Instilling a love of reading in children

Instilling a love of reading in children

By Surtiningsih W.T.

BOGOR, West Java (JP): National Press Day, Feb.9, was marked
with a number of slogans, the first of which was "with press day,
instill a love for reading".

This is an honorable aim, and many people believe that
cultivating reading does grow along with the growth of press
industry. However, a campaign for instilling a love for reading
should start much earlier than the time when someone begins
reading newspapers. It should start in childhood.

If parents introduce children to books at an early age, the
child's curiosity grows and their appetite for good books is
whetted.

There is a cost to this habit, however. Bambang Erawan, a
pharmacist with three children, brought his three young children
to a children's book exhibition recently.

He had saved Rp 100,000 (US$ 45) and spent it on a few sets of
books. They managed to remember to keep enough to pay for the cab
home.

"Books are expensive," he sighed, but then smiled because his
children looked so happy as they listened to their mother reading
the books. "I don't make much money, but I'm happy to spend it on
my children's books."

Years of being a mother and a grandmother has taught me that
cultivating an appreciation for reading at an early age will
carry a child a long way through their studies. Reading and
curiosity help children learn.

There are other benefits to reading. Not only is it a positive
pastime, but reading also helps children offset the negative
influences they find on television.

Books also save nagging parent's energy. Children absorb
values through reading.

Children learn the value of non-material things through
reading. They will also choose books over more expensive toys and
amusements like video games.

Reading teaches children to be more sensitive and feel for
other people's suffering. I have yet to see a child reading the
suffering and adventures of Remi in The Wide, Wide World without
wiping away a teardrop or two.

Priority

Bambang's attitude, unfortunately, is the exception and not
the rule in this country. More Indonesians don't see books and
reading as a priority, and they end up with children who lack
curiosity and consider reading a burden instead of a source of
enjoyment.

Prof. Slamet Iman Santoso, the Indonesian doyen of psychology,
said at a seminar several years ago that Indonesians are "people
who have just come out of poverty."

Long years of deprivation is why many people, when they have a
little extra money, buy things such as new furniture, laser discs
or replace their floor tiles instead of buying a book.

Not many Indonesians buy or read books, and, "if this
condition goes on, we'll become a nation of people with empty
minds," Prof. Slamet asserted.

Minister of Education and Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro has
often pointed out that the price of books and the availability of
good books hampers the love of reading.

There are too many factors which cause Indonesia to be a
nation which does not read. When Indonesian family's set their
priorities right, they will find that buying books is cheaper
than replacing the television sets they worship.

This is where the community can help. I believe that everybody
who is in a decision making position, from the neighborhood
chief, to teachers, to mothers need to work together and, for
instance, set up small libraries or reading centers.

If the government can spend billions of rupiah to control
population growth, why can't it spend some money to instill a
love of reading and therefore educate the future generations?

The government should encourage more people to write quality
children's books and motivate contemporary writers to produce
more books for children.

Read aloud

What should parents do to cultivate a love for books in
children? Most experts, including Jim Trelease who wrote The New
Read-Aloud Handbook (1989), agree that the first thing parents,
especially fathers, must do is read to their children.

Other suggestions are:

* Start early. We talk to our children right after they are
born; so, why not read to them? They understand.

* Start with simple books with lots of pictures. The pictures
and the stories will help develop your baby's hearing and
language.

* Set aside a specific time for reading together. Choose a
leisurely, unhurried moment such as early morning, before the
family starts its activities, or just before bedtime.

* Be patient. Children get into the habit of reading
gradually. If, during the first or second time, your child looks
restless or inattentive don't be discouraged.

* Turn the television off. Most children would prefer to be
cuddled and read to, than sitting alone in front of the TV. Even
if they are already diehard couch potatoes, you can wean them off
the television.

* Choose books which span the interests of children of
different ages. Choose picture books. If the age difference
between your children is more than two years, then provide
individual read-aloud time.

* Finish the book you start. Don't leave off in the middle of
the story, except if you find the book is really not good for the
children. Don't make the children wait for three or four days
before you resume the book you have started reading to them.

* Once in a while stimulate your children with books which are
a little beyond them. Don't do it too often as they may get
frustrated. And don't read too long; consider their concentration
span.

* Stop reading at the most exciting part, and make your
children wait in suspense. If the child insists on finishing the
book by himself, let him. Don't stop reading to children just
because they can read for themselves.

* Be comfortable when reading to them. Let them place their
head on your lap, while you sit on the floor or mattress. Long
after the story is finished, they will still remember the warmth
of your cuddle.

* Give ample time for discussion. Let the children ask
questions and vent the feelings that are brought about by the
story. Don't make the story a test, by asking them what the
characters say or do. Let them enjoy the story.

* Don't read too fast. Give your children time to imagine the
scene.

* Prepare yourself before reading to them. Make sure you like
the story, and know which part can be summarized or omitted.

* Introduce your children to the library and book shops as
early as possible.

Surtiningsih W.T. has written a number of children books. She
is a mother of nine and a grandmother of twelve.