3: Literacy Part 2 - How to start reading with my child

Every Child Matters By Haryani Bakri

TRANSCRIPT FOR EP3:
Literacy Part 2 (How to start reading with my child )

In the second part of these series on literacy, I will be sharing with you on how to start reading with children.

Many young parents, approached us and we are often being asked these questions on how to start reading with their children as they do not know how to go about it and when to start reading with them.

First and foremost, we need to ask ourselves if we like to read? Before we even begin reading with our children , we have to be reader ourselves so that we can influence them and encourage them to read. Many of us now are not reading well enough.

There are a wide range of genre of good books available in the bookstore or even the libraries. If we do not take this opportunity to read with them, it will be quite a waste.

So if you were to ask me when to start reading with the children, the answer is NOW.

Just pick up a book and read with your children and not read to them. What I’m referring to is reading aloud. The reason being is simple, when you read with your child or children, you are building closeness in your relationship with the child. With that, when the reading is carried out daily, consistently, persistently and you insist that you want to read with your child at a certain time eg. Just before bedtime, you’re really building the relationship so much so that the child will reciprocate and wants to read with you too everyday.

It is crucial how you start reading with your child. You have to be enthusiastic about reading yourself and when the child sees your enthusiasm and love for reading, the child will be influenced too. So, reading begins with us parents to be the role model for the child or children.

When choosing books for the child, as parents, we need to know the contents of the book first and we have to be excited to read the book before you excite your child. So, as you begin reading with the child, he or she will be interested and you will be able to rub the interest to the child and answer to their curiosities.

The next common question is, my child always chooses to read princess books or dinosaurs, would that be an issue? Well, fret not parents, no issue at all. We have to respect their interests too. Start the books that they like and not the books that you like because the ultimate aim is for the child to find joy in reading. Gradually you may introduce them to other genres like mysteries, fantasies.

From my own observation when I visit the libraries, it's a wonderful sight to see mommies and daddies are with their young children - so excited to choose the books for them. I could even hear parents telling their children " The book is not for you, it's too easy. Go and find more difficult books. " Then when they sit together with their children in the reading corner, they have the pile of books and I could see the children's reactions. While some obediently sit and read together with their parents, many others were not paying attention to what the parents read. Either the books are too difficult to read or they don't have interest at all and the parents are trying so hard to get the children's attention.

Here are some tips in choosing books for your child :

First, when choosing a book at the library or bookstore, what I would normally do when my boys were much younger, I will get them to choose a book with vibrant colours and pictures. some books come with prompts to help parents guide your child while reading the book as well. Books with vibrant colours attract the child in wanting to read. Books with pictures help the child to relate to the story even though they may not know how to read the words yet.

How do we know if the book is age appropriate?

1) Look out for the signs in the library, the book sections are usually categorised by the different age groups.

2) If your child is not able to read more than 3 words in a page, then the book is not appropriate for the child.

How do we start reading with our child/read aloud with our child?

1a) Have a preview of the book both front and back cover. Introduce your child to the title, author, illustrator, genre , fiction or non-fiction. Get the child familiar with the terms - what is a title (to tell the readers what is the book about), who is an author (someone who writes the book), what does an illustrator do (draw, put the pictures together with the colours). Fiction book covers are normally drawn while non-fiction book covers are real pictures. This is to give the child the preparation of mind so that the child will be familiar and get them to better relate to the story in their life.

2a) You may point to the words as you read with your child to create behaviours in reading. Ensure what you point is in tandem what you read eg It gives an indicator where you are at when reading, scanning from left to right, connecting from one sentence to another, turning the pages, increasing interest in the child’s independent reading.

b) Fluency and intonation have to be taken into consideration while you read with your child is also important as you’re modelling, the tone and demonstrating the mode of reading . Eg in in the sentence “ Oh, white rabbit, please come and play with me!” With no fluency, the child may struggle to read as oh, white rabbit.

3a) As you read the story with the child, discuss the characters in the story to build a sense of a community based on whatever story that the child reads.Eg My neighbourhood. So the child will be thinking oh there are other characters, other races or other issues in the story and this could give them space to discuss it with their friends too.

b) Create a 2-way conversation while reading with your child. This gives them the opportunity to enhance their responses and not limited to one or 2 response. Just like playing ping-pong, where it takes 2 players to bounce the ball and keep it going.

4) Get your child to re-tell the story. Re-tell is so telling, from the re-tell you're able to see if the child understands the story.

One useful tip, do not rush to read with your child just because you want to hurriedly complete the book. The environment has to be a relaxed environment for both you and your child to enjoy reading. Have a dedicated time and designated place for both you and your child to be comfortable with the hope that your child will get into the rigour of reading. Once your child latches in reading, they would even want to read more.

Conclusion:

So, parents, I hope with these tips shared with you, you'll be able to pick up the right book for your child and start reading with them.

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I look forward to seeing you in my next episode where I will be sharing with you more tips and ways to engage your child in reading and realise their learning potential.