Nurture the Joy of Reading
A few weeks ago I read an article in the Guardian titled “How I managed to raise a little bookworm in the age of smartphones and tablets”. I mentally high-fived that mama and spent a lot of time reflecting on some of the difference between by then home in London and my now home in Stockholm.
I do get a lot of comments on my children’s relationship with books quite a often. Building this relationship with books takes a little effort on our part so I thought I would share a few tips.
Top Tips:
Build a library at home/ Find you local Library
I spend a lot time choosing books on different subjects and themes. Some whimsical books like Say Zoop which are interactive and make the kids cry from laughter. I choose independent and self published books like The Worst Book in the Entire World, books that teach you something like When the Clock Strikes on Halloween and books that carry you away to new places like The Adventures of Lily Huckleberry in Scandinavia. The majority of our books have diverse characters like The Princess Truly Series and Boy Oh Boy , Too Many Tickles and A Boy Like You.
We also read some books in different languages like Tchoupi, Mamma Mu, Alfons Åberg, Uppfinnare Johanna to develop our multi-lingual brains.
Make sure Little hands can reach books
Apart from building a library at home and regular visits to our local libraries, its important to make sure the books are accessible to the little ones. In reality that means books everywhere at child level. In our home, we have books in every room except the kitchen maybe.the bookshelves /boxes are often close to the floor and evenly spread . Yes, there are books for the bath too! :).
It is easy for adults to forget that eye level for us feels like up in the sky.
Read with the kids
You do have to spend the time reading to the little ones. From thier first moments, carve out some time when you can just be together for a moment and read a book.
Talk about the book after you’ve read it
Once you’ve said ‘the end’ there is an opportunity to discuss further. If the book has a lesson in the story, it is easy to talk about that. We have read books on potty training, bullies, dancing or trying a new sport. These books allow me to mirror some of my children’s experiences and then give us the space to talk about it .
Sometimes the discussion can be much lighter, it can be about the pastry that was eaten by some of the characters, or a river featured, or a dream about flying…. the opportunities are endless.
Bring the story to life
Sometimes you can animate the stories, using puppets, vegetables or toys, or even just doing silly voices, it makes the experience memorable and fun!
There is nothing wrong with digital
There are millions of great reads via digital tablets and ipads. We prefer to read from physical books but on a little trip or holiday its easier to have 30 books in the ipad rather than carrying the lot with us. Some pyhsical books are hard to buy in Sweden and ordering can be slow, so being able to get a book with just one click is magical!
Its all a matter of preference, reading is reading.
Be consistent
We read with our kids every night, its a routine we started since they were few months old and preferred to chew on the book than look at the pictures. It does pay off, both my kids now read on thier own and most importantly enjoy stories.
It does takes time, and effort but read regularly. You develop their literacy skills, their creativity and thier personal bond with you.
Here is Louis my youngest, aged 3, enjoying a book by himself.
Right now so many of us are home with kids , build a 20 min reading slot into everyday.. it might be hard at first but go for it. Do a little research and choose the books to read together. and if you have a moment, drop me a comment and let me know how it goes.
Happy Reading :)
