One of my most cherished childhood memories was receiving a personalised storybook from my parents. It was the very popular fairytale, ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’. I was over the moon to own a book that had me and my best friends featured in it. It had vibrant illustrations of us with Snow White. I remember showing it off to all my friends and feeling like a celebrity in class! This was my first encounter with books and it definitely didn’t end there! This thoughtful gesture by my parents led me to being permanently bitten by the reading bug, officially transforming me to a bibliophile!
Since parents exert a major influence over a child’s formative years, they can manoeuvre the child into getting acquainted with the literary world from birth. It is a well known fact that voracious readers tend to give birth to voracious readers. No, there isn’t a ‘reading gene’ that a child inherits from their parents. A lot of a child’s learning takes place vicariously, by observing parents and primary caregivers. Our parents are our first role models and we try to emulate everything they do. Haven’t we all picked up the shaving set and tried shaving off our non-existent stubble? Or tried creating a make-believe kitchen with our miniature kitchen sets or played house with our playmates?
Parents can create a solid literary foundation for their child by serving as positive role models and actively engaging with children in literary activities. Along with heightened literary skills, reading has a plethora of other benefits like increased knowledge, memory, mental stimulation and concentration. These shared activities also improve the bonding between the parents and child. There are several studies that prove that parental literary skills and involvement are key indicators of a child’s literary success and lifelong achievement across various domains.
International Family Literacy Day recognised on 27th January is an initiative that underlines the key role that the family plays in a child’s learning and highlights the importance of engaging in literary activities together. All family members and children of every age group can be included in these activities irrespective of their literacy levels. Various mediums like audiobooks, plays, art, books and stories can be incorporated.
Set aside a fixed time in your child’s calendar for engaging in these shared activities. Don’t restrict reading to merely books. Extend it to pamphlets, billboards, televisions and other mediums as well, wherever you see words, encourage them to be read – and understood. Make library visits and book clubs a routine activity. Older siblings can also act as tutors to the younger siblings. Encourage dinner table discussions about books that family members have recently read. They can also engage in role-playing of several characters and situations from a book. Art and craft activities like making bookmarks and other related paraphernalia can be a fun and engaging activity for kids and adults alike. Hosting movie screenings where the movie version of a book read recently can also prove an interesting activity, have a family critique afterwards and award points for the book and for the movie.
I remember my mother giving organising dictation exercises to the whole family. These competitive activities would get me pumped and determined to win. This ‘game’ helped me ace at my spelling and vocabulary, and instil an eternal love for the language.
Initiatives like International Family Literacy Day are definitely a step in the right direction to encourage literary activities and acquaint children with the slow yet lingering pleasure of books amidst a world grappling with the cacophony of instant gratification.
ALISHA NARVEKAR
Child Development Trainee CDT