Holiday Reading Recommendations
With summer holidays around the corner, and for some already set in, the eternal question of how to keep children engaged rages in every adult’s mind.
Well, it is not a day or two, but two months,60 long days. There may be travel plans, summer camps, visits to relatives, and sleepovers with friends, but all put together will suffice only for a month.
How about setting the tone for reading? It could be any genre that the child relates to and enjoys reading. There is no need to spend on buying each of the copies. There are plenty of lending libraries still in existence. Get the child a monthly membership or a yearly one too. The fascinating experience of going to a public library will be exciting. Unlike a school library, the formalities of issuing a book are different. Also, the child makes new friends there and acquires independence and responsibility in a fun way.
There are other options, like second-hand book shops that sell used books at nominal prices. By introducing the child to this concept, you are teaching the child simple elements of responsible living and taking pride in owning and reading more than spending and showing off the cost of it.
Each child has a unique taste and fondness for a specific genre and style. Of course, that depends on the kind of exposure they have had right from childhood. Nevertheless, it is imperative to expose them to different genres of books, ranging from fiction/nonfiction to self-help. Fiction could encompass everything from mystery to adventure, romantic to emotional, sci-fi to real-world narrations, biographies, and autobiographies.
This list is only the tip of the iceberg. If you explore the world of books, you will come upon so many interesting, gripping novels, novellas, and collections of short stories that will keep you engrossed for hours on end. Schools could give reading a book as an assignment for the summer break, and when they return, it would be a fun activity to get every child to narrate their book. It will also create a ripple effect, where each child would be eager to read the other’s book to get hold of all the details.
At New Horizon Public School, it is customary for the children to read at least two storybooks and come back with it as a project, either through a PPT or illustration or a video recording of them narrating the story with voice modulation and expression. This practice serves as an icebreaker and has become an exciting way to begin a new academic year.
