Getting Your Child to Read

In a world filled with many new and fast evolving technologies, many parents are worried that their children spend too much time on iPads, smartphones, and the latest computers, while it seems that they never read except when told to do so by a teacher. Some of these parents, which includes those who love reading and those who do not read much themselves, ask “How do I get my child to read?”

This question is often asked of other readers, or parents of a reader, or to those of us working in a library. It is amusing and interesting to see what kind of people visit the library. It might be surprising that many do not visit the library to read at all. In this sense it is important to remember that the library is not exclusively a place of books, not anymore. For libraries to survive in the 21^st century it is as important for them to move with the technological times as it is for anyone else. Thus, it is better to think of the library as a place of information.

In other words, libraries actively encourage the use of the Internet, DVD’s and audio books, smartphone applications, Wi-Fi and much more. Anyone who knows me will know that I am not the biggest fan of electronic technology. However, the first piece of advice I can give, both as a reader and an information worker, is that encouraging your child to read does not include discouraging your child from using technology. In fact, it is important for your child to learn and understand technology for him or her to survive in the information age.

Following on from this, it is also important to remember that it does not matter in what format the reading material appears. Do you prefer traditional paper-based books? Hey, me too. I like to joke that the only thing in which I am not environmentally friendly is the fact that I want my books to feel, look, and smell like books. But if your child is technologically orientated, and I have the feeling that the further we move into the future the more this will be the case, then allow them to read on whatever technological tool they find comfortable. The goal is to get them to read, not to get them to read like you.

On that last note, this includes what they read. Gone are the days when comic strips, Mills&Boons, and pulp fiction were not seen as proper reading material, as much as this might pain some of us. Make peace with the fact that your child might not like the books you liked when you were their age. And make peace with the fact that they might not like to read the kind of books you currently like to read. This also counts for the classics, westerns, and horror stories (Afrikaans people – it even goes for Trompie en Saartjie and Kringe in die Bos – yes, I know it was awesome). Encourage them to find their own favourites and to read about the things they are interested in.

So, don’t try to do the above. What you should do, in the first place, is read. Simple, isn’t it? You don’t like reading? Well, now you do, especially if you want your child to read. Make sure they see you reading – the saying that children do what they see their parents doing has not yet been proven wrong as far as I know. I suggest you have a book in one of the rooms where your children see you regularly. Perhaps in the sitting room or even in the kitchen (and I do not mean cookbooks). I regularly read a page or two while I wait for the kettle to boil when making coffee, or when my wife watches a programme on television which does not interest me. It is a wonderful feeling when my almost two-year-old daughter climbs on my lap and points to the book I am reading.

Of course, you should also read to your children. The best time is just before bedtime (the movies do get that one right). Have them sit on your lap or have them snuggle against you so they can see the book and follow with you. Age-appropriate books are best – stories with pictures and little books which can be finished within a night or two is good for toddlers (about the age before birth – yes, I read to my child when she was still in her mommy’s womb – to maybe four or five years); books with a bit more substance which takes a bit longer to get through is good for the juniors (about six to ten years). With the very young toddlers though, they do not really care what you read to them; at this stage what is important is that they hear your voice (child developers back me up here?). My wife often rolls her eyes to me when I read philosophy or massive history books to my daughter.

I am sure that by now it is clear, especially to those who do not regularly read my blogs, that I speak as a father. My wife likes to say that she thought she liked reading until she met me. So, the last word here I want to direct to the dads – readers as well as those who does not think of themselves as readers. An interesting study, which I read some time ago, found that children who have fathers that read have a higher chance of also becoming readers. My own love for reading came from my mom and grandmothers but, thinking back, I do remember my grandfather reading every night just before he went to sleep. Most importantly I remember my dad reading as well, and he is one of those who would not self-identify as a reader. My dad primarily reads the Bible and Christian non-fiction, and I can proudly say that it is from him that I got my love of reading Holy Scriptures and religious books (thanks dad).

There you have it. Above all, do not force it – that is the surest way of putting children off reading.