Inculcating the habit of reading in children: Ruskin Bond

To begin this blog, I would like to site a famous quote, “Today a reader, tomorrow a leader!” This adage underscores the importance of reading in any individual’s life. Quite obviously, the foremost advantage that reading provides is that it engages the mind, and exercises it much more than any other form of entertainment.
Reading, as a habit, involves a considerable amount of effort and participation from the reader himself/herself. It is not a passive form of entertainment, unlike other mediums, like the television, or video games. With a book you have to absorb what you read, and have to have a command over the language.
And, of course, while reading is all-important, it all starts with education at the primary and the junior level for children. This is where they build a foundation for reading and gain command over a language. All good schools, therefore, encourage reading in a very proactive way, as they realize how it can impact several other skills a child can develop in the years to come As parents, it becomes your role to further this emphasis in a child’s life, and encourage your child to read as much as he can, and learn to appreciate and enjoy the habit.
And while I can go on about the advantages that reading can provide, what I would like to do is summarize a few of them, and give all you parents reasons to encourage your child to pick up the habit of reading today!
Broadens the child’s horizons: While reading does not make children more intelligent, what it can do is increase their imagination, helps broaden their outlook towards life and help them to be more open minded.
Increases the child’s awareness: Reading of any kind can add to a child’s knowledge irrespective of the kind of book your child is reading. Yes, even a comic book! It can also help the child become a good judge of character over time. It gives a child greater depth in knowledge.
Increases the child’s flair for writing: All good authors are also avid readers! Reading leads to good writing too and not just for a writer – good writing skills can be useful in any profession today. If a child is fluent in a language, then the thoughts flow more easily and it adds tremendous advantage to a child’s oral and written communication skills. You will see that almost all famous people, or leaders across the world, are also ardent book lovers! Take the example of Gandhi or Nehru – both had a passion for books!
And while you may know of these advantages already, what most parents are stumped by is how to inculcate the habit of reading within a child. What’s more, with information being disseminated from a variety of mediums, in today’s day and age, your job becomes that much more difficult. But the important thing to remember is that once a child is hooked on to reading, it is very unlikely, that he/she will give it up, irrespective of other forms of entertainment. So, with that thought in mind, I would urge parents to introduce reading at the right age, give your child the free hand to choose the kind of books he/she would like to read and then, see the habit flourish on its own. I myself was a huge movie buff in my younger days, but at the same time I used to read hundreds of books too. So be assured, that even if your child has other interests besides reading, his reading habit once formed won’t be easily deterred.
What parents need to pay heed to, however, is not to impose the habit at any point. Make the habit seem like a hobby, something that a child will enjoy, and not as a task, which will make him/her want to run away from it.
To raise a reader, you don’t need to overstress, or over work. These are some simple tips that I think could help you to raise a happy reader.

• Let your child see you read
• Share information from your own reading with your child
• Postpone television time yourself, to read with your child
• Take books with you wherever you go, on vacations, or on long road trips
• Offer books (or time to read) as a reward for achievement or chores
• Subscribe to children’s magazines
• Make library/book store visits a family routine.
• Give some pocket money every month to your child, especially to buy books

Lastly, relax and have fun with your children and books! It is a life long habit, that you child is likely to enjoy forever!
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