Inculcating Reading Habits Improve Kids' Academic Performance

Mums can improve their kids' academic performance by encouraging them to read more, says an expert.

Sharon Darling, president and founder of the National Centre for Family Literacy has suggested that incorporating a daily reading habit is essential for children's future academic success.

"Many moms wonder what they can do to help their children be successful in school. The answer is surprisingly simple," said Darling.

"Many of the things parents do with their children as they work, play, read and talk together have an impact on the skills needed to become a confident and competent student.

"Singing songs, making up silly rhymes, talking about what you see, pointing out letters and words in the environment and reading together are just a few activities parents can do," she added.

Parents can support their children's learning with talking at the dinner table, playing games together, sharing household chores or while riding in the car.

It could also be done by making reading a daily habit of the family. Everyone should have a library card and teach children that reading is fun.

Creating reading rituals by setting aside a special time and place every day so that they enjoy stories without interruptions.

Moreover, cuddling closely with your child to foster a sense of security can actually eliminate stress that scientists believe produce hormones, which blocks learning.

Mealtimes can be the best opportunity to enhance learning skills. arious programs have shown success in incorporating mealtime with literacy. In Southern California, the McDonald's Family Mealtime Literacy Nights have resulted in parents using its strategies and materials at home to improve literacy skills.

You can talk to your kids while driving across town or on vacation and looking for signs with words that begin with the same letters as child's name. Each person remembers what the other items were and adds an item that begins with the next letter of the alphabet.

Make up rhymes using words or items you see as you drive along or alliteration statements where all the words begin with the same sound. See how long you can keep the rhyme or alliteration statement going; and

Use techniques for reading that have been proven to increase effectiveness in reading time, providing sound effects to capture their attention, making connections between the spoken and written word because hearing sounds in words is a basic skill needed for reading, talking about the story to reinforce comprehension and memory skills and reading again and again as it helps children recognize and remember words.

Source-ANI
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