Opening the cover of a book can unlock a world of adventures, imagination and rich language for your child. When you make reading together a joyful habit, you help them build strong vocabulary, develop speech and create meaningful time with you. Just 10-15 minutes of reading each day is enough to spark interest and curiosity. Here’s how you can help your child fall for books—step by step. 1. Begin from day one Even as a newborn, your baby is absorbing the sounds, rhythms and meaning of language. When you read aloud, point out pictures, talk about sounds, change your tone of voice, make it fun. They’re not yet reading words—but they are learning to love the experience. The earlier reading becomes part of your interaction, the stronger the foundation. 2. Show by example Children are great imitators. If they see you enjoying books, turning pages, getting lost in a story, they’ll begin to understand reading is fun—not just a school task. Making visits to the l...
Opening the cover of a book can unlock a world of adventures, imagination and rich language for your child. When you make reading together a joyful habit, you help them build strong vocabulary, develop speech and create meaningful time with you. Just 10-15 minutes of reading each day is enough to spark interest and curiosity.
Here’s how you can help your child fall for books—step by step.
1. Begin from day one
Even as a newborn, your baby is absorbing the sounds, rhythms and meaning of language. When you read aloud, point out pictures, talk about sounds, change your tone of voice, make it fun. They’re not yet reading words—but they are learning to love the experience. The earlier reading becomes part of your interaction, the stronger the foundation.
2. Show by example
Children are great imitators. If they see you enjoying books, turning pages, getting lost in a story, they’ll begin to understand reading is fun—not just a school task. Making visits to the library or local bookshop can turn this into a shared adventure of discovery.
3. Swap roles – take turns reading
As your child grows, invite them to join in. Point out letters or words they recognise. Share sentences. Eventually read pages or chapters together. Ask questions like: “What do you think will happen next?” or “Why did that character do that?” This builds confidence and helps them actively engage with the story.
4. Tune into their interests
If your child is drawn to dinosaurs, outer space, animals, princesses—or even comics—use that as your starting point. Books don’t have to be classics right away. What matters is the child feels drawn to it, excited about it. Comics and graphic novels count too—they’re still reading! Don’t push, just encourage.
5. Make reading a daily ritual
When reading becomes part of the daily rhythm—before bed, on a commute, in a quiet corner—books stop being extra and become normal. Limit distractions like phones or TV and carve out that book-time together. At home, having a small collection of children’s books, even if modest, helps.
If you have access to a library or story-time programmes, take advantage—they reinforce that reading is fun and social.
6. Watch their reading journey unfold
Every child develops at their own pace, but you might observe milestones such as:
Birth to ~18 months: Looks at books, turns pages, hears you read, imitates speech.
18 months to 3 years: By age 2 they may say 250-350 words; by 3 years around 800-1,000. They enjoy familiar books, can repeat favourite phrases.
3 to 5 years: Begins recognising letters, holds a book correctly, turns pages, identifies rhyming words, engages in sentences.
Remember: your goal isn’t pushing for perfect reading now—it’s sparking enthusiasm and curiosity. If you build the love of reading early, the skills will follow.
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