My son woke up about 5 am that morning and found me working on my computer. Actually working on a personal project. Then he asked me to read him a book. Really, at 5 am in the morning. I have a strong feeling he is going to be an early reader. He has really keen interest and genuine love for books.
So I abandoned my personal pursuits and read ” I am Tippitty Too” Ilustrated by Akemi Gutierrez. He kept laughing and giggling as I initially started reading the book reluctantly , but I had to join his infectious laughing bouts because of the funny rhymes of the book. “I am Tippity Too. Who are you? I am bear. Tippity tippity tear….”
So I end up having one of those golden mom moments with my four year old son. Coincedentally it was the morning of mother’s day , 2019. The best gift. The sound of joyful laughter and the enduring maternal bond.
I have listed below a number of things you can do to adequately prepare your child to read without stress or tears
1.Choose books with words that rhyme. Dr Seus books are great. This would be a great source of lyrical fun for the child. Books with short rhyming sentences are great.
2. Choose colorful books. The words are not enough to attract and sustain the attention of a pre-reader. Pick books with beautiful pictures and attractive illustrations.
3. While reading take pauses to talk about the pictures you are seeing. From time to time you can add some of your own embellishments to make the story more descriptive. I find myself adding extra phrases while reading to make it more fun.
4. Pick books that fit your child’s interest. For my son it is any book with Trains and Dinosaurs, while for my daughter who is a proper ‘girly-girl’, it is anything with barbie, princesses and Fancy Nancy. However let them explore new interests by allowing them make supervised choices on trips to the library or a bookstore. Plus it’s also fun for them to make their own choices of books to read. If the book captures the child’s attention as much as it did to the child in the picture below, such that the child finds it hard to let the book go, then that is a good thing!
5. Pick books that are easy for your child to handle. Pop-up books are also great.
6. Also check out the “Picks of the week”. Don’t hesitate to ask the librarian for recommendations. They are experts! Actually, most Saturdays we make trips to the library and my children love it and actually look forward to it.
7. Always make treat available after a trip to a book store or the library. When they come to know that there would be treat after the library, it makes the library look more like ‘heaven’ to them, only one full of books.
“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” — Frederick Douglass
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.”— Dr. Seuss, “I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!”