The famous English poet and essayist Joseph Addison once wrote, “Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body”.

Can you imagine a truer statement?!
 

The benefits of extensive reading go beyond gaining knowledge or exercising your brain. It improves your memory, focus, and vocabulary of the language you are reading. It also helps in the development of communication skills.

 

But we live in the era of the internet and social media. Having all the information we ever wanted at the tip of our fingers is a marvelous thing for sure, but digital media is slowly turning us into dopamine addicts with very short attention spans. It’s not a good thing, especially for children of developing age!
 

Yet, making our kids interested in old-school reading, instead of watching 15-second-long reel videos, is a challenging task. We at Akshharam have set up the perfect blend of technology and old-school techniques to make your child’s Malayalam learning journey smooth sailing.
 

Still, reading is an essential element for brain development. Here we will discuss 7 ways to develop a love for reading in your child’s psyche.

 

1. Show off your reading habits!
 

Children, especially small children, often idolize their parents and the people they interact with every day. A child acquires habits from their surroundings. So why don’t you show off your reading habits? Let your kids know how much you love reading. They will automatically turn curious as to why you enjoy reading so much and decide to give it a try themselves. This way, you wouldn’t have to impose reading on your child and make it a burden for them. They will pick it up themselves in a natural way.

 

2. Bedtime reading
 

Every child will love an exhilarating bedtime story to end their day with and fall asleep to. So get some quality time with your child and read together before sleep. Discuss the stories, ask questions, and request the opinions of your child. If they can read on their own, request them to read for you. This will not only improve your child’s familiarity with reading, it will serve as an exemplary bonding activity for you and your children.

 

3. Create a reading zone

Another important thing to do is make sure your child has the right atmosphere to dive into the world of stories and poetry. Create a cozy reading zone for your kid to relax and read. The exclusiveness of a space for reading is sure to make them feel special about it. Don’t forget to make sure that the reading space has comfortable lighting and atmosphere.

 

4. Reward reading
 

Do you remember getting a rupee or two to run to the grocery shop and buy groceries for your mother or your neighbors? How did you feel? It motivated you to help with the grocery shopping again, right?! Getting rewarded for something you do will obviously motivate us to do it again. So start rewarding your child with little gifts to motivate them to finish a chapter or read an entire book. Make sure they have read it by asking questions. Make this a tradition and watch your kid devour chapter after chapter. If the books are interesting, they will soon develop a natural love for reading unconsciously.

 

5. A gift you can open again!
 

American author Garrison Keillor once said, “A book is a gift you can open again and again”. Books are wonderful gifts. They are an asset to your kids’ mental health and development. So make sure that you gift books to your children. Also, remember to annotate or write a little message from you. This way, your child can forever treasure the book and the message.

 

6. Books are always around
 

Typically, we use things that are convenient and readily accessible to us, don’t we? So for kids to be interested in reading, they should also be surrounded by books. Make sure you keep children’s books where they can easily access them. Make sure they are visible. So when the children have nothing to do, they can just pick up a book!

 

7. Groups and activities
 

For small children, reading alone and having no one to discuss with about what they read will be discouraging. So make sure your child has peers with whom they can express their ideas. Make them a part of reading activities such as book sharing, virtual storytelling, etc.

 

Malayalam classes at Akshharam
 

Are you looking for a trustworthy and easy-to-access online platform to improve your child’s Malayalam language skills? Look no further!

At Akshharam, we have a customizable curriculum, tailor-made to make your child’s Malayalam learning journey successful. The interactive Malayalam classes for children we offer will not only help your child learn Malayalam but also connect with peers all over the world.

Enroll your little ones in our Summer online Malayalam classes to prepare them for an outstanding upcoming academic year!