The ABC of turning digital devotees into readers

In a world dominated by digital media and instant gratification, cultivating a love of reading within your children is more challenging than ever. That’s why parents need to get creative, and actively expose their children to literature, experts say.

“If you imagine that tablets and phones are a bit like slot machines, where gratification can be that quick and that easy, then unless you love literature, why would you read?” Posing this question, Tiffany Markman, an award-winning copywriter, speaker, and trainer, identifies three different types of child readers.

There are those who love to read from a very young age; those who would read if they didn’t have the “slot machine” to play on; and those who simply hate reading whether it be because of learning difficulties, a preference for outdoor play, or any other reason, she says. Those who inherently love reading usually grow up among parents, siblings, or caregivers who love reading too. Most children fall into the other two categories, and extraordinary measures are needed to encourage them to start a new chapter.

First, says Markman, we need to give our children the chance to be bored. With the proliferation of technology, kids – and adults – today are never bored. Yet, those of us who grew up before the advent of cellphones had limited options when boredom did strike. “Many of us got into reading out of sheer desperation,” Markman says.

“Boredom is the biggest gift you can give a formative mind,” she continues. “If a child is never given the opportunity to be bored, they will never use their brain properly.” Even for adults, boredom is the perfect tool to evoke creative thinking – when one sits in silence, the answer to a problem eventually emerges.”

That’s why to encourage our kids to read, we need to under-schedule them. “If your kid is getting home at seven o’clock every night, you’re not going to make a reader out of that kid.”

What’s more, Markman says, we need to restrict their technology access. That’s not to say that they can’t ever use technology, that it doesn’t have value or that it isn’t something we turn to as multitasking parents who need to occupy their children, it’s simply about creating boundaries. In the time they now have, encourage them to read a book.

“The kids who hate reading, or find it stressful, are obviously the hardest ones to reach,” says Markman. Yet, there are some hacks that one can use. She suggests turning on subtitles on streamers and video content. “It’s the most unbelievable way to demystify words and to create phonemic awareness,” she says.

Audiobooks are also a great way to get a non-reading kid into books. “Start with the audiobook of a very simple, mainstream book that they like whether it be The Wizard of Oz or the Harry Potter series,” she suggests. “Many experts say that if you give a kid who doesn’t like reading the audiobook and the book, they will follow along because they can hear the words pronounced confidently, fluently, and properly.” And so, you easily transition them onto books and allow them to watch the movie versions once they’ve finished reading. Even if audiobooks remain the staple, they still develop literacy, broaden vocabulary and ignite imagination.

Graphic novels are also a great way to attract more visual kids and get them to consume lots of text, Markman says. “The dialogue and action in a graphic novel is very fast paced, so it feels a little bit like YouTube, appealing to that ‘slot machine’ mindset.”

When your children are learning to read, drop everything and listen to them, she suggests. Children realise that it can be hard to get your attention when you’re distracted with work and other responsibilities. “But once they see that as soon as they pick up a book, you will listen, you’re motivating them by spending quality time together.”

Bedtime stories are also a great way to instil a love of reading and to bond with your children, who at any age should be encouraged to choose a story. As they get older, being allowed to stay up later than younger siblings to read is also an effective motivator.

Instilling a love of reading early on also involves bringing stories to life. This is what drama therapist Tammy Gordon-Roberts does through her business, Story Café, a children’s bookstore that offers arts-based workshops that actively explore a diverse range of stories and themes. “We develop a real love for stories by reading the story, and then engaging in a fully facilitated art-space process, whether it be through mixed arts, drama, dance, movement, or music,” she says. “We use art to explore the themes of the story and to create dialogue and understand meaning.”

Through developing a love and understanding of the meaning of a text, a very different kind of appreciation and love for books and literature begins to develop, says Gordon-Roberts. In this way, she says, Story Café also helps children to develop emotional, creative, and cultural literacy – some of the vital levels of understanding and empathy that come through engaging with stories.

Gordon-Roberts suggests encouraging your child to tell their own stories. “Narrating all the time, even by talking about what happened during the day, is all part of developing literacy,” she says.

Pam Goldberg, a qualified foundation-phase teacher with Learners with Special Education Needs training, also advocates daily reading. “Read your kids interesting, enthralling books and then let them start to read by themselves,” she says.

She suggests reading your child a book and leaving it at the most exciting place to encourage them to read themselves. “Children that read are a step ahead,” Goldberg says. “They have increased confidence and are empowered to go further in their academic journeys.”

It’s all about finding what works for your child, Markman says. “Don’t try and fit the child into the reading experience, craft a reading experience that fits the child.”