Table of Contents
Four Tips Towards Engaging Reading Time
TELL them the STORY.
As a child, I was brought up in a family of eight, and I witnessed how my hardworking parents struggled to give us siblings the best of education that they could provide. Despite their hard work, they were not able to afford many books for us children. Although we may have lacked books to read, we were never short of knowledge and creativity; thanks to my mother who did an amazing job as a storyteller. She was our very own source of knowledge; our very own living and breathing encyclopedia.
Each evening, she would sit us down on our swing in our little front garden and weave a spell of tales. Her stories ranged from ancient folklore, religious stories, scientific phenomenons and even our own family history that came from as far as Burma and Afghanistan. My mother was our own personal storyteller, and a great source of knowledge. It is her stories that sparked thousands of questions in the minds and memories in the hearts of her children. Her stories became a catalyst for my thirst for knowledge, which drove me to read anything I could find.
As said by Winnie the Pooh,
We didn’t realise we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun.”
Fast forward to more recent times, thanks to Allah’s generosity, many of us are now able to afford shelves of books in our homes. We are blessed with a variety of children’s books that contain great Islamic values which we can share with our children. The question is, are we being resourceful enough for them? Are we ‘living encyclopaedias’ to them? Do we tell them the stories they need to hear? Are we the catalyst for their reading interest? Do we help spark their curiosity?
IT IS CHALLENGING
I know it’s not easy. Like every parent, I understand how reading and storytelling can be a challenging activity. Children are naturally inquisitive, however they also tend to be active, so getting them to slow down and sit still could be difficult! There are some days where they are willing to settle down peacefully for a story, however, there are also days where they argue, ask repetitive or irrelevant questions or even fight with each other. To top it off, they tend to be experts at pushing our buttons!
As parents and caretakers, it is important to note that reading and storytelling is not simply an entertainment session. These activities are important for our children’s mental and cognitive development.
Human Beings and Storytelling
Listening, reading and telling stories has been a core part of humanity for thousands of years. This is because stories have been an effective educational tool which are not just entertaining, but it is also believable and memorable.
Anthropological studies have shown that storytelling is a powerful tool used by ancient societies to teach social cooperation, sexual equality, empathy and justice.
So, what is shared book reading and how do we do it in an effective way?
A shared book reading is basically a collective reading activity involving parents or carers and their children. Here I hope to share some tips and tricks that will make shared reading the most magical and look forward to time of day for both your children and you- Insha-Allah.
Yes YOU, I mean you, the parent/ carer.
Have you ever felt half-hearted during story time with your children, wanting to quickly finish-off the task? Do you find these sessions boring and repetitive?
As adults, we are aware of the benefits of reading, especially for children. Various studies have shown that shared reading increases a child’s literacy outcome, ability to read and expand their vocabulary. However, the reality is the repetitive reading of the same book is not just exhausting, but also boring for us adults! So, the question is, how do we make something that is so boring for us adults, seem so interesting for our children?
An experimental study in 2013 showed how children’s interest for shared-reading increased when parents read the books with several targeted behaviours. This is inclusive of reading enthusiastically, being interactive as you read and asking questions related to the stories.
When reading to your child, emphasise the personality of the main characters by changing your voice and facial expressions as you switch between the child and adult characters. Whenever you come across a suitable dramatic scene, voice out the imagined sounds to help create the atmosphere.
On the days you have drummed-up some extra energy, read a few extra pages of the books chosen by your children. This will encourage discussions about the book, aside from what was written. Trust me, it’ll be enjoyable for both you and your child, as you get to see their creativity in action.
A common scene we see in movies is a sleepy child sitting next to a parent who is reading them a bedtime story. The child is quiet, and doesn’t interact with the story, simply waiting for the story to end so that they could be tucked-in for the night. This is an example of passive listening and is something we don’t want! Why? Read on.
Studies have shown that whenever parents read to their children, they would usually engage in two different types of conversations; meaning-related and print-related. Both types of conversations have been found to increase children’s language skills and vocabulary development.
- Meaning Related Conversation
The discussion is about the story, and what lessons were learnt. For example, the book Iman’s Mealtime Adventures has the theme of appreciating the food that we eat. So, asking your child how they feel about their meals, what taste and textures they have noticed, and what they had learnt from the book would result in an exploratory conversation.
2. Print-related conversation
Talk about the letters, the spelling and the sounds of the words. An example of a print-related discussion is when you and your child talk about how the word ‘sour’ rhymes with ‘hour’.
It is important to note that these discussions are only beneficial if the child plays an active role in the reading session. There must be back-and-forth communication between the storyteller and the story-listener.
ADDRESS THE THEME OF THE BOOK
To encourage conversations as well as vocabulary building, relate the theme of the book to the child’s own experiences. For example, when reading a book that talks about food or eating behaviour, we could ask the child what their favourite food is, or what they think about the food they eat, or even about their thoughts on their eating behaviours. We could even talk about their tongue and taste buds, and how it relates to food. That’s how we can practice more print-related and meaning-related interactions with our kids.
One of the best ways to encourage a meaning-related dialogue is by asking the ‘5 -W’s and 1H’ questions such as Who, Where, What, Why, When and How. You could also ask open-ended questions about the story, so that your child gets to answer in their own words or even language. I say this because this technique is not only applicable to children who are verbally responsive, as it could also be used with children who experience some forms of speech delay.
Some years ago, I was fortunate to be a part of a case study, where the reading interactions between a mother and her speech-delayed autistic child was observed. The mother was instructed to ask more questions and used more print- related and meaning-related dialogues with her child, and at the end of eight sessions, there was a significant increase in eye-contact and spontaneous verbal reactions from the child. This proves that reading with children – all children are extremely important.
Studies have shown that as a norm, mothers tend to read to their children more frequently as compared to their counterparts. It also showed that fathers with higher education levels were more likely to read regularly to their children, compared to those with lower levels of education. To add to these interesting points, it was also found that there is a difference between both maternal and paternal styles of reading.
WHAT RESEARCH HAS SHOWN
Fathers are good at print- and word-related discussions.
As their style tends to have a lot of questioning and clarifying – which helps the child actively participate in the activity. Although fathers tend to be more playful and entertain the children more, they are less skilled in navigating meaning-related conversations when compared to mothers. Fathers also showed a lesser tendency to continue with the child’s topic of conversation if it differed from the book that they were reading.
Mothers are better at expanding and elaborating conversation during reading.
Mothers are also very good at exploring meaning-related conversation during these sessions. Unlike fathers, mothers showed greater tendency to carry-on with their children’s topic of conversation even if they diverge from the theme of the book or the story.
A study was carried out where both mothers and fathers were asked to use all five modes of conversations during shared book reading (i.e., Describing-Commenting, Pointing-Labelling, Inquiring-Clarifying, Expanding-Elaborating, Repeating-Imitating). It was observed that fathers opted to use inquiring-clarifying modes more often as compared to mothers who tended to be better in using the expanding-elaborating modes.
The studies also showed that the increased use of repeating-imitating mode by fathers was linked to the elevated active language expressions in the children. Interestingly, the study also showed that fathers found it more challenging to understand what their children had said, as compared to mothers.
TWO IS BETTER THAN ONE
This is why shared reading should not be just a one-parent show. The best way to get it done is to do it together or to alternate between the parents so that the child is able to enjoy the experience of shared reading with both parents. This is critical, as each parent influences the children’s language production in a different way- hence both are essential to facilitate a balanced development.
Remember when your child used to enjoy the nursery rhymes and now, he or she just wants to read about planets and planes? Remember when the book Wonky Donkey made a toddler laugh, but now as a pre-schooler it’s just boring and they prefer other books? This is because, as they grow, children require different cognitive stimulants to support their development.
The conversation between parents and children during a reading session is heavily influenced by the child’s cognitive ability to actively participate in the process. Oftentimes, the language used in books is much more complex as compared to the language used at home. With the right reading materials, the child can develop their vocabulary and language skills – thus supporting their cognitive development
THE RIGHT BOOK FOR THE RIGHT AGE IS IMPORTANT
Children 0 to 2 years old
They prefer touchy-feely books with plenty of visual, auditory and tactile stimulations. This is because cognitively speaking, they are at the sensorimotor stage of development. These books are usually known as interactive books which can be expensive. Don’t worry, remember that parental reading styles play an important role in the child’s development. This means that all books can be interactive, if the parent remains interactive.
Pre-schoolers
They are more literal despite their strong and wild imaginations. They are unable to appreciate abstract concepts. Discussion of moral values with them would require illustrations and symbols to help them visualize the concept. For example, a parent must go beyond the text “Allah is Great” to help them understand what it means. The word ‘greatness’ is not so easily understood by children in this age group. To elaborate, try asking them about who created the sky, the moon, the trees and fruits that they eat. Let them ponder about things around them, big and small. All these are enough for children who are in their fitrah to see the greatness of their Creator.
7 to 10 years old
On the other hand, when discussing the same concept with your 7 to 10 years old, try to use more facts and logical reasoning, as this is the age when they will value such information.
So, choose the right book for the right age, and engage with them according to their cognitive stage. Don’t worry, if you are unsure of their cognitive level, let them lead the conversation and you’ll see the difference.
I hope these four magic tricks will work wonders for you and your child in your reading adventures. You may not have the ability to wave a wand and magically change into an amazing storyteller overnight. The important thing is to have fun and enjoy these sessions with your child. If you enjoy the book and share this enthusiasm, your child will reciprocate. Be present and tell the tale- and most of all, savour these precious moments with your little ones!
Farah Najwa Ahmad Faizal
Developmental Psychologist in Training
