(3) Before "Digital Literacy," Build "Reading Stamina": A Grand Strategy for Raising Book-Loving Children from Age 5 - Library Edition

Now, to build a bond between your child and books, and to ensure they spend their childhood with reading close at hand, let's start by going to the library together!

—That said, I know some of you might be thinking, "I don't read much myself, so I don't know what kind of books to choose for them."

But don't worry!

<Only the child themselves can choose a 'story that is interesting' to them>

The ultimate goal of this "Grand Strategy for Book Lovers" is for the child to experience "I read a book I chose myself, and it was interesting!"
Therefore, the child must be the one to choose the books.
You might be thinking, "Wait, but..." but I would be happy if you listened until the end.

Something adults often do is say, "They say this book is interesting." Saying, "You'll get smarter if you read books!" is the same thing.
I can't say it's absolutely forbidden, but personally, I don't recommend it (it's fine if you're just sharing your own experience).

Instead of adults forcefully insisting that "books are interesting," it is important whether
the child themselves feels that 'books contain stories (information) that are interesting to me'.

That is why I would like moms and dads to keep the perspective of, "Which book will allow this child to experience excitement?"

—But that topic will come up later, so for now, it's better to go to the library!
However, before you rush in blindly, I would like you to keep in mind a little bit about the environment that makes children love books.

<What kind of environment makes children love books?>

(1) Having a constant supply of "books and a bookshelf to choose from" at home.
(2) Being able to visit libraries and bookstores easily with a parent (a familiar adult).
(3) The child choosing books themselves and feeling in their own heart that they are "interesting."
(4) Not being (excessively) told, "Reading makes you smarter" or "You're a good kid for reading."
(5) The parent (a familiar adult) reading books on a daily basis.

—You might feel that some of these items are a high hurdle, but there are parts that are surprisingly not so, and I would like to talk about those later.

<I recommend going to the library when you have plenty of time!>

Now, let's try saying, "Shall we go to the library together? I'll borrow lots of books you like."

If a large library is far away, a local community center is fine. At first, I don't really recommend bookstores. There probably aren't chairs to sit and choose slowly, and it's hard to buy many books all at once.

When you have other plans or don't have time, it's a no-go because you might end up telling the child, "Hurry up!" or the parent might get frustrated.
For a child, the memory that "Mom or Dad wasn't smiling" only leads to a bad image.
I think this (the parent's mood) is very important for whether a child can become a book lover in the future.

Returning to the topic, once you arrive at the library, please let them choose the books they like freely.

Some of you might say, "I always do that."
But how do they usually choose them?

Are you leaving it to the child by saying, "Mom (Dad) will wait here, so go choose what you like"? (You aren't playing on your smartphone during that time, are you...).

This method is very important for doing it "together as parent and child."
You might feel a contradiction, thinking, "Wait, isn't the child supposed to choose for themselves?" but parental support is absolutely necessary at first.

<Choosing books divided into 3 categories: Group A, Group B, and Group C>

First, borrow as many books as the maximum number allowed by the library's rules.
In my neighborhood, it's 10 books, so I'll talk based on 10 books here.
And the period should be the maximum number of days allowed by the rules, which I'll treat as two weeks here.
You might think, "If we borrow 10 books, we won't be able to finish reading them in two weeks..." but that's fine.

Now, assuming you are borrowing 10 books, I would like you to choose them in the following way.

<Group A> Books in genres the child already likes. It's okay for them to choose themselves... 3-4 books. <Group B> Books in genres the child likes (or seems interested in), but wouldn't choose themselves... 3-4 books. <Group C> Books that contain the parent's wish of "I want you to read this" or "I hope you get interested in this"... 2-3 books.




The number of books is just a guideline.
For <Group A>, if they are around 5 years old, it might be mostly picture books.
It could be illustrated reference books with lots of animals or cars, or books they have read many times in the past (

"Are you reading that again?" is a forbidden phrase). While saying things like, "You really love this, don't you?" try sitting together and reading, and choose them slowly and happily.


The goal of Group A is to have them think, "I can choose the books I like when I go to the library.".

<Put the most effort into choosing Group B books!>

For <Group B>, try choosing them together while consciously having conversations like, "How about this?" or "Mom (Dad) would like to read this too."
Actually, the biggest purpose of these library visits is Group B, so I will talk about it a bit longer.

First, if you are lost, step out of the picture book corner and look at the children's book corner.
The title looks interesting, you like the illustrations, you've heard the title before... anything is fine, so keep picking up books you are curious about, and try reading a few while chatting, saying, "This is also good."

Here, a little bit of the parent's "eye for quality" is needed.
Among the children's books for lower elementary grades that children wouldn't pick up on their own, there are actually quite a few that don't differ much from picture books when you look at the font size and ease of understanding the text.
They are books that aren't all pictures, but have a moderate amount of illustrations and are composed of easy-to-read text that uses hiragana frequently.
To give an easy example, it's the image of a first-grade Japanese textbook.
That is content that most preschoolers who have mastered hiragana can read.
(To avoid misunderstanding, I don't think it's standard to be able to read hiragana almost perfectly before entering school. However, since there are many such children recently, I mean that they can read children's books at that stage.)

In picture books, the pictures drive the story, and in children's books, the text drives the story... basically, this is the difference.
As the target grade level for children's books increases, the weight of pictures and text gradually reverses (and in the end, it becomes novels with only text, general books, right).

—If possible, try choosing 2-3 such books.
Of course, the best flow is to casually consult with the child, "This looks interesting... what do you think?" and borrow it if the child has even a slightly positive reaction like "Yeah" or "That's good."
The trick is, after all, to look mainly for themes and genres that the child is interested in on a daily basis
.
For example, if they like sweets, there are adventure fantasies where a girl who loves making sweets plays an active role; if they like cars, there are stories where many working cars appear; if they are interested in a slightly mysterious world, there are stories with fun ghosts, and you can also consult with a librarian.
There is also a method of borrowing them anyway even when they show a lukewarm reaction... but I don't really recommend it.The realization that "I was able to choose wonderful books together with Mom (Dad)!" is also an important goal of this Group B
because of that.
For my child, the point, if I had to name one, is to choose books that push the limit of "this feels like a picture book still" while actually having just a little more text
, but if Mom and Dad think too much from the beginning, they will get tired, so you don't have to think too deeply at this stage.

Also, if I were to add one more caution, I think it's better not to say things like, "This book has more text than a picture book, so you'll get smarter," or "It looks a bit difficult, but shall we try our best to read it?"

Because books are not read to meet a parent's expectations.

<The bonus Group C is okay for parents to choose!>

Now, for the remaining Group C, the goal is the parent's expectation of "I want you to read this."
It seems to contradict what I said before, but regarding Group C, it is fine for the parent to choose without consulting the child. Feel free to do it with the feeling of satisfying the parent's desire to "let me choose at least a little since we came all this way." It's stressful for parents if they can't choose anything at all, right?
Of course, children have all kinds of possibilities, so there are times when they will be interested.
You can also incorporate a little bit of educational elements, such as Japanese culture, science, history, crafts, music, etc.
However, excessive expectations are forbidden, and please choose books that you, the mom or dad, also think "look interesting."

...This concludes the first library visit and book selection.

By the way, books are very heavy, aren't they?
10 books is quite a weight. It would be very difficult to carry them home if you don't have a car, but please don't give up here.
I can't drive a car, so I pulled a travel suitcase, went by bus, and came back by bus.

It's okay, you can do it.

<By the way, this is how it was in our house>

For reference, in our household, if I recall correctly, the breakdown was something like this.

<Group A> Picture books chosen by my eldest daughter (Guri and Gura, etc.). Maze books and riddle books she loved at the time.
<Group B> Children's books aimed at lower elementary school students and up (a mystery series featuring an uncle detective, and an adventure fantasy featuring a girl who loves cooking).
<Group C> Doraemon proverb books, Chibi Maruko-chan books on Japanese seasonal traditions.
...I believe that was the lineup.
Since we were feeling our way through this, please understand that this is not a story about how this is the perfect way, but merely an example from one family.

Actually, the uncle detective book I chose for <Group B> ended up playing an important role in our home later on (I found out later that it was a very popular series that is still being published today). The reason I chose this was that my eldest daughter was glued to TV programs themed around quizzes and mystery-solving at the time.

Also, because there were pictures on every page,
it was a "picture book" to the child, but I liked the exquisite balance where the story content required careful reading to understand, even though the amount of text was not that large. Well, that concludes the first book selection.
From here, I will talk about how we spend our time after returning home.

To be continued.

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(4) "Reading Muscle" Before "Digital Literacy" - A Grand Strategy for Raising a "Voracious Reader" Starting Around Age 5: Library Usage Edition | Emi Suzuhara (note.com)