Written by Ranjani Yashoda
Cubbon Reads is a huge reading community in Bengaluru. The silent reading movement in Mylapore, RA Puram and Mandaveli in Chennai continues despite having no permanent space. Dozens of people gather and read silently involved in an activity they love. Similar circles exist in other cities as well. Will this movement see the next generation?
We often hear the lament that the reading habit in children is dying slowly .What can we do to revive the reading habit? We need to start when they are young. How early is early? Bhuvana Pashupathy, a psychologist and life coach, says, "The playschool stage is ideal to introduce children to picture books. Seeing pictures their imagination processes information in its own way. Later, words take the place of pictures as they graduate to books with fewer or no pictures. This is when they paint their own meaning."
Schools where children spend a good part of their day could play a major role in developing a love for reading. Many schools have story time and who does not love listening to a story. Library hours are to be treasured too, especially when children do not have access to books otherwise. The moment we take marks and drudgery out of reading it is sure to become a joyful exercise.
If children are asked to share their views on something they had read- will it not be a confidence building exercise? Of course we need to bear in mind that children should have the freedom to choose what they want to read. It could be comics, manga, story, poetry, sports writing in the newspaper or whatever is of interest to them.
I was taken aback when a seven year old told me that death penalty for Tenali Raman for stealing from the king’s garden was not proportionate to his crime. Critical thinking at its best I thought. This was very much in line with the thought that reading builds emotional intelligence, empathy and character too.
Reading aloud , reading together ,are great reading behaviors. Setting a routine where every one at home sits together to read for even 15 minutes is a method to inculcate the reading habit — a tall order in our fast paced life with both parents having career! After all ,so often children are strongly influenced by the home environment. Ms Pashupathy adds, "By middle school, a child's personality is being set. Their brain function will be sharper, and memory better as they read."
We must realise that that reading, like sports, needs effort will bring focus that will stay life long. May folks continue their silent reading groups.
