As parents, you have the key to unlocking a world of imagination, empathy, and endless discovery for your child. In today’s digital age, where screens compete for attention, a love of reading isn’t just a nice to have, it’s essential for holistic growth.
Love of reading needs to be developed from an earlier age as it nurtures emotional resilience, cultural understanding, and lifelong curiosity.
As an International School in Bali, we are living proof how shared reading experiences transform young minds into compassionate global citizens.
Drawing from expert insights on building reading habits, read this guide to empower you with practical tips to spark that enduring love of reading in your home.
Why Love of Reading Matters in Your Child’s Development
Imagine your child eagerly flipping through pages, lost in stories that expand their horizons, that’s the magic of reading. Beyond boosting vocabulary and comprehension, regular reading enhances cognitive skills, critical thinking, and academic success.
But the benefits run deeper: It builds emotional intelligence by exposing kids to diverse perspectives, helping them develop empathy and cultural competence.
In a world full of distractions, love of reading acts as an anchor, providing peacefulness for their mental clarity and stress relief. And as for parents, this is about creating lasting bonds.
At Santosa Intercultural School, we integrate reading to introduce and blend the Indonesian and Cambridge standards, showing kids how books bridge cultures.
Creating a Home Environment That Breathes Love of Reading
Your home is the first classroom for your kids, and making it a haven for books is a simple yet powerful step in parenting.
Start by curating a literacy rich space: keep bookshelves stocked with a variety of genres: encyclopedia, fairy tales, comic books, graphic novels and even magazines, ensuring diversity in characters and stories to reflect our global world.
Design inviting reading area: a cozy and quiet corner with soft cushions, warm yet bright lighting, and a few plants can make reading feel like a treat.
Know your children’s preferences to have a better idea on the categories of the books that you need to stock.
Add some other genre to add varieties that appeal to different preferences, making reading accessible and fun.
Establish family reading time where everyone dives into their own book and leaves out the gadgets from all sights.
At Santosa Intercultural School, we encourage this through group sessions that blend stories from different cultures, helping kids see reading as a bridge to understanding others.
The benefit? It normalizes reading as part of daily life, boosting cognitive development while fostering emotional security through shared family moments.
Empowering Your Child’s Reading Preferences
Forcing our kids to read can be a backfire, but giving autonomy sparks genuine interest. Let your child choose their reads to boost their intrinsic motivation and independence.
Support their favorites by stocking series or authors they adore, and it’s okay if they re-read, it strengthens comprehension and confidence.
Visit libraries or bookstores together, making it a family outing. Or you can simply read the book together to strengthen the bond and relationship as it surely will make your child feel more comfortable during the reading sessions. This approach in love of reading not only enhances literacy but also builds self-esteem.
Make Reading Interactive and Joyful
Turn reading into play to keep it exciting! Use voices, expressions, and gestures while you read the books to your child to bring stories alive, role play scenes with props for added fun.
Ask open ended questions like “What do you think happens next?” to encourage critical thinking and creativity. Extend the magic: Have your child draw favorite scenes or write letters to characters.
This interactivity in love of reading boosts engagement, helping kids relate stories to their lives and develop empathy through diverse narratives.
Connecting Books to Real Life: Make Reading Relevant
Relate stories to your child’s world, choose books about hobbies, trips, or challenges like making friends. Discuss how characters face similar issues as it may build their empathy.
Encourage extensions: Make a journal about connections or create stories from family experiences. This relevance deepens love of reading, enriching cultural competence and emotional understanding.
Your Role in Sparking Lifelong Love of Reading
As parents, your enthusiasm shapes your child’s love of reading. By creating environments, modeling habits, and celebrating progress, you’re building not just readers, but thinkers and empathizers.
Start small, pick a book tonight and watch the magic. If you’re in Bali seeking an International School with Cambridge curriculum that champions love of reading through intercultural stories, explore Doremi Preschool and Santosa Intercultural School under the Doremi Foundation.
We are proud to enhance their literacy skills through our daily routine at all levels. This is one of our ways to broaden their point of view, just as Harry Mazer said: “Books are our windows on the world. They permit us to safely experience other lives and ways of thinking and feeling”.
Visit doremischools.sch.id to discover how we nurture this passion, grow as a group, flourish as individuals.
Professional Source from:
https://www.beanstack.com/blog/tips-for-parents-educators-to-build-a-lifelong-love-of-reading
Read more – Doremi Foundation – International School in Bali