Dear readers, welcome again to this column. Last Sunday we explored together the role of parents in developing a reading culture among the children. We explored some steps that can help us raise readers, and later leaders. Now, could it be true that a reading child is a leading child? Yes, this is going to lead us to today’s topic that says "a reading Child is a winning child”. How is this possible? This is possible because the vast mass of knowledge in the world is found in books. Therefore, our children need to develop a love for books so that they can be able to acquire this knowledge.

Research shows that at 8 months, when comparing two babies of the same age, it was indicated that a child that was read to had receptive vocabularies (number of words they understand) increase by 40 per cent since baby hood, while the child that was not read to had an increase of only 16 per cent.

Even at pre-school age, children that are read to tend to perform better than those that are not read to, reason being these children are exposed to books, and new vocabularies which helps their language development.

Children that are read to develop longer attention span which is an important skill for children in order for them to be able to concentrate and it builds listening skills and imagination. Henceforth, reading books is one of the most important activities that make kids smart.

If you are dreaming of helping your child reach his potential, one way that I recommend as an academician, a parent, a reader, and an author, is to encourage your child to read books from a very young age, and trust me you will never go wrong.

Like I wrote in my last article, reading is not only for school as most parents may think. You say, why? I will give reason why it should be parents first. One of the factors being we influence our children. 80 per cent of the child’s behavior is acquired from home.

What behaviour is your child developing? Next, children grow up admiring their parents and most of them want to be like their fathers especially for boy children. What are you like? Remember you cannot give your child what you do not have. So, become a reader yourself since it’s even easy for children to copy what parents do than hear what parents tell them to do. Therefore, set the example.

As children read and ask questions, they develop confidence and they know that they cannot have answers for everything, and will not fear asking because he/she knows he gets answers to his/her questions. So, allow them speak to you about what they read, ask them as they ask you and try to pay attention to their questions because it is helping their imaginations develop.

Reading with children, is reported to improve their exam results. It is also said that young children who read at home with their parents are more likely to do well in their teen age.

In conclusion, decades of research have shown that with parents’ involvement, you achieve the following; High grades, better school attendance, increased motivation and self esteem, lower rates of suspension and fewer instances of violent behaviors and use of drugs. Parents, guardians, teachers, and all leaders, let us grow young Rwandans into winners. Until then I rest my case!

The Author is and Educationist and founding member of Rwanda Book Development Initiative.
rwabodirwanda@yahoo.com