Reading is an activity that has many important implications for human development. Among other things, it allows us to understand the elements around us as well as to interact with them.

It is also a habit that can be acquired from early childhood. In this article we present some tips that can be useful to encourage reading in children , as well as the importance of promoting their interest in this activity.

The importance of reading in childhood

Early childhood is considered to be the period from 0 to 6 years of age. Within this period, children go through different stages where some stimuli are more appealing to them than others, which means they are more willing to learn certain things, or through certain techniques.

For example, from 0 to 2 years old, learning is mediated by their interaction with adults , especially those who are their caregivers or educators. In addition, this stage is crucial because skills needed for communication are developed.

Between the ages of 3 and 4, socialization begins to occur outside the family nucleus, generally because children start school. From the age of 4, learning occurs in a more structured manner. The important reference at this time is the educational system, always on a par with the family or the closest emotional nucleus.

At all these stages, language plays a crucial role in the child’s development , both for cognitive processes and for interaction with others. Language in this sense is not limited to the verbal use of words, but is a whole process through which children endow things around them with meaning and significance. The latter is what enables them to establish both a personal identity and to communicate with others.

One of the practices that especially promotes language development, as well as communication and even affection, is reading. Thus, encouraging reading from early childhood is important because it allows the child to understand and interact with the world , and also to understand the place he or she occupies within it.

How to encourage reading in children?

Reading is not only related to the ability to decipher linguistic signs, but it is also related to different manifestations of the culture that are found around those signs and the narratives that they build (Ramírez y de Castro, 2013). This is indispensable for interacting, and for establishing desires, emotions and feelings, as well as for externalizing them.

1. Make reading meaningful

For young children (especially between 0 and 2 years), reading is encouraged as long as it is an activity that also strengthens the bond between the child and caregivers .

That is, reading should mean something shared, because as we have seen, younger children learn especially in relation to adults . Encouraging meaningful encounters with reading is something that promotes reading itself, since it influences how children perceive and feel this activity, and therefore, how they will receive it or look for it later on.

Something that can be very simple is to read with them at bedtime, before a nap or after an activity that requires rest. Doing this in the long run also allows them to associate reading with a moment of relaxation.

2. Use attractive materials and a striking tone

Children learn through their senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste), so it is important to choose stories and materials that are attractive. For example, there are many books that have textures or that have sounds , and it is important to look for those that do not have many words or complex sentences.

In telling the stories ourselves it is important to maintain a tone and volume of voice that is striking and that changes as the story does. In this way we encourage the recognition of emotions and draw the child’s attention to the reading.

Another related activity is storytelling with the same children, especially when they are a little older. For example, create a story about animals with images chosen by the child himself, or with photos of the family. In the same way, present them with the parts or elements that a book has (leaves, cover, drawings…) in an attractive way.

3. Allow the child to choose freely

Many times children are attracted to the same book over and over again. It is important to give them the freedom to choose for themselves the story that most attracts their attention, so that their interest in reading is not interrupted.

It is also important to offer different modes of reading . There is literature that is written by children, and there is literature that is written or adapted for children. Something that favors the interest of children in reading is having several options at hand and presenting them one by one, so that we allow them to explore their interests and address them freely.

4. Provide a special and comfortable space for reading

While reading is not just about understanding words or pictures, it is also about our emotions, desires, needs or moods; it is also important to read in a comfortable place.

One thing that can be appealing to children is a special space for reading, which according to our possibilities can have, for example, a sofa at their size, small pillows or a carpet, along with a basket, drawer or bookcase with different books.

5. Make reading (habit-forming) part of the daily routine

Reading can become a habit , and as such, it is a practice that can be reinforced by continuous repetition. Especially for older children, the habit of reading can be encouraged by spending some time on it every day.

If the child is not used to reading on his own initiative, it is important to do so together with him, and to invite him through books that are appealing to him (although not to us) and at a pace that is prudent. In this way he can explore reading in his own interest, instead of understanding it as a tedious, obligatory or boring activity .

Bibliographic references:

  • Ramirez, C. (2013). Reading in early childhood. Grafías Disciplinares de la UCP, Pereira-Colombia, no. 20: 7-21.