Child Reading Newspaper
One way to encourage children to read is to show them how their reading skill can help them in their life. Show them when, where and how reading can benefit them. Don’t isolate reading to flash cards, worksheets and books. Rather apply their reading to real life events. Here are some ideas:

  1. Reading at the Supermarket.
    Next time you go grocery shopping, give them a list of words to find. To make it more interesting, put those words into a bingo card. It could be words from product labels, aisle banners, special notices, brand names etc…. Another alternative is to have them make an A-Z list of words in a supermarket. If they see a word or thing that starts with A, they either write it down or just put an “X” next to the letter “A”.
  2. Read the Newspaper or Magazines together.
    Read to your children interesting news from the newspaper or magazines. Cut out words from the pages to form their own sentences. Or give them a list of words and have them do a word search. Maybe you found a wonderful recipe in a magazine, try it out together. Check out the t.v. guide and decide if there is anything worth watching. Laugh at the cartoons. Cheer on your sports team.
  3. Read the Bills.
    Show them what the water bill, electric bill, telephone bill etc… looks like. What kind of information is given. See if they can find the amount you are suppose to pay. Talk about the different ways you can pay e.g. write a check, online bank transfer, cash.
  4. Read Signboards.
    When travelling on the road, read out loud the signboards. My daughter likes to play a certain game with me. She will see a certain word on the signboard then she’ll give me the abbreviation and ask me to guess what it is. For example, she’ll ask “what does K.S. stand for?” Kuala Selangor. Or “what is S.A?” Shah Alam.

Show your children how reading is a living skill. Teach them the practical side of reading. Take reading outside of the classroom.