We’ve all seen the stats: the 2030 Reading Panel found that 78% of South African children in Grade 3 cannot read for meaning in either English or their mother tongue. In a world ruled by internet culture in the form of TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, reading as a culture is on a downward spiral. Even the USA, the world’s most powerful nation, is no exception. Regis College reports that 34% of children are below a basic reading level in Grade 4, with American reading skills reaching “new lows.”
I am a working journalist and writer, and I’ll admit, my own reading habits are questionable as I’ve gotten older. Now imagine you are fresh out the womb, and everything you learn comes from what you see adults doing. What do you think your chances of being an avid reader in this day and age would be?
Read the way you speak
Have you ever met those toddlers who speak like they could hold their own in a business negotiation with their fast tongue? It’s incredible, and almost every time, their parent or caregiver is a big talker. Reading works the same way. The phenomenon of your kid acting exactly like you is called parent-led learning acquisition. We’ve all heard “kids do as you do, not as you say.” So if your child is not an eager reader, I hate to break it to you, but you may have to look in the mirror.
How can I get my child to read?
All my earliest memories of my mother are her reading magazines or writing. Naturally, as a kid, I would mindlessly peruse magazines too, just because she did. Before I knew it, there was more to it than the glossy images. Eventually, I was tackling novels with small text, hooked on fantastical stories that took me across the world and through different timelines.
If you want your child to read, pick up books yourself and model it. Sitting and reading in the backyard? Let them see you, by the poolside? Read a book. In bed before lights out? Have a book in hand. The younger they are, the better this works. And please – actually be reading. Sacrificing your TikTok time for a lifetime reading habit is more than worth it
Reading is also not a chore, it is a fun activity that can be seen as another side of speaking. Imagine you only made your child speak as part of homework or at school. That would be absurd, right? Same with reading, it should be a part of everyday life. It can never be a punishment, instead, it is a treat. Create wonder around books. Let them be a reward for good behaviour, a means to unwind during the day or before bed.
Isn’t school enough to teach my child to read?
I am gonna hold your hand when I say this: no teacher will ever be more powerful in a child’s life than a parent. Children are usually a direct reflection of their parents and the environment they live in. Think of people who become second or third generation in a profession, it’s not genetics, it’s exposure. It’s culture. Their parents likely fostered an environment that primed their minds to take that path. The same goes for reading. School can only do so much to establish a culture of reading in your child. A true reading culture needs to start at home as a social behaviour, and you, as the parent, are your child’s first model.
It is also worth saying that families from different socioeconomic backgrounds may also have an easier time fostering a reading culture at home than others due to history. Remember, there was a systemic effort to deprive some populations of reading and writing skills. That means your great-grandmother, grandmother and others before you were likely not modelling reading for generations. It is a fairly new practice for many households, and it is up to us to set up that generational habit. One book at a time.