Most world psychologists agree that the relationship of a child with the book begins in the age of three, presumably the parents should provide an opportunity for the children to create an intimate personal relationship with the book and strengthening their bonds with the book in order to create an intellectual fortune and to give them the chance to build their distinguished personalities. However, their ignorance of the depth of that relationship is one of the most important reasons behind failing to establish this linguistic connection which will enrich their lives more than anything else.
Let us explain the necessity of training a child to read a book as if it is a toy. It is important to incite the gift of reading at children and using this available chance for their own interests along with stressing the importance of reading in their lives on the long run.
Since reading is the key for knowledge and the basis of rearing and education, studies have shown that about 70% of the information that a person learns returns back to him by search, questioning, listening and knowledge, in addition to other various life situations.
Mr. Ashraf Al Gharib is an educational system specialist who believes that reading in general is a habit that we acquire everyday like eating, drinking, offering Salah, speaking, and others, and there are several strategies that should be followed with children since the age of two; of the most important are:
- Making a child feel the importance of reading by putting books all over the house, thereby the environment shall contribute in forming its conscious of the importance of the book and acquiring this habit.
- Try to buy books for the children and make a small library for them or a shelf of books like their toys, so it is necessary to take care of feeding their minds like our interest of their food, drink, and clothes.
- Take them to the library and book fairs to encourage them choose the books which suit them taking into account diversification and attractive colors to accept them more and their relationships of the book increases effectively.
- Instill the love of reading gradually in children taking into account their wishes and needs of books which are suitable for their chronological age and mental development.
- Focus on teaching them the Glorious Qur’an as soon as their mental consciousness completes with the intention of establishing the pillars of faith and sound creed in them.
“70% of the information a person receives comes through reading“
The mother should realize that she plays an important role in establishing this relationship between children and the book through providing the suitable books and realizing the importance of narrating stories to them. The studies of (Jacqueline Gross and Limonard Grosa) have shown that:
A child must be trained for the written words and providing the toys and tools that easily form words like cubes and posters, in addition to directing children to both correct and useful reading.
The role of reading in forming the child’s personality:
There is no doubt that reading plays a prominent role in influencing the child’s personality, where the American researcher Bernice Klinan proved that reading is working on:
- Increasing the spaciousness of the child’s world.
- Developing its independence.
- Establishing the habit of reading throughout its life.
- Developing its linguistic vocabulary.
- Increasing the ability of understanding others and expressing better.
- Increasing the emotional intimacy between family members.
It is strange that a child has an open channel that is vulnerable to the information it receives from books and authors. So, a child emerges from this corner in which he was raised to a wide world, especially if the parents guide a child to what is beneficial. Then the child leaves the closed box of its parents to a wider world that is full of thoughts, experiences, stories, and cultures for different worlds, responding to them through its senses.
One of the scholars said: (It is difficult to defeat a reading person).
