The Hindu Business Line : Open to books

Recent research is supporting what perceptive parents have suspected all along. Very young children, even infants, have a tremendous capacity to respond to their environment. Language skills, like other cognitive capabilities, begin developing early and babies seek out familiar spoken sounds that convey meaning.

According to experiments by Patricia Kuhl of Seattle’s University of Washington, babies from birth to four months are “universal linguists” capable of recognising the 150 sounds that make up all human speech. Encouraging a love for reading from an early age helps children to develop their intelligence and learning skills. Rather than pressurising them, parents should seize the early years to introduce interesting and stimulating picture and story books to children.

Reading is fun

Even before a child enters school, reading aloud can be a pleasure shared by both parent and child. When parents read to young children, especially during the first three years of life, they lay the base for a lifelong interest in learning. Reading can be most enriching when it’s not imposed as a duty, but enjoyed for fun. While reading, the parent and child can have a great time adding their own jokes, or acting out the different characters in a story by modulating their voices.

Attractive picture books are a visual treat for the child who cannot yet read. The parent and child can find many new things to discuss in the story and illustrations of a favourite book each time they read it together, setting the base for future creative thinking. Reading while children cuddle up to a loving parent also nurtures them emotionally. Parents who are booklovers themselves, must encourage extra-curricular reading in children of all ages. External reading fills up knowledge gaps left by the school syllabus and nurtures curiosity and independent thinking. The child can also learn to appreciate moral values like courage, honesty, and loyalty in an interesting way through the stories they read.

Time for reading

Even the busiest parents can manage to squeeze in some time to read to their little ones by multi-tasking. Smart parents combine reading with a troublesome, but necessary chore. Diverting children with colourful books helps the medicine go down faster; reading aloud can help soothe a sick child and ease fears. Engrossed by a lovely picture book, a picky eater will eat easily, while the fidgety baby will sit on the potty and get the job done.

Parents, in their haste to cram knowledge into their older children, tend to restrict their reading to school textbooks. For external reading, they offer children books on Maths, general knowledge, or books with some sort of valuable moral lesson.

Children today have more creative reading choices than ever. Give them a chance to choose for themselves. Apart from stories, novels and classics, there are picture books, poetry and songs. Activity-related books offer an amazing range of options for the young. Books with kid-friendly recipes, how-to projects, puzzles and games are sure-shot ways to keep the young ones constructively entertained.

Story books

Story books also offer an enriching reading experience. When children learn that books contain exciting stories and pictures, they want to read more. They do far better in school, as they consider books as fun, and not something to fear. Their vocabulary improves, and they can understand their textbooks better and become more proficient in writing. As the child grows older, reading expands their mental horizons.

Through books, children can visualise life in far-off lands, or in the times of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro. Children who enjoy reading become independent learners and thinkers. They can tackle their school work independently and entertain themselves when they are alone. They rarely stray towards undesirable company out of loneliness or boredom.

Once a child learns to enjoy reading, the habit will be an asset for life.

More Stories on : Children & Parenting | Books

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