A new survey reveals that more than 25% of children claim they never read for pleasure and 27% say that they do not read during their leisure time at all. This shouldn’t come as a surprise with the number of other distractions that surround children in this day and age. But what could be surprising is that experts believe that it isn’t these distractions that are directly affecting children’s enthusiasm for reading instead it is most likely down to the behaviour of their parents.
According to a Professor from the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences, University of Selangor, Prof. Dr Jamilah Mustafa, It’s not the fault of children and teenagers, if they don’t like reading because they’ve never seen their parents read. Most parents these days seem preoccupied with phones and streaming platforms and children seem to be merely mimicking the behaviour of their parents.
Reading culture, especially the younger generation, is important to ensure mature and developed thinking. Getting more Malaysians to read for pleasure and to gain knowledge is an ongoing “battle” in this country. A study shows that Malaysian on average read 15 books a year, just slightly over one book a month.
As Managing Director of Children Books at Aulad and being in the industry for 35 years, I have found some tricks and steps on how parents or teachers can help their children to develop the culture of reading as part of their life. This is important as our future generations and leader is dependent on our children hence to lead tomorrow, future leaders must learn to read today. I hope by sharing my learnings with all of you, together we will be able to overcome this dislike for reading and build up a stronger reading culture.
Tips & Tricks on How To Get Your Children ‘Love Reading’
The majority of the kids stated they liked being read to and that having someone read to them piqued their interest in the book. Reading a book out loud and expressing the story would gain the children’s interest to sit and listens to the story. The manner in which books are read aloud may have an impact on the children’s enjoyment of the reading. It is critical that the reading be done in a passionate and enthusiastic way to get the children to engage.
Reading is more than just curling up with a nice book. It’s also a part of everyday existence. As you go about your day, encourage your youngster to look for “reading moments.” Reading road signs, grocery lists, or recipes might be one of them. It doesn’t always have to be reading a book.
Another way is by letting the child witness the parent’s reading, whether the parents enjoy books, periodicals, or graphic novels. Children learn by what they see and observe. If they were surrounded by people who enjoy reading, the child will most likely share their interests to copy and read a book as well. If you make reading part of your daily routine, your child is likely to grow up looking forward to it.
One of the major tips is to create a reading environment that is both comfortable and favourable to reading, as well as to set aside time for leisure reading. The reading area does not need to be large or filled with bookcases like a library. It might be a couch corner or a chair in the room where the children sleep. Choosing a comfortable area with enough light and space to store a book or two might help the children associate reading with warmth and comfort.
Parents may become bored of reading the same story again and over, but the children could like it. Kids like spotting details in stories and images that they missed the first time around. They can also correlate the words they see on the page with the words they hear by rereading. Your children may eventually begin reading the book to you.
Reading an interactive book is also part of the trick. It’s 2022, the world has changed, we have the metaverse now and everything revolves around technology. Children nowadays might be attracted to gadgets more, hence books that incorporate technology also should be considered as they could be more effective in capturing and retaining their attention.
As a champion of reading and education myself, I recognise this need and potential. This is why through my organisation, Aulad aims to build a reading culture amongst children with our Augmented Reality (AR) Book.
This AR storybook is published in line with Aulad’s mission to connect with a new generation of children to encourage them to learn and read in new ways that are more interesting to them. Understanding the Alpha generation who grew up with the use of gadgets and technology in their daily lives, books that are interactive like AR technology used in these books can attract interest and instil a culture of reading among them.
This article is attributed to Abdul Rahman, Managing Director of Children Books, Aulad
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