How to Develop Good Reading Habits

“The more that you read, the more things you will know” is a popular quotation about reading habits. It is not just a skill but a way to enjoy informative, creative, and inspiring works of literature that enrich our life experiences. Like any skill worth mastering, a reading habit requires time and dedication to develop and nurture as part of day-to-day life.

Habit formation is easier to cultivate in early days of childhood. It is not only the student but the parents should also have good reading habits and they must become role model for their kids to follow.

Reading text books regularly is not enough to showcase yourself as a good reader. Students must read books and magazines other than prescribed text books. Here are few tips on how good reading habits can be developed among students and how useful it is.

Why Reading is important for your kids?

1. Reading helps in Vocabulary enrichment: Reading means learning to new words in exact context. It helps to enrich vocabulary and use it at most appropriate situation without any extra efforts. Reading aloud improves pronunciation too.
2. Reading makes child more attentive: How long a child can be attentive while studying? 30 minutes to children and upto 2 hours to an adult. Reading habits extends the attention span. A regular reader will be attentive for a longer time as compare to other children.
3. Good readers are good learners: Students reading books on historical identities and events may connect to classroom activities much faster than other students who are just getting it for the first time. They have much more to say on Akbar than their classmates who would come to know about him from text books only. They will certainly learn faster.
4. Exposer to External world: Reading habits introduce children to the world outside text books. Reading folk tales of China and Japan will help them understand cultural variations around the world.
5. Develops Problem solving ability: The stories on Akbar Birbal, Tenaliraman, Vikram Betal and Panchtantra definitely encourage kids to think differently. They learn to tackle adverse real life situations with ease.

What can parents do to make their kids read books?

1. Parents as role models: Parents are the first guide and role model for their children. Reading habits of parents will certainly be observed by the kids and they will follow their parents. Read new-papers, informative magazines, novels and story books in front of your kids. Give them reading material as per their age and encourage them to enjoy it. Tell them what you read today and let them explore more details.
2. Read short stories and biographies: Reading bulky novels at initial stage may be boring for students. Give them short story books like Tales of Panchtantra to primary students and Discovery of India & My Experiments with Truth to students in higher classes.
3. Create Reading environment at home: Subscribe some good quality magazines, buy some story books and talk about the stories & news events, authors and inspiring biographies with your kids. Put the books in such a place that children can easily access them. If they are reading something, give them more insight about it. If Kids are reading Panchtantra, they may be told more about Vishnu Dutt Sharma and how he wrote the book.
4. Gift a Book and Reward them on reading it: Students who are studying in classes 6-10 can be gifted a book on Rani Lakshmi Bai or Akbar. When they complete the book, parents may plan outdoor diner for them or visit to history museum as a reward. To keep the child engaged on the new book, parents should discuss what kids have read that day and elaborate their findings with more details.