Most parents lament the fact that their children are more interested in watching videos online rather than reading books. It is the truth that new technology will overshadow the old, but the habit of reading books can still be cultivated. If you want your homeschool students to be as interested in reading books as they are in playing online games, read on.
They see and do
There is no better way to teach your child something than to do it yourself. Imitation is the best way for children to learn so if you want your children to develop a love for reading and books, you have to make sure that you love reading as well. A good way to begin introducing books to younger homeschool students is to have a read aloud session with them. Fix a certain time, usually a bedtime story works well, and read out to them a story of their interest. This associates reading with a pleasant memory and books are considered something fun.
Entertainment and learning
By allowing them to look at the book’s pages as you read out loud to the children, you get them to identify words much faster. Of course reading out loud does not have to be restricted to reading story books. Eventually you can move on to reading study books out loud as well. And this can be done even as the children go into higher grades. Some children who are auditory learners will actually learn better when you read out the lesson to them. This means that by reading out random books to them you are actually enhancing their ability to understand their world.
Family time and bonding
You can even make reading out loud a time for family. Each person gets to pick a book and the family sits together as one person reads it out loud. Younger children can be given colouring work to keep their hands busy even as their minds are engaged in the story. Needle work, craft projects, even prepping for dinner can become tasks carried out along with the reading. What’s more that half hour will count as quality family time as book references will continue to follow your conversations for days to come!
