Since ancient times, reading has been recognized as one of the most sought exercises for the development of the mind. There is a famous quote which says that – “There is no friend as loyal as a book” and indeed the quote stands apart even today.
To demonstrate the importance of reading is to describe the enormity of this universe – it’s almost impossible but still we can just put forward some estimates. Reading isn’t just a daily exercise that one should practice, it is a way to open up your brain to new possibilities and new dimensions of life. It also caters to better analytical and thinking skills and helps you to keep out all the negative noise.
Are reading habits really beneficial?
Let us take some data to answer this question. According to a report, children reading 30+ daily from kindergarten to twelfth standard, read somewhere close to 14 million words as compared to the 1.5 million words read by those reading less than 15 minutes a day. That’s a difference of more than 12 million words. Combining that with the new vocabulary learned, the difference is evident.
If the problem is clear, then what is the answer?
Most of the development and raising which takes place is in our childhood. As parents, one of the biggest questions that come up now and then is what should we, as parents, do for the optimum development of our child! It can be one of the most difficult questions to answer, and it certainly is but can be dealt with pretty smartly.
When it comes to reading, confusion often arises as to what amount of reading or reading time should be considered optimum or best for a particular child. This can be a very vague question as a lot depends on the individual child itself, but some reports suggest that a reading time of 20-30 minutes is ideal for children.
The number isn’t fixed at all and can be negotiated according to the child. A child rather than being forced to read for 30 minutes should be encouraged to start with 10-15 minutes of daily reading. Children in their early ages as old as 2-4 years should be scrolling through the picture books and parents should encourage this practice. Additionally, parents could themselves read, as children tend to imitate their parents.
Other key points to keep in mind
Sometimes, it isn’t necessary for children to be understanding everything they are reading. Mind you, reading is different from studying. So, it is perfectly fine if an eight-year-old child turns up one day and takes up a thriller fiction because even if he doesn’t understand the vocabulary of the novel, he would still get to know something and would look up for reading stuff like this.
The most important thing about reading is that the child should be enjoying it. He should not be focused to complete the affixed quota of 30 or 40 minutes. If he is comfortable for 25 minutes and his attention span is that long, it’s better to stop at that point. Going beyond that point might not result in any positive outcomes.
Another great step that parents could look up is to read aloud to their child for some time. For children in their growing ages, reading aloud can be one of the best activities. Not only does it make the child more attentive to the world, but also caters to better future reading habits. It is not necessary that the reading aloud session should be a long one. It could be a casual 20-30 minutes session or till the time the child finds it interesting enough. It should be kept in mind that these 20 minutes should be of the best quality possible. The child should be fresh and there should not be any distractions that could hamper the learning.
One thing that has often been observed is that children, when they find something interesting, tend to it more of it. For example, if a child likes a particular story, he/she might read it up for more than 30 minutes. Though it seems good, it might be exhausting. A better practice is to encourage them to take small breathers and then resume. This could make them much more energetic and focus better. It all depends upon individual factors such as age, attention span, subject, length of matter and experience of reading.
Conclusion
It might be shocking for someone to know that how can only 20-30 minutes be enough for a child. But it is to be understood that reading is a practice which takes years to develop. It takes time for a person to develop the energy and stamina required for reading for long hours. But remember, even the universe has a beginning to it, so does reading. Developing reading habits for children might be a tough task, but does unveil equivalents in the future.
Even if a child does an average of 20 minutes of reading for the next 5 years of his life, it equates to nearly 600 hours. Not only are these 600 hours of reading, but also 600 hours of vocabulary, knowledge and comprehension. Combine with these, the 20 minutes of daily read-aloud by parents, you can clearly see the dividends right there.
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