My
relationship with Reading Rainbow goes back several years
when we signed up Advait for the program.
Advait,
who was 4 years then, had always shown an interest in
books and had been doing elementary recognition of words.
I am keenly aware of the fact that reading is a worthwhile
skill to have, but it is a skill on decline. Apart from
reading text books, children seldom engage in reading
for enjoyment. Overexposure to television, multimedia
& video games coupled with homework and out of school
assignments and projects can prove a deterrent to consistent
reading. Since Advait had already shown as inclination,
it seemed like a good idea to offer him an opportunity
to read for pleasure and cultivate a love for books in
him, at a young age.
In these past few years I have found remarkable development
in Advait in terms of understanding and interest in the
language. His reading habit is well developed now and
has a genuine fondness for books. His school teachers
say, “The only time you’ll find him quiet
is when he is with a book.” The constant innovative
methods used at Reading Rainbow keep the children excited
and always eager to attend the sessions.
For
developing a reading habit the maxim “catch them
young” is the key- and the centre has done quite
well in this regard. We need more efforts like this one
to expose children to reading early in life and develop
in them, a life long love for books.
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