On April 23rd we celebrate International Book Day. It is a commemoration for the promotion of reading, the publishing industry and the protection of intellectual property. Cervantes and Shakespeare (among some other famous writers) passed away on the same day that is also why it became a symbolic date.
Although on this date the objective is to encourage people, especially young people, to discover the pleasure of reading, this is not an easy task. Jiménez Martínez mentions the purpose of encouraging reading in:
Books and their reading give the human being absolute freedom. Hence the importance that our children become readers with the desire to resort, on one hand, to reading as a will and to satisfy their demand for information, and on the other hand, to satisfy the need that both adults and children have to build a world outside the reality in which we live, in which we can give freedom to our fantasy and that allows us to enjoy and fly without any ties. (2004, p.25)
In school, reading is taught as a mechanical act, but by including reading along with a school library and meaningful activities, reading becomes an integral process of the person. While listening to a new story about a favorite subject, the intellect discovers new aspects and points of view. Also the physical and social emotional areas of the person develop as they play or dramatize a story.
Children are not exempt from discovering the world every day, and storytelling is part of this exploring process. That is why children should not be forced to read, but should be motivated to do so in a healthy way, so that their academic performance and personal development can be greatly improved. The child should choose for him/herself the book he/she is motivated to read, in this way he/she will feel the power of freedom.
We have to remember that reading is a right and forcing children and young people to read is useless. The consequence will be that children relate reading with an academic or mandatory moment instead of a moment of leisure and love for reading.
Parents can motivate their children to adopt the habit of reading by following these tips at home:
Being an example
Children observe their environment and learn from it, that is why at home, parents must set an example of reading. It is not possible to transmit a desire for reading if at home there is no time for it. If parents do not show their children that they are also able to take time and read but above all enjoy it, it will be very difficult to transmit it to their children.
In a traditional home if a family takes time to watch television every day, the children will learn what makes them happy and imitate their parents. It’s time to change our perspective and take that time as adults to read at home.
According to Arri ”People who like to read usually have had a family member who has passed on to them a passion for books. Lack of time is no excuse because when you really want something, you find the time to do it” (2012, p.313).
Reading together
Reading is not always an activity that should be done individually, this could cause the children to feel isolated, especially in early years. Reading time can be a great time to spend with the family. When children listen to their parents reading, they understand the message of the story better, so they can also read together and bond through reading.
Make some noise!
Reading aloud could be very beneficial, especially for young learners who are having difficulties during this learning process. It is also useful to teach them the pace and tone of appropriate reading. Sounds and different voices also make a big difference. Goodbye silence! Welcome to the sounds that can accompany our stories and make them more fun and engaging.
Reading aloud extends the attention span and it also helps improve the children´s pronunciation.
Reading should not be an exam or punishment
Sometimes the word exam could be related to stress and anxiety, that is why we cannot turn reading into a questionnaire, the reader has the right to remain silent while reading.
Reading is a prize, lets not condition it as a reward on doing something. “If you don´t read, you won’t have time for videogames”…
Right to choose
Parents can analyze the contents of a book, or the complexity of it, but should not place obstacles when choosing what to read. if it has controversial issues and the young person wishes to have access to this book, it is better to read it and reflect on the subject together, than to deny it. If the reading level is higher, we let the same reader experience and reconsider another.
Remember reading is what can set us free, let our children discover new opinions, places and worlds!
References
Arri, M. A. (2012). Errores de padres en su afán por que sus hijos lean. Boletín de La Asociación Andaluza de Bibliotecarios, 27(103), 312–314.
Jiménez Martínez, Lutgardo. (2004). Bibliotecas escolares: en un lugar de la lectura. Boletin de La Asociación Andaluza de Bibliotecarios, 19(75–76), 135–147.
