Want your Child to Love Books? Share your Reading Story.

Want your Child to Love Books? Share your Reading Story.

Was there someone special in your life that helped you become the person you are? And did they encourage you to read? What caused you to be the reader you are? This is your reading story, and it’s more important than you may think.


I talk to a lot of worried parents today. They tell me how worried they are about their children and I understand them. Maybe you’ve felt the same way?


-sad as your child doesn’t read a lot

-worried they’re wasting their time playing games on their mobile instead of learning about the world, improving their literacy and preparing for their adult life


You’d love to show the world to them through books and at the same time to create a family bond and be a role model for them in their reading habits. But you wonder what you can do. 


Nowadays technologies invade our life more and more. Although we can benefit a lot from them, they still bring overwhelm and distraction, taking away our ability to concentrate. They especially affect children. Suddenly, kids don’t want to spend time with books, as they have less visual stimulation and excitement. But did you know that you, the parent, have a bigger role than you may think in helping your child be a reader and lifelong learner? And it starts with being yourself and sharing your reading story. I know you can do this.


I'd like to share the story of my own childhood and how I fell in love with reading. I think it will inspire you to think about how you came to enjoy reading. And hopefully show you that there is someone extremely important who can make a big difference in your child's love of reading. Can you guess who it can be? Of course, it is you. I hope that the story about my childhood will inspire you.


My own childhood reading story.


We all have a reading story from our childhoods — and it shapes the way we read forever. What’s yours?


In my childhood we didn’t have such multifunctional smartphones as nowadays. They didn’t distract so much or overwhelm, and parents didn’t have to get their children away from their screens and into books. 


It was those Soviet times, when everybody had big collections of books. We also had long bookshelves and put the books by the same author together in the long rows. We had little statues in front of the books, and it was cute. We cherished books. 


When I think back to my childhood, I realise there was one person who played a big role in how much I love reading: my mum. 


What was my mum’s reading childhood like?


My mother has loved reading since her childhood, that’s why she collected a big library at our home. She would tell her funny stories about what she had to overcome to read in her childhood. Actually, my mum never realized that those stories were playing an important role. Firstly, it was a great example of a passionate reading habit. You know when someone speaks passionately about their hobbies, it will definitely spark your interest or motivate you to start looking for your own passion. Secondly, her stories brought us closer, creating a beautiful friendship between a mother and a daughter. 


She loved reading so much that she had to hide in the attic from her parents. Once she even locked herself inside the car, until she finished reading the book. Her parents always wanted her to do a lot of chores around the house, that’s why she had to use different tricks. Imagining those stories made me love that little girl. It created some kind of friendship between me and that brave little girl my mother was in the past. Yes, brave, as her parents were strict. I wanted to support her and be her partner in “crime”. Those stories definitely created a special bond between us. 


However, my mother’s parents weren’t completely against reading. Her dad used to read aloud to her and her brother, even though he had only 4 years of school education. The book he would read aloud was “Robinson Crusoe Island” by Arkady Fiedler. They didn’t have many books at home. So my mum used to borrow books from her friend. She would tell me that her friend stored books inside of a big leather sofa. Her friend would lift it up and wait until my mum chose a book.


As a schoolgirl my mum read all books on her programme and maybe even more. She was proud she read all 4 parts of “War and Peace”, while other children would usually skip the passages about the war and read only the rest. I was holding the 4 parts of this Russian classics in my hands when my mum was telling me how she loved all the characters, Natasha and Andrey’s love story and even the historical part. After her comments I felt more willing to read those huge books which were on my school curriculum at that moment. I took the first volume and started to read it. 


As a parent, are you surprised to know that your love for books and stories is something you can pass down to your children  just by sharing your own reading story? And your reading story doesn't have to look like mine — it won't. It just has to be something you share with your children.


At every step, my mum gave reading a precious place in our lives. 


Apart from my mum’s reading stories, which meant a lot to me, there was another time bringing us closer and making us happy. Just the two of us. I felt happy not only for spending more time with my mum alone and knowing her better through books, but also for getting her advice and help. 


She helped me a lot to write school essays. We would discuss the books I needed to write about and then would write my essay. We were usually sitting in the kitchen when my mum came back from work. She would tell me her impressions on the book, what she liked and didn’t like. While she was having her dinner, I would make notes. 


Honestly, I was stuck with writing essays. Teachers didn’t give us clear instructions, and unlike in English there wasn’t a certain structure. That’s why, my mum’s ideas were very helpful. Then I would go to my room and make a draft and show her again. After she revised it and I would write it in my school notebook, I felt so relieved. At some point I started to write the first draft on my own. Then I would show it to her and we would discuss the ideas. 


How might it feel to you that your child would consider time spent on reading books or discussing books precious and valuable because it created a deeper precious connection between you? Especially nowadays, when we are always in a hurry, running somewhere. If we include a reading activity in our every day routine, whether it’s reading together, writing an essay or simply discussing books, children will notice how we appreciate books and reading. They will understand that we give this our priority and that it’s important. 


Parents have such power to show their children what is truly important even without putting it into words.


Although, I don’t come from a wealthy family, my mum would never refuse to buy me a book. I feel very grateful for that. Sometimes there were new books on sale in the school library. It was exciting to take a new book in your hands, open it and feel its special smell. I was glad that I had money to buy one that I liked and bring it home without having to take it back to the library. My mum never told me “go to read” as many parents do, but being surrounded by books and people who love reading it came naturally to me. I knew from watching the way my family acted about reading that it was something precious. 


What’s your reading story? How can you show your child how important reading is to you?


Knowing and sharing your reading story is important to helping your child develop a passion for reading. It’s something only you can do. But it’s actually quite easy to get started. What did you like to read in your childhood? Tell your child about your favourite fairy tales or some books that you enjoyed in your teens.


Perhaps, you got into reading in adult life and are especially keen on mystery stories or historical novels. The genre or theme isn’t important, your passion is. 


I’d love to know your reading story, please share it in the comments below. It’s even more important for you to share it with your child. 


Do you want to share your love of reading with your child and open the world to them through books?


Join my newsletter to get my news on Nina and Eve’s Series for adventurous young readers and invitations to live meetups. 

1 Comment
Joanna
Posted on  13/08/2021 12:16 It's fascinating how your family has influenced your reading habits! Thanks for an important reminder that, as parents, we have more power in creating our kids' habits than we think!
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It's a reading and creative writing adventure programme for children (8-12 years), who love animals, travelling, reading, creative projects, would like to find new friends from all over the world and write their own adventure story.


Email: irinaskibenko@gmail.com


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