Tips to turn your kids into avid readers

“To learn to read is to light a fire” — Victor Hugo

Reading is a habit that not only educates but also makes one reflect upon life and teaches valuable life lessons. And so, many parents are always on the lookout for tips on how to raise kids as readers. Afterall, it's always better to start inculcating good habits in children at a young age. Learning and enjoying reading will not only help children academically but it will also be a skill that would enrich their lives-- reading improves one's vocabulary and even promotes thinking skills among many other benefits.

Here we share some tips for parents on how to raise readers.

Have a designated reading space in the house for keeping all reading materials-- it could be a bookshelf in a corner or a table in the kid's room. The idea is to make books and other reading materials accessible for children at home.

Just like eating healthy food and exercising daily are essential for staying fit, reading regularly is important for keeping the mind sharp. And so, parents should make reading daily a part of their and their child's routine. It is also important to read in front of kids-- after all, kids learn quickly from what they observe.

Whether it is reading the news to children from the newspaper or reading stories to them at bedtime-- make it a habit to read to your kids every day. This will teach them that reading and storytelling are important in life and they'll be encouraged to read more.

Make trips to your local library or bookstores with your children, and give them the opportunity to browse through different books and choose what they want to read. This is not just an enjoyable way of spending quality time together but it will also encourage them to read. Also, many bookstores and libraries these days have story time or literary programs that are aimed at kids of various age groups. You can try taking your kid to these activities.

Be it at home, in the library or at bookstores-- give your child the freedom to choose what they would like to read instead of telling them so. This will motivate them to read a book of their choice and preference. They'll also explore various genres and writers while broadening their reading taste.

Make it a point to discuss the book you finished reading with your kid and encourage them to do the same with you. Ask them questions about the book they read, the characters, what it taught and if they enjoyed reading it. It will help in making reading an enjoyable hobby for children.

It is okay if your child is a bit confused as to what they would like to read-- in such times, you can encourage them to re-read their favourite books. It will not only bring back happy memories to them but will also give them a better/ different perspective of their favourite stories.

When you draw parallels between what your child is reading (be it fiction or nonfiction) and incidences happening in real-life, it will make your kid realise that reading can help them navigate through difficult situations in life.

You can make reading fun by using interactive books which will bring stories to life, thus engaging young readers more.

Make reading a fun activity by enacting the scenes or characters while reading them to your child or by picking books with attractive illustrations. Involve your child in doing so too thus motivating them to read more in the process.