, the shopping list, the road signs or the map to get to a place. What really counts is that there is interest and that the children learn to see reading as something necessary and important. The best way to motivate is to teach by example and dedicate family moments to this activity.
2. Provide reading material
When children have various types of books and resources nearby, at some point they will be curious to explore them. Make sure to choose colorful text and attractive illustrations in the early stages. Then you can provide the kids with stories and encyclopedias on the topics that interest them the most and suit their personality.
3. Make appropriate use of technology to motivate children to read
With today’s technological tools, the way children learn has been transformed. Although there has been talk of many negative effects of this change, it can also be used in favor in the field of reading. A tablet or an e-book reader with interactive functions will be an attractive means to generate motivation towards texts.
One of the great advantages of using digital tools is that they can be adapted to the needs and preferences of each child. You can choose the number of lines you want to see on each page and the size of the font. This is ideal for children who have special needs and who for some reason struggle with conventional books.
4. Show interest in listening to children’s readings
The response you give when your children read with you has a remarkable effect on the perceptions they develop. It is essential that you give them words of encouragement, feedback and that you ask questions to verify their understanding of what they have read. Let them choose books that interest them so that they see it as an action of leisure and not as an imposed task.
A creative way to motivate children to read …
5. Theatrical works
If you take your child to a play and then read the script as a family, the child will realize that books are alive. You can also propose that they create costumes and dialogues for a story to act out at home. You can do the same with song lyrics, poems, and comics.
If you want to enhance the cognitive, social and communicative development of your children, make reading a daily practice. As time goes by, you will notice that children do better in school, are more disciplined and have enormous strengths in writing and verbal expression.
