If there’s one thing I can be certain of about my kids, it will be that they are both book lovers. Gooly, who has just turned nine years old, still reads every night before hitting the sack. He feels the day isn’t done if he hasn’t read a few pages from a book of his choice.
The same goes for Lolly. If she made a big fuss about going to sleep, it’s because I haven’t read to her. One of her favourites is Goodnight Moon. I have to read it again and again, and then one more time just before the official goodnight kiss.
Reading together is something that I inculcate the moment my kids have the attention span of longer than a minute. Gooly was born a bookworm; he couldn’t take his eyes off The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s colourful pages the first time I read it to him. Lolly, however, was initially more sceptical about the reading routine. She’d eat, throw, tear, bite and maul the book. Still, I continued to ‘feed’ her with books.
One page at a time, I kept telling myself. Soon enough we completed reading a book together without Lolly showing signs of boredom. The happiest moment was when she asked for a second book. From reading a page, we proceeded to reading three or four books in one seating. By 16 months old, Lolly had a favourite book that she carried around, waiting for an opportunity to be read to at all times.
So is it all about consistency? Is it the will to read the same book again and again every night till you have nightmares about Green Eggs and Hams? Yes, a big part of successful reading comes from that. But equally important would be the manner you read the books.
Here are some tips on reading aloud to your toddler:
1. Got to love it
I personally enjoy reading but I know many of my friends who are aliterate readers. Twenty minutes is all you need to spend on reading aloud. It’s a manageable amount of time, especially since it’s a cumulative amount of time throughout the day. It doesn’t have to be in one single block of time to be effective. As a daily event, reading for long periods of time is probably unrealistic for many parents with busy, hectic lives. But while you’re at it, enjoy the moment; laugh more, hold your child closer and be mesmerised when he or she starts learning about the world by the magic of a book.
2. No testing
Read for fun. Don’t test if they are paying attention or learning. Don’t repeatedly ask, “what is this?” by pointing to an object. On the contrary, be discreet when teaching them the nouns. “Look at this bird. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” is more conversational and effective in attaining the benefits of reading together than “What is this? Where is the bird?”.
3. Pay less attention to the text
Don’t insist on reading the words completely. Omit some words if the text is too long. Replace some words. For example, I like to say ‘hipopopopopotamus’ whenever the pachyderm is a character of a book. It tickles my kids’ funny bones. Trust me, they’ll want to read when they get to laugh.
4. Pay more attention to illustrations
There’s often a hidden story being told in the illustrations. Sometimes we get too carried away in reading the text, we don’t pay enough attention to the drawings. I have read a few good ones where when every page is turned, a character of some sort is hiding for the readers to find. For example, there’s a mouse that goes around the house in Goodnight Moon. Lolly and I share many giggles trying to spot the mouse.
5. Variety and abundance
Stock up on books of every kind; fiction, non-fiction, picture books, cloth books, board books, books that make sounds. Leave them everywhere in your house. You’ll be surprised that a disinterested party will pick one up to read just because it’s available.
6. Marvel every milestone
Don’t conclude that your child has no interest in books just because of a few failed attempts. It takes a while for a toddler to get the hang of books. Consider it a milestone when he picks one up. Celebrate when he turns a page. Be proud when he starts to point at objects. Open the bottle of champagne when he starts to bring a book to you to be read aloud.
I spend a substantial amount of time reading to Lolly every day. Gooly, though being in school and literate for sometime now, still enjoys story time together. After nine long years and thousands of books shared, he still asks to be read to. And I of course oblige because Emilie Buchwald once said: “Children are made readers on the laps of the parents.”
How true indeed.
–
Kiki Quah is a mother of two. ‘Thinking aloud allowed’ is invisibly tattooed on her forehead. Goolypop and Lollypop are her spleen, heart, headache and thus will be mentioned as such sporadically throughout her writing getaways.
