How long has it been since you read to your children?

Today, let’s talk seriously about reading. About reading to children. Because I know that many adults have already put down their books and forgotten the fragrance of books. But after becoming parents, many people are lucky enough to pick up books again. We often say that children lead their parents upward. Good parents grow up with their children. Mostly so, because children need to read. So, parents dived into the pile of books again. This is a blessing. I passed a community center the other day. Saw a community library. A very compact, movable house with glass doors and windows. About five or six square meters. Standing there all alone. In this big city with a population of several million, there are scattered places. Like an isolated island. And just 200 meters away on the street in the community, two mahjong parlors are often doing brisk business and stay up all night, making it very lively. The owner of a dry goods and fruit shop is also too busy to have lunch. I wonder if it’s because we were once poor, hungry, or tired, or why? Food, drink and entertainment occupy the streets. And what about bookstores? Very few. Please do the math. Taking your home as the center, is there a place to study within 10 miles? Even if you open a bookstore, it must be paired with delicious food and drinks, otherwise it will have to close. Even if the bookstore is the best, the store owner will tell us: I advise you not to open a bookstore, because I don’t want to harm you. Having said so much, it seems to have nothing to do with what we want to talk about. But the reality we face is too cruel: the reading atmosphere is far from keeping up with the speed of our economic development. The need for reading is far lower than the satisfaction of material desires. I have to say it first. You must know that ideas determine a person\’s behavior. How will our next generation treat reading? How to treat books? Often it is in our hands. How long has it been since you read to your children? Please let your children come into contact with books as early as possible, touch them, smell them, and look at them. Nowadays, when it comes to children\’s reading, there is often an obstacle that must be faced – electronic devices. Too many parents say that their children like to play mobile games instead of reading books. I often feel like I have lost my soul when I play with the pad. In fact, this is an inevitable characteristic of the times. Every era has its own characteristics, and we cannot go against the trend. These infants and young children born in the 2000s and 10s are the “real digital natives”. They will use the Internet more than any other generation and spend more time on the Internet or electronic devices, which has become their way of life. Faced with this trend, it is better to block it than to clear it. Establishing rules and controlling time often have more advantages than disadvantages. However, this cannot be an excuse to stay away from reading or refuse to read. The real situation is often: some parents find this excuse to comfort themselves. Because children don\’t like reading, the big reason lies with their parents. After the child is born, everything in the world feels novel. They will be 100% influenced by their caregivers. For example, if a child is five or six months old, you can touch the bark of a big tree and let him grasp the small branches. This child knows that the bark of trees is rough and the small branches feel hard. If you had never acted like this, this feeling would not exist in the child\’s world. The same goes for reading. At an early age, children are exposed to books and feel the emotions of their parents reading to them. That feeling will be passed on to the childrenson. Make the best first impression on him. Build a bridge between children and books. You say that children don’t like reading. But what is the truth? When we start reading to our children. Many parents find that their children don\’t like to hear themselves read. Like toys or cartoons more. At this time, parents have to find their own reasons. Because I don’t think there is any child who is born not to love reading. First, check whether the book you are reading is suitable for your child’s age. Because many books are good, but they are not necessarily suitable for children’s age. For example, when he was more than 1 year old, I bought three books for my son: \”Little Black Fish\”, \”Beast Kingdom\”, and \”My Dad\”. It turned out that he had a special liking for \”Little Black Fish\” and would let me tell it three times before letting it go. I tried to tell him \”My Dad\”, but he didn\’t like it and pushed it away every time. He prefers simplicity and intuitiveness. For example, small animals and plants are more likely to attract the attention of babies. And I won’t even watch “Beast Country”. When he was more than 2 years old, he liked the book \”My Dad\” very much and giggled every time he read it. I didn’t really fall in love with “Beast Country” until I was 3 years old. Children\’s understanding and life experience are constantly accumulated. There is a long process, so we need to understand our children and read appropriate books to them. The other thing is the children’s interests. Every child has his own personality, which is often reflected in his interests. The older the child, the stronger the personality and the greater the differences in interests. Many times, parents think that their children don’t like books but like games. This is not a personality, but a preference for interests. One mother said that her child didn\’t like reading at first, and she didn\’t start exposing her to books until she was 5 years old. But every time it was very repulsive. Everyone said he was a naughty boy. Later, I recommended \”Three Naughty Bags\” to him. The little guy found the title of the book interesting, and he liked the content even more. Slowly I fell in love with reading. After that, I started reading comic books, and also liked popular science and adventure books. The child often discusses the plot of the book with his mother, and the mother is happy to see the changes in her child. Fortunately, there was no label given to the child that he did not like to read. I just watched my son\’s interest shift towards reading. At first, he liked fun hole-in-the-wall books, flip books, and pop-up books. Because these are more like toys, he is happy to accept them. Later, he became a small car fan, so he collected a lot of car books for him. When he was 3 years old, I gave him a dinosaur book, but I didn\’t expect it to be such a big deal. He got out of hand and is now half a dinosaur expert. On the road to reading, follow his interests. Instead of forcing me to do it. I will put good books on my desk for him to discover by himself. One day, he came to me as if he had discovered a treasure and said, \”Dad, tell me about this book.\” At this time, a new reading space opened up. Books for children should always be written from the child’s perspective. Only books that enter children\’s hearts can impress them. Only this kind of reading experience can make children truly fall in love with reading. Why do you read? I also asked my son, \”Why do you like reading these books?\” \”Because I think it\’s fun.\” \”It\’s good, as long as it\’s fun.\” Because I think children\’s reading cannot be mixed with utilitarian purposes. Because good books willLet the children benefit inadvertently. \”Sneaked into the night wind, moisten things silently\”. We often see comments from mothers buying books. One is \”The child likes it very much. I think he is happy reading it.\” The other is \”The book is good and the child likes it, but he can\’t learn anything and it\’s not worth reading.\” When filtering the content, of course we Pay attention. When I watch movies myself, I have to choose carefully before watching them. Because I don’t want to waste my time on a bad movie. When reading to children, of course we look forward to choosing good content. However, you cannot be obsessed with the word effect. So when someone asks me, \”My child is dawdling, hitting, and not brushing his teeth. Is there any book that can immediately solve the problem?\” The answer is no. Because reading cannot see obvious or direct effects in the short term or within a few years. But reading allows us to see positive behaviors and role models. The real implementation is inseparable from the words and deeds of parents. Some parents of older children also ask, \”Can reading help their children\’s grades improve immediately?\” The answer is also no. Because it requires a lot of reading accumulation to enable children to achieve qualitative sublimation. And how long will this last? In the short term, if you have the habit of reading in early childhood, reading will be easier in primary school. The accumulation in primary school often only shows up in senior grades. Please don\’t hit your children. Some parents will say, \”You can\’t even write an essay well, and you\’ve read so many books in vain.\” Such blows will only make children feel inferior and doubt their abilities. Let your children keep reading, and one day the most beautiful flower will bloom. Why do you read? Maybe there will be one more friend during the child\’s growth stage. Maybe there will be more strength in the battlefield of exam-oriented education. However, we should have more expectations: read for pleasure. Do you really read to your children attentively? Reading to children is not a job like playing a music player. It is an intimate blend between parent and child. Your thoughts and feelings are conveyed to your children through your speech speed, facial expressions, etc. As for the children, they will also frown and think, laugh heartily, or ask questions. This kind of reading is actually a good companion. It is also a kind of learning. A studious child always has a strong thirst for knowledge and curiosity. And this need of mine is satisfied when parents read to themselves. Reading to children is not a job, but should become a habit. Don’t wait for your child to come to you one day with a book to tell a story. But you wave your hand and say, \”Busy, busy, busy!\” or pretend to be helpless and say, \”Next time, next time.\” Because your child\’s growth will not let you do it again. There is also a sensitive period for reading, just like the flowering period. If you don’t appreciate picking, you’re missing out. How long has it been since you read to your children?