TVs aren’t exactly the most modern invention, but they are responsible for starting the trend of ‘vegging out’ and doing pretty much nothing all day long. You might be guilty of it too on occasion when you’re off from work and have absolutely nothing planned for the next 24 hours. Unfortunately, most kids have taken to using electronic devices to stimulate their brains instead of using their imaginations to keep themselves occupied. Put a book in front of a child old enough to read and he’ll probably consider it to be a chore. Although you may not convince your child to enroll in an online library science program you can prove that reading is anything but boring and old-fashioned.
Of course, if your children are particularly young or if they are still getting to grips with learning to read, you will find it much easier to convince them to read a colorful picture book than a novel filled with text. Picture books are a fantastic resource for encouraging children to discover a flair for reading, and it is often through eye-catching illustrations that children are able to follow the storyline. Who knows, if you can encourage your child to flick through plenty of picture books your little one might go on to become an accomplished picture books illustrator one day!
Here’s how to frame the joy of reading and learning so that your school-age children will look at books in a new manner.
Books are Movies, Too
Whether your child loves the Harry Potter movies or has gotten into The Hunger Games lately, you can list the names of at least 10 famous books that have been turned into movies without trying too hard. You can even find movie scripts for your child to read if you still find resistance when presenting a traditional book. Remember that comic books are technically a form of books as well, so give your child access to learning materials of all sorts if they require reading.
Plan a Day Without Electricity
Want another easy way to convince your child that reading and learning is exciting and valuable? Turn off the electricity. If you can’t turn off your circuit breaker then put away the gadgets, hide the chargers, and sit down in the living room with a stack full of books and magazines that will appeal to your kids. In fact, make an entire weekend out of it. When left without a choice, your child will absolutely pick up a book to read. At first, he or she might act like the books being read are terrible, but once they get through the first few dozen pages, their imagination will take over.
Show How Being Smart is Cool
Ask your child about his or her idols and there are going to be a couple of highly intelligent people listed. There are people like Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, and Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla. While both of these famous people are up on technology, you can literally find images of today’s modern thinkers with their noses buried in books. A library science degree is necessary for loving to read and understanding why it is important for the continued development of the human brain.
Let your child find you reading a book instead of playing games on your phone or watching hours of television if you want to inspire an appreciation of reading. Turn it into a family affair where all of your relatives spend more time turning pages than flipping channels or firing off text messages. Keep dozens of fresh new books at home in easy to find spots like the kitchen, coffee table, and even the foyer so that your child’s new love of books continues to grow.
Cynthia R says
I’m really lucky in that they naturally like to read. We are a big reading family!