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Creative Ways for Parents to Make Reading and Writing for Their Children Fun

The research is out and it does not look good for digital media. As more and more studies done, the benefits of reading and writing for children are becoming more evident. The problem is that kids nowadays end up losing their interest for these skills.

By Tiffany HarperPublished 5 years ago 5 min read
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Parents are often busy and devote very less time to their kids. Even if they are at home, they are confused about spending time with the kids creatively and productively.

If you think that reading and writing on a tablet is a good compromise, think again. It seems as though there is no substitute for good old-fashioned pen and paper. The problem is that parents have to reinvent the culture of reading and writing and make it attractive again, but how do you compete with technology?

Bring the fun back

Kids are bombarded with all kinds of challenges and assessments and constantly feel like they are being tested. We often forget that one of the reasons why most people read is for fun. Letting them read for kicks and giggles will remind them why reading is fun.

It will remind them of the wonders of their imagination. Getting your hands on a couple of fun books that tickle their fancy or which are in line with their interests is a great place to start.

Start while they are young

Being a parent is tough and one will often be tempted to switch on the TV to provide entertainment. In doing this, you rob yourself of opportunities to create a love for reading in your kids. During their baby and toddler years, you set the tone of entertainment. Then your kids are still in diapers, read to them.

They love your facial expressions and the way you play with your voice. You will soon find that your children ask for a story, but you have to be disciplined and nurture that love for reading.

Keep the level light

Without getting into all the psychology of learning, there is a level of independence where a person can function well enough on his or her own. Getting books for your kids that they can handle without any help is a great motivator.

As soon as reading becomes laborious, it loses its appeal. Coming across words that they don’t understand and that impede their comprehension is a sign that the book is too difficult. Talk to them and understand what they want. Don’t be harsh and show compassion towards them if they are not picking up the concept of reading.

When they start to enjoy reading, they will start to gravitate to more difficult an intellectually stimulating books on their own.

Create the mood and environment

Reading is supposed to be fun and the environment in which you create a love for reading should also be an inviting one. Depending on your children and the books they like, you could come up with some killer in-house plans like a shower-curtain tent or a scatter cushion corner.

There are so many ideas floating on the internet, you could spend quite some time on getting the right set. The main thing is that the theme you create is fun and conducive to reading. You can also get some tips from professional online academic experts on sites like paper writing service. They are in the business of reading, writing and providing essay writing help to students, so some good advice from them will prove valuable.

Reading is writing cousin

Teaching your children how to read and creating a love for reading is one thing, but if you want to reinforce that love, you need to invest in some time to create a love for writing as well. The same rule applies, though.

You need to make the writing fun and assigning a book report on the recently completed book is not going to achieve the desired result. What you need is something that will encourage your children to write for fun. There are loads of books with great ideas that you can follow to encourage writing.

Talk about it

Regardless of whether your children are reading themselves, or whether you are the one doing the reading, you need to talk about the stories you read. Doing this ever so often will teach your children how to read with comprehension and also how to think critically about what they are reading.

Without them knowing it, you help them to read with understanding. The most important thing that this accomplishes is that when your children understand a story, they are more likely to continue reading and also ask more questions.

Get a little messy

If you haven’t figured it out yet, kids can get super messy and we tend to want to stop them because we know that someone has to clean up the mess. You can turn that messy nature into an opportunity to create a love for reading and writing.

Choose a spot in your home and make that the designated creative corner where anything goes. Give the wall a blackboard paint and ensure that there are safety scissors and enough stationery to last a lifetime. Your kids will experience freedom in that area and will also learn responsibility in the same vein. Reward them for their skills to make it even more enjoyable. It could be a picnic or maybe some toys or books.

Finding the right books

Many people never develop a love for reading because they never had the opportunity to read something that interested them. Once you find a good book, it’s hard to put it down. You start to live yourself into the story your imagination takes over.

If you don’t know where to start looking for a good read, then start to ask around. People who read will know where the good stuff is and they will be able to point you in the right direction of a good title.

"You could also surf the net or read the reviews in your local newspaper. Also, try reading the custom writing services or top paper writing service reviews to know what’s trending in the world of reading and writing. If you yourself need some writing help for thesis or dissertation, a good assignment writing service can help you with that", notices Melanie Grace, the content consultant at AssignmentMan.

Give them the reigns

One trap that many parents fall into is to take over and not afford their children the opportunity to develop. They will continue to read to their kids and never take the time to listen to them read.

Kids love the fact that you, as a parent, take the time to listen to their skills develop. It is a safe environment and they aren’t afraid to make mistakes. Although it might be frustrating at first, stick to the plan and let them read. Before long, they will be fluent and will have developed an amazing reading skill.

Conclusion

Nothing that is worthwhile in this life is easy and reading is at the top of this list. If you invest the time to create a love for reading, you will reap the rewards of independent and critical thinkers later in life. The benefits of reading and writing unquestionable and the sooner you start to create a love for it in your kids, the better.

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About the Creator

Tiffany Harper

Tiffany Harper began her career as a journalist in the educational publishing house. Now she works as an experienced expert writer, mostly in education, business, and technology area. Please, contact her on Twitter.

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