All education experts agree on the importance of instilling reading in a child's behaviors till it becomes a constant tradition and hobby he/she performs and enjoys. The scientific researches have proved that there is a close correlation between the ability of reading and the school advancement.
The significance of reading has been stressed and highlighted by the sayings of many great scholars, scientists and men of letter:
- A person who loves reading is undefeatable.
- My free reading learnt me more than I have been taught by the school.
- One of the reasons for my success is that I have been taught how to "catch" a book from its heart.
- One of the genius scientists was once asked," Why do you read so much?". "Life only is insufficient to me", he replied.

Reading, therefore, is highly significant, particularly it nourishes a child's life, providing him/her with a wider practical experiences, opening the doors of culture and knowledge before him, entertaining him, giving a better linguistic sense, and, finally, promoting his reading and writing skills. Further, reading makes a child more imaginative, far-sighted, developing the talent of common sense and the ability of comprehension. Through the practice of reading, a child can build his own personality, acquiring the ability to solve all problems he/ she may face in life.

Instilling the practice of reading in a child's behaviors begins at home which should instill this practice in a child' life. If you teach your child how to love reading, you will grant him/her a valuable gift that enriching his/her life. But how can you do that? How can one do that especially in an age full of the interesting entertainments and fascinating games attracting a child for long hours a day?

To avoid this phenomenon, it is noteworthy that it is highly significant to encourage your child to love reading. This can be achieved by many ways. Take, for example, the following:

1. Providing the good model and environment:
If your house has a library, small or big, full of interesting magazines and books, and if the whole family, especially the father, practices and loves reading, a child will love reading and the world of books. On seeing the father or mother reading and dealing with the books, a child will imitate him/her, trying to hold a book- it works.

One must be careful that a child deprived from attending a school; we should ask ourselves: Does this child need a book after attending a school? Experts of education and reading psychology see that it is so important to train a child who does not attend any school to hold and read a book. Also, it is necessary to provide a child with special books taking the shape of toys and full of illustrations and drawings.
2. Making the books and magazines available to a child:
There are many libraries and publications houses that pay a great attention to a child, publishing what he/she may need in books, stories and magazines. This happens generally in the developed countries and societies. In the developing countries, the child literature is still uncommon, yet it is promising. Needless to say that the books, magazines and stories targeting the children are created in accordance with special criterion, like:
� Bearing the moral educational content compatible with the child' s environment.
� Suitable with a child' s timing and mental age.
� Addressing a child's needs of reading.
� Of creative direction, proper colors, fascinating pictures and big fonts.

Some publishing houses innovates new styles of books whose letters and words are embossed, taking the shape of toys and making sounds once they are opened. All these innovative ways of book publishing can help a child to be attracted to the world of reading.


3. Encouraging a child to set up a personal small library:
This library should contain the colorful books, the catchy stories and the interesting magazines. Do not forget to take him with you to the bookstores for buying and selecting what he/she loves. The father's role here is consultative; do not force him to buy certain books or magazines.

All this makes a child live in reading environment, feeling the importance of reading and books, thus he/she develops effectively a close and permanent relationship with books.

4. Gradual Reading
To instill the practice of reading, you should do this gradually. Start with an illustrated book starting with an illustration and a word, then a book of two words in the first page then a book of an illustration and a line, etc.



5. Considering the child�s desires of reading
Being considerate to the child�s desires and needs of reading is one of the important factors encouraging a child to love books and reading. For instance, a child may love the fantasy stories of animals. Later, he/she may tend to the fantasies, adventures and epics. You should participate in addressing your child�s desires and needs of reading without forcing him to anything out of his interest.


6. Good Place for Reading at home
Specify a special good place for reading at home, with an adequate light and full comfort, to tempt your child for reading and be accustomed to it. Some parents attracts their children to the habit of reading by setting them on a swinging chair on reading.




7. Schedule the reading times for your child
On specifying certain times for reading the interesting and catchy stories, if a child masters the reading skill or not, the parents will by this method instill on of the best ways of encouraging a child to the habit of reading. For example, read for your child any book or story, even it is superficial or repeated. Be patient so that your child can enjoy the reading. Take into consideration that your way of reading should be informative, meaningful and funny, using different voices and sound pitches on narrating the interesting stories. Discuss what you read with your child, asking questions and making a simple dialogue with him/ her. Do this twice, at least, weekly. You can read a story to a group of children who can act its characters and events. The acoustic sessions of reading make children feel the funny side in the stories, grasp the different languages and styles of books.


8. Making Use of the Opportunities and Occasions
The parents should understand that using the different occasions and opportunities is one of the most important ways of instilling the habit of reading in a child. A family experiences many occasions and opportunities. For promoting the habit of reading in a child' behavior, try to make use, for example, some of the following occasions:

* Making use of the festivals through providing a child with some books and stories related to these festivals. Specifically speaking, do that when your child succeeds in his/ her studying.

* Making use the religious occasions, like Hajj, fasting, Eid Al-Adah, and the like, in providing a child with the interesting stories related to theses occasions.


* Making use of the opportunities like the picnics, journeys and visits, like visiting the zoo and relating stories about the world of animals. Discuss what you read with the child, asking him/her about the animals he/she may like and why. There are other occasions you can employ in this regard, like the sickness and the tooth pains.

* Making use of vacancies and travels: A child should not stop reading, even during the vacancies and the travels as we are trying to instill reading as a permanent habit in a child. We can make him / her love reading more and more during such special occasions. On traveling to Makkah, Madinah or any other city, a father can employ this occasion in buying some easy booklets and interesting stories about the destination of the travel. Read with a loud voice to your child about the city. The voice reading is funny for the children, supporting their emotional ties with the members of the family. Once day, these readings will be a lovely part of their memories.