Reading stories
Reading opens a new world for the reader. There is so much power in words. When you put the words together to create a sentence and then into a story, you have unimaginable power. Stories ignite a sense of adventure, generates one’s curiosity and encourages a need to explore. Stories connect the reader to time and experiences, new cultures revealed, and legends revisited.
The minimum text and colorful vibrant visuals in picture books engage a little toddler to be interested in books. If the book interests them, they would want to read the same over and over again. Every new read is as a new story, an adventure that never ends. A picture book is a steppingstone to more reading.
A picture book helps the child in learning the language and encourages his active imagery. The child can grasp the meaning through the words and the pictures, thus developing his mental skills.
My father always encouraged us to read. Any reading materials that we could get our hands on, we read. He subscribed to the New Strait Times, Readers Digest magazine, Time magazine and other periodicals. When I had my own children, my husband and I read to them. They too developed the reading habit. Now, my grandchild has picked up this awesome habit, and this has encouraged her interest in writing.
Parents we can play an important role in the reading habits of our children. Pick up a book. Look at the pictures together and talk about them. Make the book available so your child can pick it up to read by himself.
Let him pick his choice for your reading time, after all, it’s for his pleasure to enjoy reading!