• Published by Aurel Saragih  

Reading story books with children before going to bed must be fun for parents and the baby. After a lot of busyness at work, reading story books together can be a form of quality time together. However, reading stories with narration every day can make children bored. Then how do you do it so that parents and parents are not monotonous? Let's see 5 ways!

1. Choose a spot in the house that changes every 2 weeks

Reading stories to children before bed doesn't always have to be in bed, parents. We can choose another place, such as the sofa in the living room, on the children's toy trampoline, on the parent's bed, or maybe on the balcony of the house. Try to change places to read books with children every 2 weeks or as needed so that children always get a new atmosphere every time they read.

2. Read mindfully!

Sometimes when reading stories to children, we like to think about other things whether it's work or something else. Make sure that parents read the story 100% focused on what was read. Children can easily detect that parents are not mindful. So give yourself 15-30 minutes in the evening to read a story.

3. Use a different intonation in each part of the story

Read the story using a different tone. Parents can use loud, soft, thin intonation, animal sounds, or whatever attracts the child's attention. The use of these different sounds will make the child more interested in what he listens to. For example, when talking about animals like cows, use a voice as if a cow were talking to your little one. The use of this sound will help the child to visualize the part being told.

4. Ask simple questions to children

In the middle of the story, pause and ask the child simple things like “what else should he do? How about you? Do you like the characters in the story?” This simple question will also train children to be able to think creatively in answering and analyzing the stories they are listening to. If a child is suddenly asked a question, he will also feel involved in the story being read.

5. Condition the room according to the story being read

When reading fairy tales, parents can also prepare the room that will be used according to the story. For example, parents can turn off the lights a little, arrange small pillows that can make children comfortable when listening to stories, arrange animal toys that may be related to the story being read, or use a flashlight when they want to tell horror stories. Conditioning this situation will make children interested in listening to any stories that will be read every day. Children will have expectations of the atmosphere and also the stories that will be read. It's great if the child looks excited even before we start telling stories?

Reading stories to children does require more effort, parents! Interesting stories will make children naturally like reading books. Apart from the five things above, there are many other things that parents can explore independently according to their children's needs. Every child has things he likes and dislikes. Always keep spirit, parents!

References :

Bartan, M. (2020). The Use of Storytelling Methods by Teachers and Their Effects on Children's Understanding and Attention Span. Southeast Asia Early Childhood, 9(1), 75-84. https://www.readmio.com/articles/would-you-like-to-become-a-great-story-teller-for-your-child https://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/2020/07/5 -reasons-personalized-books-should-be-a-part-of-your-home-library

Written by Sarah Aurelia Saragih, S.Psi of the BehaviorPals Centre.

Storytelling, read books with children

Children 4 Years - 6 Years / 4 Tahun - 6 Tahun / Parenting / Pola Asuh / Family / Keluarga / 5 Effective Ways to Become a Storyteller for Children

Comments