Six Secrets to Cultivate Reading Interest in Kids

Encouraging Children to Develop a Reading Habit

From a young age, it’s crucial to cultivate a reading habit in children. This practice not only enriches their imagination and promotes creative thinking but also stimulates their brain activity. Children who read regularly tend to have a more vivid imagination, better logical thinking, and greater creativity compared to those who don’t enjoy reading. Establishing this positive habit in children will encourage them to enjoy reading and learning. The first step in developing a reading habit in children is to foster a positive attitude towards reading among all family members.

As parents, you have a responsibility to nurture your child’s reading skills. In this article, Hello Bacsi offers six tips to help cultivate this beneficial habit in children, along with recommending great books for children that every family should have in their library.

Six Tips to Help Children Develop a Reading Habit

Be a Role Model for Your Child: It’s quite simple, isn’t it? It’s well-known that children often mimic their parents’ habits. Therefore, if you want your child to develop a reading habit, make sure they frequently see you engaged in reading. When children regularly observe you reading, they are likely to imitate this behavior and start reading independently. Show your child that reading is not just for entertainment but also a means to stay informed, expand knowledge, and connect with others.

Discuss What You’ve Read with Your Child: Engaging with your child about the content of a book can be a valuable way to encourage their interest in reading. This interaction not only reinforces what they’ve learned but also makes the reading experience more meaningful and enjoyable. It’s an opportunity to explore new ideas, ask questions, and share perspectives, which can further stimulate a child’s curiosity and enthusiasm for reading.

Continuing the Guide for Cultivating Reading Habits in Children

Discuss Recently Read Books: Engage in conversations with your child about their recent readings. This should extend beyond just discussing the story’s content. Discuss similarities between stories or current events and issues. This helps you understand what the child is learning and their preferred genres or authors. Encourage them to maintain their interests.
Remember to keep these exchanges relaxed and tactful, so your child doesn’t feel interrogated or pressured.

Additionally, if possible, coordinate with other parents whose children also enjoy reading. Create a group where kids can play together, exchange books, and discuss them.

Share Your Childhood Reading Experiences: If you still have books from your childhood, consider passing them to your child. Share how characters or stories from those books influenced you. Encourage your child to read books in their native language, which not only helps them connect better with their culture but also strengthens their language skills. Once they are proficient in their mother tongue, they can start reading books in other languages.

Let Children Choose Books Based on Their Interests: After a period of selecting books and reading to them, allow children to choose their books based on their interests. Avoid forcing or instructing them; instead, give them the freedom to select their books while being available to offer advice or assistance if needed.

As parents, it’s important to understand that it’s more crucial to monitor your child’s reading rather than forcing them to read books you think they should read.

Implement a “”Reading Rewards”” Policy: An effective way to build a reading habit in children is to implement a “”reading rewards”” policy for the entire family. Encourage family members to participate in a reading game, setting specific rules on the number of books to read, summarizing the content, etc., to lead the game. This approach not only enriches the family’s knowledge and fosters healthy competition among members but also strengthens family bonds.

Continuing the Guide for Cultivating Reading Habits in Children

While implementing this “”reading rewards”” policy, encourage everyone to read a variety of book genres. If your child accomplishes this, reward them with something tangible they can see every day, avoiding the use of food as a reward.

Expand Beyond Just Reading Books: Cultivating a reading habit in children doesn’t have to be limited to just reading books. Consider letting your child listen to audiobooks or watch plays/movies adapted from literary works.
Also, involve your child in reading utility bills, grocery receipts, or writing down shopping lists for the next week. This helps them understand the importance of paying attention to details in lists and not missing any mentioned details.

Occasionally, instead of going to a bookstore, visit the library with your child. Seeing many people engrossed in reading there can be very motivating for your child.

Recommended Books for Children

Below are some recommended books for children suggested by Hello Bacsi.

Great Books by Vietnamese Authors:

“”Dế Mèn Phiêu Lưu Ký”” (The Adventures of a Cricket) by Tô Hoài
“”Góc Sân và Khoảng Trời”” (A Corner of the Yard and a Patch of the Sky) – Poetry by Trần Đăng Khoa
“”Đất Rừng Phương Nam”” (Southern Forest Land) by Đoàn Giỏi
“”Đảo Mộng Mơ”” (Island of Dreams) by Nguyễn Nhật Ánh
“”Bầu Trời Trong Quả Trứng”” (The Sky in an Egg) – Poetry by Xuân Quỳnh
Continuation of Recommended Books for Young Readers

Books by Vietnamese Authors:

“”Chuyện Hoa Chuyện Quả”” by Phạm Hổ

Foreign Authors’ Books:

“”Sans Famille”” (Nobody’s Boy) by Hector Malot
“”The Strange Adventures of Karik and Valya”” by Yan Larri
“”The Little Prince”” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
“”Through the Looking-Glass”” by Lewis Carroll
“”The Secret Garden”” by Frances Hodgson Burnett
“”Charlotte’s Web”” by E.B. White
“”Love You Forever”” by Robert Munsch
“”Guess How Much I Love You”” by Sam McBratney
“”Where the Sidewalk Ends”” by Shel Silverstein
“”Pippi Longstocking”” by Astrid Lindgren
“”Anne of Green Gables”” by L.M. Montgomery
“”Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”” by Roald Dahl
Like many other habits, developing the habit of reading in children needs to start in their early years. From an early age, parents should read to their children, showing them books with appealing illustrations. As children begin to read on their own, introduce them to simple, age-appropriate content such as picture books, comic books, and illustrated stories for young readers. Gradually, introduce popular literary works loved by children.

As the habit of reading becomes deeply ingrained, children will naturally develop their tastes and preferences in genres and authors. As they understand the connection between reading and societal, historical, and political contexts, they will value reading more.

(Adapted from Hello Doctor)