Reading and Bonding
This is one of the article on the above topic. Reading is a very powerful tool that helps parents maintain a very close and healthy relationship with their children. When does reading start and till which age does a parent stop reading to the child. Reading can begin as early as when the baby is in the womb. It is always advised that the mother reads pleasant books and articles which would make her happy and transfer the same feeling to the baby in the womb. In my Mothers and Angels programme, reading is a very essential part of the routine along with music designed for mothers to be. Reading about facts is encouraged as it facilitates the development of the brain. Reading to a child could continue till the age of 10 or 12. After that the child starts reading independently. He or she is already reading indepently for academics, however reading for leisure if accompanied with a parent is always very comforting to the child. It creates the feeling of security, which is lacking in so many children, It ensures confidence and boost the self esteem of a child.The joy of reading to a child, if visible on the parent's face and in the tone creates a very genuine effect on the result that the parent is expecting from this activity.
My personal experience: I have reading difficulty which I realised only when I was 30 and started to acquire skills in Understanding and Helping students who have reading or writing difficulties. However being a voracious reader, who would devour even the pages which came with the bhelpuri, I kind of made up for my lack. I am not only a fast reader today, but have a fair ability to write as well. It happens even today that I may read United World as Under World.
I started reading to Anmol when he was 2 months and everybody laughed as to what such a little child can understand. I asked them can the child hear and see you and they say of course the child can hear and see. He has infact very sharp auditory and visual faculties and not only hears but also smiles and responds. It is then when I ask them so what is required to read to a child. Another defence question pops up "But he cannot see the book".
What I am trying to clarifyis that parents feel that reading is to be done only when the child learns to sit and can see the book and understand. What they are missing out is that the child can hear and understand since the foetal stage. In the second trimester itself the mother can start reading to the child in the womb with interesting sounds and expressions.
This goes a long way in the development of the child as the child gets exposed to the idea of a book and being read till the age of 10 yrs. Later in life the child will automatically become an avid reader, which could always advance into voracious reading. There may be a spurt level and also a time when the child may not read at all, but the parent need not fear as eventually the habit has been ingrained and the child will definitely pick up the books of his choice or take the guidance of the parents to read.
Reading to a child is the best way of bonding with the child. It need not be limited to mother only. I recommend that mothers and fathers in turn read to the child before sleep time for 5-10 minutes on a daily basis and see the change in the respect level that the child has for parents.
Parents need not always stick to stories with morals. The reading could revolve around all the topics.
It is always essential to allow the child to select books while shopping for books. I still have the book called "The Lazy Lion" which Anmol always wanted me to read to him. He tells me "Mama the way you read should be recorded to teach mothers how to read". How you read the Lazy Lion to me everytime. It felt that you were enjoying it so much and you actually brought the characters so alive and I remember every expression of yours.
It is therefore essential to put in a little effort, enjoy the act and make reading a pleasure, rather than a task.
He is 17 now, has graduated from Harry Potter to books like Thousand Splendid Suns and authors like Robin Sharma, Chetan Bhagat, even in the world when most of the children are surfing on net.
I started reading to Anmol when he was 2 months and everybody laughed as to what such a little child can understand. I asked them can the child hear and see you and they say of course the child can hear and see. He has infact very sharp auditory and visual faculties and not only hears but also smiles and responds. It is then when I ask them so what is required to read to a child. Another defence question pops up "But he cannot see the book".
What I am trying to clarifyis that parents feel that reading is to be done only when the child learns to sit and can see the book and understand. What they are missing out is that the child can hear and understand since the foetal stage. In the second trimester itself the mother can start reading to the child in the womb with interesting sounds and expressions.
This goes a long way in the development of the child as the child gets exposed to the idea of a book and being read till the age of 10 yrs. Later in life the child will automatically become an avid reader, which could always advance into voracious reading. There may be a spurt level and also a time when the child may not read at all, but the parent need not fear as eventually the habit has been ingrained and the child will definitely pick up the books of his choice or take the guidance of the parents to read.
Reading to a child is the best way of bonding with the child. It need not be limited to mother only. I recommend that mothers and fathers in turn read to the child before sleep time for 5-10 minutes on a daily basis and see the change in the respect level that the child has for parents.
Parents need not always stick to stories with morals. The reading could revolve around all the topics.
It is always essential to allow the child to select books while shopping for books. I still have the book called "The Lazy Lion" which Anmol always wanted me to read to him. He tells me "Mama the way you read should be recorded to teach mothers how to read". How you read the Lazy Lion to me everytime. It felt that you were enjoying it so much and you actually brought the characters so alive and I remember every expression of yours.
It is therefore essential to put in a little effort, enjoy the act and make reading a pleasure, rather than a task.
He is 17 now, has graduated from Harry Potter to books like Thousand Splendid Suns and authors like Robin Sharma, Chetan Bhagat, even in the world when most of the children are surfing on net.
There is no replacement for the joy of reading.
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