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Parenting
Most of us
know about the importance of reading to our children. We already know
that it is important to read to the kids in order to foster their
vocabulary and intelligence. We know that children who are regularly
read to are more likely to turn out to be well read and successful
adults. We know bedtime stories should form an important part of a
child’s night time ritual. 1. Age 0-1 year While some experts argue , and so does our mythology, that unborn children in womb also listen, understand and gain from stories, I doubt so. The American Academy for Pediatrics recommends reading to children from 6 month of age. However, kids this young, or younger if you prefer to start early, can not understand the concept of reading. So you can choose from Dr. Suess or Cosmopolitan or your Newspaper, it makes no difference. The child still gets your time and proximity, and is still exposed to the language, which is all a child gathers from stories at this age. The up side with using newspaper as a source is that your knowledge of current affairs might increase dramatically. 2. Age 1-2 years Children this
age have started comprehending that the pictures (and not words) in the
books actually correspond to things in real life. So an 15 month old
baby realizes that a picture of the flower in a book actually symbolizes
a real flower. This is a great leap in understanding. Choose books that
have single simple pictures that the child can relate to. Books that
have one picture a page are ideal . Examples of a bad choice of book
would be a book with cartoons instead of real photographs, or a book
with complicated photographs. You can use a book to discuss about the
object. For example, a book that says C for CAT and has a cat’s picture
can be used to explain the meeow sound of cat, or that cat’s baby is
called a kitten, etc. Towards a later stage the child would also like a
simple, easy story attached with the pictures she is watching. This is the
age when kids understand that the world is vast, and full of exciting
things, animals, machines and what not!! Use their natural curiosity to
teach them about animals , values, cars, utensils, anything!!! If you
tell your baby the story of how Tajmahal was made, she’ll remember the
details, and would save you the trouble of increasing her General
Knowledge by immensely mundane and boring ways later. The point is, at
this age and later, stories can be used very effectively to teach child
a lot of things. The topics can vary from Traffic rules to general
etiquettes, seven wonders to mythology, from dinosaurs to river Nile.
This is the
age when kids believe they have truly become big. And why not, they can
do so much themselves and reading is just a step away! We as parents can
make learning to read fun from them. Choose easy to read books about a
variety of subjects that your child shows interest in. Dr. Suess’s books
are world-renowned for their easy readability. Let the child take his
own time reading. Be patient. He might be able to read a word in one
page, only to get stuck with the same word in the next page. Reading is
a very slow process for kids, and our hurrying up is only going to make
it tougher for them. Celebrate small accomplishments, and help when
asked. Now is the time for you to handover the selection to your child. You might not always agree with her decision, but do not force the issue. If she chooses Nancy Drew by looking at the attractive cover, gently explain her that it’s not a 6 or 7 year olds’ book. If she insists, let her choose. She’ll soon come to trust your suggestions. Stories are children’s window to the world. They are also a very important tool for the parents. Parents can use bedtime stories to explore hard to lecture areas, like sharing. You can also spread values in a non-threatening way. Avoid stories with scary stuff like monsters that can produce nightmares. Remember, one sure shot way of making a story smash-hit with the kids is to customize it. Little Medha will sure be interested in ‘Medha and the three bears’, and what will charm Pratik more than ‘Pratik and the beanstalk’! April 30, 2006 The Week of April 30, 2006
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