Gift your child the love of reading, urges Christina Viegas

The reading habit will broaden your child's horizons raising children is one of the most important jobs you will ever tackle. And one important tool you can gift them is the love of reading. "If you teach your child to read, you are handing down a very special gift; one so precious that it will enrich their lives as nothing else can do," says Tanya de Souza, kindergarten teacher, Goa.

It's never too early to teach a child to love books. In fact, in most cases it starts with the famed bedtime stories. Even a one-year-old enjoys listening to stories. A bedtime story is the best way to put children to sleep.

Reading Aloud
Tanya advises, "Reading stories aloud to children from a very young age opens doors to a world unknown, stirs the imagination, increases vocabulary, builds the desire to read, establishes bonds of love and above all, is a lot of fun.” It is of absolute importance to read books in a tone that conveys their meaning. If a book is humorous, read it in a funny tone; if it is sombre, read it with a solemn voice. Give each character in the tale an appropriate voice and read his or her words in that tone. Most of all, have fun while you read and share the fun with your child.

Comics Too, Are Important
Ramona Antao, English lecturer and librarian in Goa, spells out the importance of comics. "About a decade ago, along with a friend, I started a small library (today the famous Gramps Library) for the neighbourhood kids. We soon realised that one very important item was missing - comics. Children would be disappointed because there were no comics. At first, I was thoroughly upset and discouraged. But then we bought some comics to capture our clientele and we were able to introduce children to the classics in 'comic' form."

Making Readers For Life
Ramona continues, "During the vacations, I'd hold reading contests where I give the kids two or three weeks and mark them for the number of books read as well as their answers to a questionnaire. All these children became avid readers. They did brilliantly in their std X and std XII board exams. Some of them even ran the library for me when they had finished their exams and were awaiting professional admissions, while my husband was recovering from an accident.

"Being a bookworm myself and constantly reading to my little four-and-half-year-old daughter has worked. Recently, a local daily held a contest where pictures depicting the Christmas story were published for 15 days. Contestants were required to cut out the picture published each day, answer an easy question and stick it in a book. At the end, they were asked to submit the scrapbook and winners would be announced on the big day. I followed the rules of the contest for my precious little one, who followed every step religiously. When we went to submit the book, we were told it would not be returned.

My bright-eyed wonder clung to the book; "Mummy, I want this story book, I don't want any prize," she said. This said it all. I had nurtured an avid reader. The reading habit, a seed planted early, takes deep root. So get the seed planted. We will be rewarded with a beautiful garden of readers to make the world a more beautiful place," she concludes.

Reading Women
More women are reading these days. According to the last census held in 2001, the percentage of female literacy in the country is 54.16 per cent, rising from 8.86% in 1951. And what's more, the female literacy rate actually increased by 3.15% more compared to male literacy rate. And since women are the ones to get a family going, that's great news, isn't it?

Get 'Em Reading
• Set time aside for reading aloud to children; don't just consign the session only for bedtime.
• Start reading to them from as early an age as possible. As soon as they begin to recognise large pictures, show them big one-picture-a-page books and weave stories around these.
• Children constantly want you to read the same story. Indulge them in this demand. Soon they will memorise the story and appear to be reading though they don't even know the alphabet.
• As children get older, they will have to be encouraged to read on their own. Simple, well-illustrated books do the trick.
• NEVER tear pages from any book in front of a child and gently prevent her from doing the same. Once she learns to value books, she may not even need to be told.
• Books with cut-outs are not really for small children.
• Limited and timed exposure to television cartoon series can be used as an introduction to books.
• Not everyone has the money or the space to build up a child's personal library. But most can afford to join a library that has a good collection for children.
• Parents of older children often discourage reading. This is a huge mistake! In these days of too much homework, set aside a time for homework and then leave the child free to indulge the reading habit. It's an asset for a lifetime.

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