Reading to Your Children

Fostering a love for books is a powerful yet inexpensive way to empower your child and nurture his or her natural desire to learn.

A Personal Memory

As a fifteen-year-old, I remember hitching a ride on a friend’s bicycle one afternoon. The dark green canopy of trees overhead filled me with peace and calm. I was eager to discuss the latest book I had been reading, but Deepa (name changed), who was pedaling, was unusually silent. When I asked why she didn’t share my excitement, she replied that books didn’t really interest her.

I was surprised. I had grown up in a family of book lovers. Cartons of second-hand books were regularly brought into our home and hungrily devoured by my two sisters and me. We were usually found curled up with a dog-eared favorite, lost in its pages.

Books had shaped our lives, and I firmly believe they can shape your child’s too.

Three Ways to Help Your Child Love Books

1. Read to Your Child

When you read aloud, you connect the real world with the world of imagination. Stories can make difficult moments in childhood easier to bear.

Take, for example, a little boy who had just started preschool—a tough transition filled with separation anxiety. His mother read him The Care Bears Help Out by Eleanor Hudson, a story about Peter, a boy who had moved to a new neighborhood. The Care Bears comforted Peter, helping him overcome loneliness.

After hearing the story, the boy was calmer and better able to cope. That’s the power of imagination—children identify with characters and learn to navigate their own struggles.

2. Trade the TV for a Bookshelf

In the center of our living room stands a big brown bookshelf, filled with a handpicked collection of wholesome books. Our television was packed away two years ago, and since then, books have become our primary source of entertainment.

Karen Santorum, author of Everyday Graces: A Child’s Book of Good Manners, once said:

“We have read thousands of stories to our kids. Good things happen when your child is sitting on your lap. It lends itself to emotional and physical bonding.”

A bookshelf, not a television, can become the heart of your home.

3. Re-tell and Re-read Stories

Children love repetition. When a story is read and re-read, certain phrases linger in their minds until meaning slowly sinks in. Over time, they begin to use these words in daily life, building both vocabulary and confidence.

In our family, we saw this firsthand. Our daughter didn’t attend formal school until she was six, but we had read hundreds of stories to her, again and again. This repetition helped her connect spoken words with printed text, laying the foundation for strong language skills.

Bonus Tip: Record a Story

If you can’t read to your child every day, try recording yourself reading aloud. Educational critic John Holt, in his book How Children Learn, suggests this method. Your child can follow along with the book while listening to your recorded voice—a beautiful way to stay connected, even in your absence.

Conclusion

The urge to learn and understand is present in every child—including yours. Even if you’re not a book-lover, you can nurture this habit in your child.

As a T-shirt slogan I once read wisely put:
“Change a childhood. You might just change the world!”