When a child at age five or six starts reading parents make a scramble to get storybooks and activity books to enhance his reading skills,
because that seems to be the obvious thing to do. But it is not always
necessary to go out of the way; you just need to look around for
innovative ways to make your child read. When you get a packet of
microwave-able popcorns or some ready-to-cook snacks like 'Maggi
Noodles', you can have your child read the instructions. Written information is always floating around in the house
in some form or the other and a child should be made aware of this. A
newspaper, though an adult preoccupation, is a good tool to enhance a
child's reading skills.
Reading between the lines
Almost every household subscribes to a newspaper. For a child who has
just begun to read, the heavy congested text will not make sense; maybe
a few words in the big size headline may stand out. But children will
certainly be interested in the pictures, photographs, illustrations and
advertisements.
By dwelling on the visual content, a parent can hold the attention of
the child and initiate him into the practice of turning the newspaper
pages.
A first-grader may be able to read, but he is
still too small to understand the nuances of news spread in the columns
of the newspaper. The parent needs to educate the child on the concept
of a newspaper as a tool to bring information
from 'faraway places' as opposed to the 'here and now' which the child
may be more familiar with. This itself can be a lesson in geography
where the child can be taught the concept of 'globe', which to him is
an abstract thing.
News and views
If a news report says that it snowed in Switzerland, he can be
shown the country on the globe vis-a-vis his own country. Newspapers
are a goldmine where world-information is concerned and can be a
take-off point to graduate onto atlas, dictionaries and encyclopedias
for knowledge-building.
The newspapers project happenings and events, largely of
political nature. Politics may be too dense for your child to
assimilate, and you may want to reserve your judgment on what he should
read and what he shouldn't. Often the front page news may be
unpalatable for a child, but it can be turned into an opportunity for
discussing the harsh realities of life. But if the news item seems to
be beyond the pale of the child's imagination, you may need to gloss
over it, so as not to traumatize him.
The kid's page
Luckily newspapers have many sections that appeal to children. The sports pages, comics or kid's page, and advertisements
are some such examples. Pictures of racing cars or a football match are
sure to hold his interest, a comic strip will be just up his alley and
an interactive crossword on the kid's page may actually make him feel
that newspapers are not for 'adults only'.
Information you can use
Though it may seem too soon to tell the child about identities
of people, do so nevertheless; the trick is to be one step ahead of
them. Telling the child about 'strangers' peeping out of newspapers,
identifying them as real people is a great way of introducing
professions to a child. This one is a 'politician'; someone is an
'athlete', while someone else is an 'oceanographer'. He can cut out
photographs of newsmakers or celebrities an Olympic gold medalist or
a Prime minister - and paste it in his collage book or scrap book, this
will help increase his general knowledge.
Older children can browse through the weather reports,
currency conversion data, railway and airline schedules, and movie and
theatre listings. They will learn that newspapers are forums for
'information-you-can-use' details, too. So the next time you suggest
going out for a movie, you'll find him reaching out to the newspaper to
check out the details!
Newspapers in education
If the newspaper you subscribe to has a neighbourhood
supplement, even better. The child may read about a road show or
cultural fest that he might have attended. It will be a good exercise
to compare notes on what is written in the newspaper and what he might
have seen. He may discover a few things he missed; the next time he
will observe things with a keener eye.
Many leading newspapers in India have started a
programme for initiating children into the habit of reading newspapers.
These 'newspapers in education' projects also encourage children to be
cub reporters and write about neighbourhood events in the children's
newspapers. Many book houses which publish children's books
also publish newspapers for children, which the parents can subscribe.
So when you reach out to your newspaper with the customary coffee at
the breakfast table in a daily ritual, ensure that your child gets his
daily fix, too.
Name:
Bhaskar
Country: India
Check out the GloAdventurer series. I recently started subscribing to these for my 8 year old and he loves it. Added bonus is that this is an ad free series!
Name:
Vishal Lakhanpal
Country: India
reading is a very good habit. my daughter is 4 years old and in her school it is commpulsory to tell stories and we have finshed 25 stories with her and i belive by the time she grows up she will get interest in reading and she can read newspaper
Name:
twi
Country: india
apart from all this ..sight words like'the ,this,that there, he she etc ' which should be taught to kids four plus onwards ..can be easily spotted by the kids in the newspaper .. this not only reinforces the sight wrds but also gives the kids a major kick that they can read too !! try it ..it works!
Name:
Rashi
Country: India
junaid, you can also try a children's newspaper.there are many available these days and are easier to read. i like one called robinage a lot. they have a website you can check it out
Name:
elkopra
Country: egypt
i think it is,.....
Name:
Junaid
Country: india
reading is very good habit for the children. it is little tough to read a new paper for a small. we can make him sit with us and tell him what is going on in the country or world.. it will grow his knowledge.
