Developing the reading habit in children

PW invited parents from Silver Bells Public School, Bhavnagar to share insights on how they encourage their children to develop love for reading

“We have invested liberally in a library of best books for our children Shafaq (20), Liza (18) & Liya (18) since their childhood as we have always believed that the right choice of books can stimulate positive thinking. However things have changed since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Books are gradually being replaced with audiovisual online content. Although such content may seem more attractive to children, it eliminates the mental process that happens while reading. We do our best to provide supplementary reading material to our children to help widen their perceptions.” — Dr. Firdaus Dekhaiya, associate professor, surgery, Govt Medical College, Bhavnagar

“Inculcating the reading habit is not just about opening a book but a world of imagination. With natural inclination of my daughter Srishti (class X) and son Nisarg (class VI) towards audio-video content in this digital era, fostering a love for reading requires deliberate effort.
Aware that parents are children’s role models, we periodically invest in age-appropriate books for the children and ourselves, to encourage family reading. Sometimes we set reading goals for them and reward their achievement” — Himachal Mehta, publication business

“We believe parents can set the best example for children. Our early morning routine of reading newspapers has inspired my children Priyanshi (class VI) and Pranav (class II) to do likewise.
We also visit the neighbourhood library every fortnight helping the kids choose books that match their interests. The idea is to limit their digital screentime by diverting them to the magical world of books. We even dedicate an hour weekly to discuss the storyline of books they are reading.” — Nandan Kumar, banker, State Bank of India.

“Inculcating love for reading in our son Rhythm (Jr KG) has not only enhanced his academic performance but also enriched his creative skills. We invested in a wide variety of interactive picture books for him at youngest age. Reading aloud to him to foster a positive association with books and storytelling has been a routine practice in our household. Moreover, his school has also played an important role in providing an enabling reading environment through well-equipped libraries” — Neeraj Bhatt, entrepreneur