My husband is a science geek (sorry hun, I love you). That is why he always asks me how I was a bookwarm, knowing that I ended up entitled "Mecatronics engineer".
So, here is how it happened, if you want your kids to share your love for books, no matter what they want to be.
Having the patience to read a book, is a skill that your child should learn from a very young age. So, if you want him/her to be a natural reader, here are some tricks, that my mom used on me, and they seem to be working almost too well.
It's not a task, it's a pleasure.
Before I tell you how my mom cast her spell, I must tell you that she never made me do it. Instead, she made me want to do it. And that is the greatest key to succeeding anything in life (Duh!).
Trick N°1: Bed time stories
I know this might be an obvious trick, but most parents neglect it. You might find yourself too tired to tell them a story; you spent the whole day running from one place to another, in front of a laptop, or from one meeting to another, and by the end of the day all you want is to enjoy a quiet cup of warm chocolate, or maybe you want to watch your favorite show, but you definitely don't want to spend an extra 15 minutes telling your kid a story (just go to sleep little creature!).
In this case, you must realize that you are not helping your kid benefit from the many postive impacts books have on their brain.
If you read to your toddler, you might want to know that you are assisting his reading preparedness. In fact, it is during these years that his brain is developping and growing the most. So, bedtime stories will enlarge your kid's vocabulary, help them pronounciate correctly and build up their imagination.
So, stop slacking and read that fella a bedtime story !
Read more here:http://www.more4kids.info/728/importance-of-bedtime-stories/
Trick N°2: Go to the store together and let him/her pick the book
On my first day at school ever, as a gift, my mom took me to the nearest book store and let me choose a book by myself. I was 6 years old, so that seemed like a huge thing to me !
When we got home, I was so excited to read it that I actually finished it that night ! (I know, right ?). My mom was very surprised and very happy. So, the next day she did the same thing ; taking me to the store to choose another one. And out of nowhere, buying a new book of my choice everyday became a ritual. So, as I was growing up and books I read were getting bigger the ritual evolved to "A new book everytime I finish the one I am reading" (which wasn't long either: one week max).
By letting me have a saying in the book I want to read, my mother made me love that chore and wait for it everytime. And with time, it wasn't the trip to the store nor the freedom to choose that made me want this... It was reading itself.
Trick N°3: Ask them to read to you
Another thing my mom used to do, is asking me to read for her.
When I was 11 years old, my school gave me a prize; it was a set of 3 books. One of them seemed very boring to me. My mom said that she read it when she was younger and that she used to love it. For some reason (a stupid one probably) I was convinced that it sucked. So, she asked me to read it to her because she really wanted to listen to it again after all those years. Of course, I wanted to make her happy so I agreed and BAM ! the story was amazing ! And I actually ended up reading it 7 times in a row...
This didn't just convince me that story was actually good, it also helped me bond with my mother and trust her choices even more.
Trick N°4: Read yourself
You are your kid's role model, so the easiest way to convince your child that reading is what good people do, is by making them see you doing it yourself.
So, while on a car trip, while chilling in the living room, while waiting for the doctor's appointment, or even while waiting for the water to boil... take your favorite book out and read !
Your kids will have those images graved in their memories, and will find themselves naturally loving the feels of drowning in a book and making time for a reading date.
Trick N°5: Don't go too far !
I know you'd hate to hear this, but , as I believe, your kid doesn't have to be a bookwarm. So don't force him into it. If he doesn't seem as interested than a short story everynight is enough. Don't give him/her a hardtime for not wanting to read.
As long as he is passionate about something interesting and beneficial. Let them do their own thing.
Yup! that little creature should have a saying !
Thank you for reading,
Hela.