Make reading engaging, fun for children at home

Imran Mojib, Special Correspondent

Reading is a time-tested method to improve children’s emotional health, enhance their communication skills, and aid their creativity and personality development. Reading allows them a window into a world of fascinating experiences that emerge from imaginative stories. From its characters, children learn how to deal with challenges they may face in life, and finally, reading together is a wonderful way to strengthen the parent-child bond.

Since parents and children are currently spending most of their time together at home, this is indeed a good opportunity to develop this healthy fun-filled habits among children.

Experts working with Kalimat, a publishing house of the UAE-based Kalimat Group, specialised in publishing Arabic books for children and the youth, have suggested seven tips to help parents turn reading into a fun-filled activity for their children, as they are compelled to spend their days being indoor in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The seven tips are — Create a cosy reader’s corner, Read the book beforehand, Let your children choose their read, Get their opinion on the cover, Book reviews — a must, Encourage them to draw their version of the story, and Let children be storytellers They encouraged parents to create a quiet and cosy space for reading at home, and dedicate time regularly for uninterrupted reading at home. Turning reading into a special routinely activity for children will help them eventually turn to books naturally and practice it as a daily habit. The experts recommend parents to read the book they are considering introducing to their children. Familiarising oneself with a book’s contents and characters in advance enables parents to step into their shoes while storytelling. Bringing the book’s events to life will make these reading sessions livelier and children will surely want more.

They also suggest to let your children choose their read. This goes a long way in keeping the child’s interest. Parents can choose from Kalimat’s extensive list of books and stories across genres for children aged 0 - 12. They can be purchased online at www.kalimatgroup.ae and will be delivered free across the UAE.

Parents should begin their child’s reading journey with a discussion of the book’s cover, Kalimat recommends. Make them partake in a fun guessing game, asking them what they think the book could possibly be about by gauging what’s on the cover. Who knows, some may want to explore the author and illustrator too! Kalimat has an excellent range of attractive books with vibrant colours and illustrations — perfect for this exercise.

The tips also include the importance of post-read discussions with children, which is a key component of the reading process. Going through a book’s events, getting the child’s reflections and impression of a story is a great way to gain an in-depth understanding of their thought process and evaluate their cognitive levels. It is also a window into learning how a child might approach similar situations in life. The exercise usually ends up in new discoveries about children’s personalities. Kalimat believes that motivating children to unleash their creativity through pictorial interpretations of the stories they read, is an effective way to create an artistic and intellectual space within which they can freely express themselves and actively develop new ideas they gain from reading.

Parents should also allow their children to be storytellers. Doesn’t matter which era we are in, children will always love to be their parents’ parent! It gives them confidence and triggers their hidden potential. Kalimat says parents must encourage their children to assume the role of the author and lead storytelling sessions. This will improve their expression and communicative skills, give them confidence and aid personality development.

Since parents and children are spending most of their time together at home, this is indeed a good opportunity to develop this healthy fun-filled habits among children. Recently, the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) has also announced its plan to hold the first Sharjah Virtual Reading Festival (SVRF) from May 27 to June 5, 2020.