Helping Your Child Embrace The Joys Of Reading Fiction

Reading is a key habit that parents often seek to instill in their children, due to its numerous benefits. Learn more about the importance of reading fiction or healthy childhood development, and some parenting tips Singaporean parents can use to encourage fiction reading from a young age.

Why is fiction important?

Research has shown that reading fiction hones numerous skills, such as concentration, memory retention, and analytical skills. As children focus on the overall plot, recall sequences of events, and the individual background and motives of characters, they are also able to utilise these skills in both learning and daily living, be it in school or elsewhere.

Reading fiction also aids in the development of a child’s vocabulary. Children will gradually gravitate to more complicated reads with more sophisticated terminology, helping them to develop their English skills while also increasing their confidence in speaking and writing. Children can also develop their social skills by learning about the backgrounds of different characters in fiction. This helps kids comprehend and relate to people, which is an important skill as they enter primary school and interact with their peers.

parenting tip reading books instead of online media

Reading as a substitute for online media usage for children, be it smartphone games or online shows, is a useful parenting tip for Singaporean parents. Children who are introduced to reading at a young age are more likely to continue doing so throughout their lives. It not only eliminates parents’ ongoing battle to find the correct parenting measures for limiting their children’s online usage, but it also encourages parents to develop their own reading habits.

Carean Oh is a professional educational consultant who also enjoys writing fiction, particularly in the field of ethnographic fiction. She holds a master’s degree in creative writing and is the founder and principal consultant of Writers Studio, an English language school dedicated to developing excellent communication and expression in pupils as early as kindergarten.

How can I encourage my child to read fiction?

Reading is a habit that takes time to develop, and parents must continue to encourage their children to read. For Singaporean parents, here are some helpful parenting tips. To begin, make reading with your child a daily habit. This can be as simple as scheduling time to read together, and for younger children, this usually entails reading aloud to them. This has the extra benefit of strengthening your relationships with your child, which fosters trust and gives a secure area for them to express their feelings as they grow older.

Another useful parenting tip is to tap into Singapore’s extensive libraries to borrow a huge variety of books for your kid. This allows your kid to explore their own interests and reading preferences, giving them ownership of their own personal growth. And best of all, it’s free! There are also ebook options that you can borrow onto your smartphone or tablet for convenient reading anytime and anywhere with your kid.

Lastly, sending your child to English courses such as those offered by Writers Studio, helmed by Carean Oh, is a fantastic method to increase their exposure to reading and its applications. Your kid will learn how to establish their own particular voice through creative writing and speech in these classes, which will go hand in hand with their reading journey and academic foundations.

Are you a parent in Singapore looking for more parenting tips to better nurture your child? Get in touch with us today to find out more.

By Carean Oh, Writers Studio.

- Carean Oh

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