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.