Raising readers

by Mamita Moran

I used to teach in the third grade and I would often hear parents complain about kids who don’t enjoy reading. Most parents say that it’s a great struggle especially in this age of information technology. They have too many choices and unfortunately, reading comes last. It seems that the PlayStation is simply more interesting than a book. And the cold, boring text is nothing compared to the adventures of the invincible characters they see on television.

As a kid, I never owned books. I belong to a big family and children’s books were out of the budget. Mostly we had Reader’s Digest and newspapers. Occasionally, my father would bring magazines sent by his friend from Japan. Because we didn’t have much choice, we devoured whatever reading material was at hand. I got hooked since then. But how do you convince seemingly smart kids that the television, video games or the PlayStation is not the smartest way to get smart? Here are a few things that you should not do. Read on.

1. Don’t tell them, show them.

My parents never forced me to read. Reading is a hobby that I picked up from them. I would often see them reading. Sometimes they would even discuss the stories with my elder siblings and I would eavesdrop deliberately. I think no amount of nagging can force kids nowadays to like reading. Modeling a behavior that you desire is the best way to influence them because kids tend to imitate the adults in their environment. If you yourself are a couch potato and you’re glued to your television set day and night, get up. Maybe you can pick up a nice magazine that you really like and show your tots that you tremendously enjoy it.

2. Don’t impose what you want.

If your child wants to read Goosebumps, don’t force him to read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. You wouldn’t waste your money on a magazine that bores you, right? Remember your goal. You want him to enjoy reading. Accompany your child to the bookstore and let him choose a book of his interest. You may slowly introduce him to other topics later on. How do you get him interested in topics that he doesn’t like? Try storytelling. When I was in high school I had a teacher who was very creative. She can capture details and events vividly so that at the end of each period, more than half of the class, even those who are not fond of reading will be interested to get a copy of the book that she discussed. It’s a tried and tested trick. Try it. Just don’t overdo it otherwise your smart kid might suspect that you’re up to something.

3. Don’t let it gather dust in the shelf.

Now that your child has chosen his own book, the next problem is actually reading it. Will he ever touch it or will it be thrown into oblivion for years?

I used to have a student who loves basketball more than anything else in the world. His mother, a voracious reader, slowly introduced books by reading it with him. She would read a page or two aloud, and then her son would read a page. In between, they would discuss the story and word meanings. Her efforts paid off because her child not only finished the book but the reading sessions became a fruitful mother-son bonding as well. I attended a conference sponsored by the Reading Association of the Philippines (RAP) four years ago. One of the amazing revelations of an American speaker was that shared reading actually has a positive impact on the reading skills of the child. So maybe it’s time you go back to bedtime stories.

It’s never too late to help your kid discover new worlds through books. Teach him the pleasures of reading. *

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