While modern technology has benefited the school going child a lot there are lot of things which were good in the past few years which are now being discarded and done away with in the name of rearing a computer generation whiz kid. One of the best habits of the olden days which has now taken back seat is reading habits. Reading books is indeed a great hobby and it should be encouraged amongst the children.
Reading helps a lot in eye coordination, concentration and develops the child’s capability to understand and comprehend things better. Reading is a habit which cannot come overnight but has to be inculcated into the child from a very tender age. Schools should take special care in this activity and must have a well stocked up library for catering to children across all age groups. The teaching methods should also be designed in such a way that it encourages reading habits. In this vital duty, parents also have a big role to play.
A child while at home should be encouraged to read. The easiest thing which is very common nowadays is to engage the child with some computer games. While learning computers and being abreast of modern technology is indeed important, the importance of reading habits cannot be undermined and should be encouraged at all costs. There are many ways by which reading can be made fun. Develop a sense of competition amongst kids. Kids like to compete and would find it great fun to outdo one another. Have regular reading competitions in the class room and award performers with some small gifts.
This would motivate the non-performers to also fall in line and over a period of time the whole class would be great readers. Apart from reading the child should be encouraged to move outdoors to play and be closer to nature.