How can we cultivate a culture of reading?
It is said that the best way to develop any habit is to get involved in the process from the beginning. Thus, according to this logic, the best way to cultivate the culture of reading and further develop a love for it is to start reading or to make someone else start reading during childhood. Creating the habit of reading in your kids is a guaranteed way to ensure they’ll be readers when they grow up, and it will increase their success in life as well. Reading them as little as two pages a day before they go to bed as bedtime stories or giving them options for audio or digital books can unquestionably develop their interest in reading and propel them to success.
While it is easier to develop habits as a child, a reading habit can also be cultivated in older people. With proper guidance, developing interests, and a little extra effort, reading culture can be cultivated in young adults or teenagers too. There are even times, or rather people, who have developed or fostered their love for reading in the middle or old age as they then find peace and tranquillity in the pages of a book.
Some of the ways by which the culture of reading can be cultivated are to:
Always carry a book - Wherever you go, take a book with you.
Make a list - Keep a list of all the great books you want to read.
Reduce your usage of the television or the internet – This applies to all age groups. Try cutting back on TV or Internet consumption.
Read to your kid - If you have children, you must read to them regularly.
Have a library day – Going or taking your kids to the library will certainly help inoculate the love of reading in yourself as well as your kids. No one can detest a library.
Read fun and compelling books - Find books that enthrall you and keep you going. Even if they are not literary masterpieces, they should engage you and push you to read— which is the goal here.
Make it pleasurable - Make your reading time your favorite time of day. Have some delectable tea, coffee, or a different treat while you read. Get into a comfortable chair with a cozy blanket.
Have a reading hour or reading day - If you turn off the TV or the Internet in the evening, you could have a set hour (perhaps just after dinner) when you and maybe all the members of your family read each night. You could also schedule a reading day when you (and again, your family members if you can get them to join you) read for practically the whole day. It’s extremely fun.
The best strategy to help develop one’s love of reading is to find various interesting, intriguing, and gripping books so that the reader is too hooked to get distracted. Books with captivating stories keep the reader curious as to what happens next, enabling and driving the reader to finish the book. It also persuades them to find more of such books. When I was younger and starting to develop my reading habit, I started with reading Geronimo Stilton. Through the renowned tale, I became curious as to how a mouse can have such amazing adventures. Following suit was the series of Jo Nesbo’s Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder which got me wondering how even the worst and the most disgusting experiments can help save the world. What have you read recently, and what questions have been raised in your mind? It can be deep and meaningful, or something lighter and strange. For me, it's whether or not there really is a thing called Fart Powder.
Citations:
Lifehacks.org. (2020). Retrieved November 14, 2020, from http://www.lifehacks.org/articles/featured/14-ways-to-cultivate-a-lifetime-reading-habit.html
