Cultivate a love of reading

The simple act of letting your little one hold a book, even upside down, and clumsily leaf through it will eventually allow them to develop a curiosity for words, images, language, and all the imagination that surrounds this educational and playful activity.

Reading is everywhere in our environment: at school, later at work, on the road, in restaurants, on television, and now increasingly in parks and everywhere else!

I constantly repeat how invaluable reading is as a learning tool and that it is therefore essential to include it as often as possible in children's daily lives. So I thought I'd give you some tips for developing a positive relationship between your children and reading.

If you place importance on reading itself, then you should maintain the same discourse regarding the arrangement of your reading area. To initiate a good first contact with books, it is advantageous to create a comfortable, pleasant, and peaceful environment, where relaxation and concentration can be achieved. Create a relaxation area by placing cushions on the floor, hang a chair from the ceiling, install a rocking chair in the solarium or a mattress in the basement, add a comforting scent, good task lighting to facilitate reading, and you're all set! Prioritize a room away from the hustle and bustle of the kitchen and common areas of the house so that the whole family can retreat to a little haven of peace when the interest arises.

Encourage without obligation. Make room for reading in your daily routine and that of your child. If it's not on the schedule, it's usually the first activity to "fall by the wayside" when we're short on time, whereas it should remain on the schedule unless it's a case of force majeure. Don't put pressure on your child if they don't feel like reading one evening this week; you'll only create a negative association. They'll read out of constraint, not desire.

Do not discriminate based on the type of book chosen. A novel is just as educational as a comic book or a fashion magazine. The important thing is to develop a taste for punctuation, for the mental images that reading provides, and a desire to learn.

Of course, it must be understood that it is necessary to pre-select books (and magazines) that match the child's reading abilities. If the reading materials available to them have a vocabulary that is too advanced, you will not be any further ahead, and the child will certainly tend to become discouraged by their difficulty in reading words correctly and understanding the meaning of what is described. For toddlers, I encourage you to favor books with pictures to maintain their attention and wonder for the drawings and colors they contain. You can also prioritize books with themes that are part of their interests. Also (and most importantly) make sure to leave books within the child's reach.

Do you feel boredom and loss of motivation after a few weeks of practice? Don't hesitate to rotate the available books (don't put all the books at the child's disposal at the same time) and visit your local library to check out new books and participate in story times or first readings with your older children.

Happy reading!

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