Kids who watch videos, no matter how interesting, are more likely to turn into couch potatoes than good readers. Reading habits is on decline among children as well. Various multimedia games have drowned the shuffle of the pages. Reading is what grows active readers; television grows spectators.

But why blame on the kids for all this wean-off-from-reading culture? It is the parents, who are responsible for this,' I think that television and videos are an excuse for parents who have no time for their children. Seating children in front of a picture tube that tells “Goldilocks and the three bears” is a very poor substitute for hearing that story (told with expressions and voice changes) by a parent, especially while sitting in the parents’ lap.

Here are tips for growing children who enjoy reading.


  • Talk with your children as they play and as you do chores or go shopping. Ask the questions and teach them new words.
  • Story telling is one of the easiest activities to promote reading habit. Read with your children every day. Ask them about the story and ask questions like which character they liked the most, disliked and why.
  • Let them see you reading and enjoying what you read.
  • Start with picture book and build to story books and novels.
  • If you have older children in your home, encourage them to read to your younger children.
  • Library is the best and nearest place to pick up reading habits. Get each child a library card and go library regularly.
  • Find children books, magazines and pictures with interest of children.
  • Read things you see during the day whether it is in home, grocery store or vehicles and traffic rules.
  • Plan mini walks and trips in your town to generate new experiences to talk about and new words.
  • Tell the children about your childhood which type of stories or poetry you liked. Children love it when you tell all these things.
  • Always spend some time with your kids. Sing together as you ride in car, take a walk, or do chores. Rhymes make children more aware of word sounds.
  • Let your children play dress up and act out stories. Its creative, its fun, and it help them practice new words and language skills.