Getting your children to read can be difficult. It’s tough for books to compete with phones and tablets that offer entertainment options that are so readily available. Even adults can fall into the trap of spending too much time in front of a screen, let alone children. Therefore, you must teach your kids to enjoy reading and see its benefits while they’re still young. You won’t do this by encouraging them to read difficult things from the beginning, even if you believe they promote intelligence, creativity development and better language skills.
What you might achieve is the exact opposite and put your children off reading forever. However, given the vast importance books have on everyday life, allowing the mind to expand, learn new things, and develop the skills to think and come up with new ideas, you cannot simply give up. Enter picture books, the ideal solution for getting your children to like reading and perhaps even make it into one of their hobbies.
The Snowman
Although books are instantly associated with reading, there are wordless picture books out there that only tell stories through images. Books solely focused on the visual medium have children who cannot yet read as their target audience. However, that doesn’t mean they have no benefit. They inspire children to be creative and fill in the gaps in the tale. It also creates the habit of grabbing a book and going through it.
“The Snowman” is such a book, first published by English author Raymond Briggs in 1978. The story follows a boy who builds a snowman that comes alive at midnight. The two become friends instantly, playing together and even preparing and eating a feast together. A thirty-minute-long animated film was also released in 1982, but it’s important that the children go through the book first.
Miffy
Also known as “nijntje,” a shortening for the Dutch diminutive “little rabbit,” Miffy was first introduced in 1955 by Dick Bruna, an author, illustrator and graphic designer. She has been synonymous with childhood for many generations, with children seeing her as a secure, consistent figure. There are almost thirty books of Miffy out there, so your child might discover their new favorite character by going on adventures with Miffy.
Miffy is also highly relatable for many children since the things she enjoys the most are drawing and playing with her friends. That encourages children, especially preschoolers, to be confident in their creativity and develop emotional intelligence by creating bonds with others. If you want an interactive experience for the whole family, head to https://miffytown.com/. You can visit Miffy Town with your children, but they can also bring friends and classmates along.
Kids can play together by building and drawing, and they’ll also learn about Miffy and her history in a way that’s appropriate and easy to understand for their age group. And, of course, if you want to take home a memento of your trip, the shop offers a wide selection of clothing items, bags, coloring cards, stuffed animals and keychains.
Peter Rabbit
Another well-known, beloved character in children’s literature is Peter Rabbit, who first appeared in “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” in 1902. Between 1904 and 1912, five more books were released. Due to Peter’s popularity, there’s a considerable amount of merchandise around, including board games, dolls, dishes and wallpaper. Peter Rabbit was also the first character in the world to be made into a patented stuffed toy.
The rabbits in the stories have human traits and wear clothing. Peter himself is widely recognizable due to his blue jacket with brass buttons. He lives with his mother and younger sisters in a rabbit hole that’s equipped with furniture, rooms and a kitchen, just like in a regular human household. There’s also a shop where Mrs. Rabbit sells different items. Peter himself is a pretty rebellious character who often disobeys his mother.
For example, in “The Tale of Peter Rabbit,” Mrs. Rabbit tells the children they can go anywhere apart from Mr. McGregor’s vegetable garden while she’s shopping. The old man’s wife is the one who made a pie out of their late father after Mr. McGregor caught him in the house. Unlike his sisters, Peter enters the garden to eat vegetables. After a chase through the garden, during which Peter is almost caught several times and has to hide in a watering can, he encounters a mouse, a cat and sparrows; he manages to return home, where his mother gives him some chamomile tea for the stomach ache he got after eating too many vegetables.
All children enjoy adventurous tales and plucky, resourceful characters, so they’re bound to love this book.
The Hobbit
J.R.R. Tolkien is best known for his high fantasy epic “The Lord of the Rings,” which led to a resurgence of interest for the genre among the general public. Since then, he has been regarded by both readers and fellow authors as the father of modern fantasy literature. Most fantasy works written since “The Lord of the Rings” was published drew inspiration from the vibrant and complex world Tolkien created that features a historical background spanning several millennia, fictional races and multiple languages Tolkien constructed from scratch.
However, due to its sheer volume and complexity, the trilogy is more suitable for children who are a little older. But “The Hobbit,” the prequel to “The Lord of the Rings” and one of the world’s most famous children’s fantasy novels, is a much more accessible read. Set in Middle-earth, the tale follows Bilbo Baggins, the eponymous hobbit who, under the guidance of the wizard Gandalf, joins Thorin Oakenshield’s Company, a group of thirteen dwarves who have set out to reclaim their ancestral home and treasure that has been stolen by the dragon Smaug.
A classic adventure story, the novel follows Bilbo as he leaves behind the Shire and his comfortable home for more dangerous territory. Friendship, growth and bravery are the central themes. Reading “The Hobbit” is also the perfect introduction for reading Tolkien’s other work later, after Bilbo finds a mysterious ring while venturing in a series of gloomy tunnels, an item of whose importance he’s not even aware at the time.
It’s essential that children learn that reading is a fun, enjoyable activity when they’re still young. The best way to ensure you achieve this is to give them some outstanding books they can discover themselves.