As the world continues to face the wrath of this ghastly pandemic, families are now more than ever spending more time together than usual. Having children around months at a time glued to the tv,playing video games or on social media and having no one but yourself to keep their brains active and in tune seems rather stressful and with a number of activities you could try getting your child into, one becomes overwhelmed . The first thing I believe we should do for our children during this period is to get them actively reading books. A book a week will not only help your child improve their literary skills but is also said to improve memory and critical thinking. Where do you start when you have decided to take the brave step developing in your child a reading culture?

The first step is determined by the childs age. The age of your child will determine the material you will purchase. You can’t purchase an advanced physics text book for your class five daughter and expect her to read it cover to cover. The psychology of a child determines what books you will be picking. Are they five year olds and have a keen interest in insects? Then look for books on insects that fit your childs age bracket. Your child`s age and interests will greatly determine their attitude towards the books you pick and bring home.

Apart from the age of your child, look at the language in the text, is it suitable and appropriate for your child? Choosing a book with a lot of “big words” is a sure way of making your child lose interest in a book. The child within minutes of starting to read will quickly lose interest more so if the book is not in line with their current fascinations. What a child finds appealing is the key to which books you will be looking for, this is due to the fact that human beings tend to indulge in things that interest them, so picking a book that’s even remotely similar with what your child fancies raises the chances of them reading the book willingly.

Finally,the graphic presentation of the book or cover must be eye catching. The saying don’t judge a book by its cover is not relevant in this case. The cover is one of the key elements to what will attract your child to this particular reading material, more so if your child is between the ages of 5 and 12. Children wouldn’t want to read a book with a plain dull cover, they would want something with a cover that’s pleasing to look at, eye candy so to speak. Pick a book with a cover that you know will leave your child jumping impatiently for you to hand it to them, something that will at first glance make them really excited.