Igniting the love of reading in your child, has to do more than just reading the words page after page, book after book. How the book is read and what you do during the reading determines how much your child gets out of the reading time. The question is, how to read for children to fall in love with books? Here are some suggestions:

1. Engage your child in the story whenever opportunities permits. For example, have them join in the chants and rhymes, say repetitive phrases, or fill in the last words. Some stories allow for some acting e.g. roaring like a lion or mewing like a cat. Show children that with books they can be active participants rather than just passive listeners.
2. Read with expression. use different voices for different characters and vary the way you read i.e loud, soft, sadly, happily, excitedly, scarily etc… according to the text. Let your voice and face bring out the emotions of the words. This will help spark the imagination of your child by making the story come alive.
3. Ask questions. These can come in several ways:

• Bring their attention to certain details. For example, “Can you see where the Big Bad Wolf is hiding?”
• Increase comprehension. For example, “Why do you think the Little Red Hen didn’t want to share the bread she had made?”
• Have them predict what might happen. These questions also increase their curiosity. For example, ask “What do you think will happen next?”

Just be careful not to turn the reading session into a quiz session by not asking too many questions, which may disrupt the flow of the story.

1. Enrich the reading with follow up activities and discussion. such as craft ideas or songs that relate to the story. For example, after reading Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar, you could do a butterfly craft or sing a song about the days of the week. It could be as simple as your child draw her favourite character or most enjoyable part of the story. Talking about similar experiences that your child may have had can help identify new words to expand her vocabulary. For example, if the story was about going to the dentist, you could remind your child about when she went to see the dentist. Discuss your child’s feelings and views about the story or illustration.

To get more out of a book, here are some more points to remember:

1. Allow children to handle the book encourage them to help turn the pages. Do not be afraid to let them explore the book on their own before or after the story has been read to them. Your child may not know how to read yet but she can still enjoy the illustrations. If she knows the story well enough, you might catch her pretending to read, just like you.
2. If you are reading to toddlers, introducing them to the make up of the book is always a good idea. Read the title of the book and also the name of the author and illustrator. Show them which is the front of the book, which is the back and where to start reading. Point to the words as you read so they know that reading is done from left to right, and from top to bottom of the page. All these are absorbed better when done in fun and silliness, for example, attempt to read a book upside down and your child will only be too eager to correct you.
3. Do not rush through the book. Read slowly and clearly. Create a relaxed atmosphere, free from stress and anxiety. As a parent, for a moment, free your mind from the 101 chores you have waiting for you.
4. Having a home library is also helpful in getting your child attention. As s/he grows and develop in age, the books in the home library can change with the family dynamic.

To get children to love reading, show them first how enjoyable books can be. Opening book after book and just monotonously reading the words therein will not do much for children. Engage them and draw them into the story, by doing this, you will heighten your child’s love for books and reading.