(22) Having books on hand since around age 5 was the shortest route to becoming a "child who reads" - To the mom I met 10 years ago -

Continuing the letter.

"Building a habit of 'reading' with books at home before becoming immersed in digital media"

...is what I am talking about.

Until the lower grades of elementary school, children can spend time happily at home even without videos or games.
Setting aside the "everyone is watching" or "it's that kind of era" mindset for a moment...
I would like to cherish the time when they can easily encounter the joy of reading.


・Click here for letter (21).
(21) Living with "books on hand" since around age 5 was the shortest route to becoming a "child who reads" - To the mom I met 10 years ago - | Emi Suzuhara (note.com)


Today is

"Things that made me truly feel 'this is a lifesaver...' as a parent when my child became a book lover"

...is the topic.


Now, Shiori-san.

Reading is beneficial for the child themselves in many ways, butthere are also many things that make me, as a parent watching over them, feel grateful and relieved.

For me, it wasn't something I aimed for from the start, but rather something I realized as my child grew, thinking, "Oh, so that's how it is!"

Let me talk a little about the "lifesavers" we experienced in our home.

The first is "waiting time."

When raising children, don't you find that there is surprisingly a lot of "waiting time"?

Whether you go to the hospital or out to eat, there are times when you might wait for about an hour. Even with a reservation, you sometimes have to wait, and when you go out, you are unexpectedly kept waiting for one reason or another.
At such times, it is painful for a parent to hear their child say, "Hey, are we there yet?" or "I'm bored..."
But,if you bring a book with you in advance, they can read and wait without any problems for about an hour.

And this is where"text-based books" and "stories/novels" play a major role.
In the case of manga, you finish one volume relatively quickly so it is difficult to carry around many volumes just to kill time.

However, with text-based books, if you have one, it usually takes many hours to finish, so it isperfect for waiting time.

If they have a habit of reading children's books from about the first grade of elementary school, they will never be afraid of "waiting" anytime, anywhere.
It's impossible when they are feeling unwell, but for example, at the dentist, dermatologist, or ophthalmologist... if they are waiting while feeling fine, one children's book with a decent number of pages is enough.
The number of times you are troubled by them whining "I'm bored!" will decrease drastically.


Of course, they can enjoy videos or games on a smartphone, or if they are reading, they can read as much as they want on a single device if it's an e-book.
--I think those are options, butif the habit of "games or videos while waiting" is formed, the promise you made with your child that "it's only 30 minutes at home" might become vague.


If that happens, the child might wonder, "Why was it okay then, but not now?"
Also,if the device belonged to the parent, there will be times when you say, "I need to use it, so give it back." ...I have seen children on street corners crying "More!" because they felt unsatisfied when that happened.


And if youcasually hand over your smartphone in such places from a young age, I think it can eventually becomethe gateway to habituation.
I think the habit of "books when out and about" leads topeaceful waiting time.

In our home, when we go out, I always tell my children, who are currently in 6th and 2nd grade,"Put one book you can read for a long time in your bag. A text-based one..." I say.

This one book truly becomes a savior for peaceful time during accidental waiting times while out, or when I just want them to be quiet for a while.

--It really is a lifesaver.

The second is that bookstores and libraries can serve as leisure.

There are weekends when you have no plans to go out, right?
Even during summer or winter break, whether the parents are working or at home, there are honestly many times when you can't keep the children entertained... I'm sure many moms and dads worry about that.


But if the child isa book lover, they can kill a considerable amount of time with one longer children's book.
If you go to a bookstore or library when you have free time and buy or borrow books for them, it takes less effort and money than going to a leisure facility.

Some moms and dads might feel, "Would they really be happy with that...?" but that might depend on how much the child has accumulated the "joy of reading"...

It is, of course, important to explain to the child, "We can't go out today." And instead, "I'll buy (borrow) a book you like"... I think this kind of habit is not bad either.

In our home, during the stay-at-home period of the COVID-19 pandemic or on holidays when we couldn't take them anywhere, we were saved by bookstores and libraries many times.


--It really is a lifesaver.

The third is that it is surprisingly "cost-effective."

This is a continuation of the second point, buttext-based books are cost-effective.

I have said many times, "It's good to buy books your child likes as much as possible..." butof course, it costs money to buy them.
...But,stories and novels,
depending on the amount of text, "can be read for hours, no, days with just one book."

The more accustomed the child becomes to reading, the more they will get used to the volume of text without even realizing it (I also talked about this in letter (11)...), and
as the amount of text in the books they read increases, the "time they can kill with one book" also increases.
(By the way, my eldest daughter is currently reading "Ascendance of a Bookworm: I'll Stop at Nothing to Become a Librarian" (Written by Miya Kazuki / Illustrated by Yu Shiina / TO Books), and each volume is nearly 400 pages long, and she continues to read it during her free time after school for days with just one volume. It is very cost-effective.)


For example, what if you tell your child,
"Spend today reading manga"? I love manga too, but
if you are going to spend the whole day, one volume won't be enough. There are comic rentals now, but whether you buy or borrow, you need a number of volumes.(I am only talking about the time it takes to read one volume. Manga is a wonderful culture. Just to be clear.)

When you are short on budget, you can choose stories or novels from a few hundred yen at a used bookstore, and of course, it's free at the library (sorry, new bookstores).
This is,

once you get used to it, quite a wonderland.
It might sound a bit vulgar, but"being able to enjoy something for days for just a few hundred yen"... this is also a great charm of reading. So, when a child spends their day meaningfully with this, as a parent, I feel grateful and think, "This is truly a lifesaver."

By the way, this
becomes a habit that can be continued for a lifetime even after the child grows up and stands on their own. If you can read stories and novels, you can live a life with significantly reduced costs for "indoor entertainment and killing time" with peace of mind no matter how old you get (and furthermore, you gain wisdom and knowledge by reading--reading is wonderful).

--It's a lifesaver.

The fourth is that the number of times I have to scold them as a parent, "Stop playing games and watching videos!" decreases.

And the child themselves can have the option of 'I guess I'll read a book now'...is what it means.

This is a common concern for modern moms and dads, I think.

I understand well that games and watching videos are fun.
In our home, our eldest daughter, who is in the 6th grade, also plays games and enjoys watching videos on her favorite channels daily.

But, after a certain amount of time, she usually stops on her own, saying 'That's enough for today,' and if she doesn't, when I say 'It's about time...', she says 'You're right' and stops.
When I asked my eldest daughter once, her answer was, 'Games and videos are fun, but books are more fun... or rather, they're a different thing.'
By having a different kind of enjoyment, she can switch her emotional channel. Every child is different, so I think it's fine if there are children who think 'games and videos are the most fun.' However,


'If I stop this, there's nothing else to do' is quite painful for a child, isn't it? A situation where 'there are many things at home that are fun to read' and 'you won't be scolded by your parents no matter how much you focus on them' is
stress-free for the child
. Parents also hate having to say 'Stop it already' and getting into fights they don't want to have.

Reducing even a little bit of the material that makes the parent-child relationship strained
...personally, I feel that reading habits are truly something to be grateful for just for that.

--Dear Books, thank you always. You are a big help.
I truly feel like Myne from 'Ascendance of a Bookworm'.

The fifth point is that for content that is difficult for parents to explain, books make it easier to convey.

...is what it means.

As children grow and as the world changes, parents have to convey many things to their children, don't they? I feel this keenly every day.
But I can't explain it well, and there's no time to talk slowly... I think those kinds of worries exist to a greater or lesser extent.

For example, things about sexuality, the future, internet safety, laws related to children, war, history...

There are really many good books that summarize these issues in an easy-to-understand way for children. This can be manga, and it doesn't necessarily have to be non-fiction; I think stories (fiction) based on facts are also fine.

When you prepare such books and say 'Read this if you'd like,' if the child already likes books, it's quite easy to get the message across.
What is difficult for a child is
when they have no reading habits and have never talked about books with their parents, and are suddenly told to 'try reading this book' just for that topic. The child will probably feel resistance...
So, when a child is reading such books smoothly, and when we can talk about the content saying 'How was it? I think this part is important too,' I think books are grateful and helpful...


--Lastly.
The sixth point is that as a result of these,

the child's emotions become stable

...is what it is.

Regarding a child's emotions, there is no magic bullet that says 'I did this, so they became stable', and no matter how hard parents try, I think there are times when they become unstable due to external factors.

Even so, as something that can be done at home, I think reading can be a foundation.
--At least in our home, I feel that books are the base for the child's emotional stability.

For a child, isn't it easier to spend every day if there is entertainment that isn't regulated or scolded by parents?...

It's fine if a child already has that, but if they don't, it's still good for a child to try reading various books, and I think there are times when they start to become interested in the world from there.


Even if they start enjoying games, smartphones, and watching videos after that, by also having reading time in parallel, they learn to focus on things other than digital, and they also get quiet time to face their own hearts.


By reading, their vocabulary increases, and it becomes easier to convert their feelings into words and convey them—I think there is also that effect.


Truly, our home is helped a lot by 'children's reading'.
Books are a strong ally in parenting in many ways.


If there are moms and dads who wish for their children to become book lovers, I would be happy if you could keep in mind that 'there might be such good influences on the family' as much as 'whether they will become smart'.


--Oh, of course.
'How is it? Books are fun, right?'... doesn't have much meaning.

Thinking books are fun is the child's own heart.
Parents might only be able to prepare the environment and help with the habit.

But I think there is meaning in trying.
If you don't show them, the child won't even notice that there are jewels in the world.



The letters continue.


<Waiting time story reading for one hour 'Yes, next person' where am I again?>

・Click here for letter (23).
(23) Books left unread since age 5 were the shortest route to becoming a 'child who reads' - To the mom I met 10 years ago - | Emi Suzuhara (note.com)

・Click here for letter (1).
(1) Books left unread since age 5 were the shortest route to becoming a 'child who reads' - To the mom I met 10 years ago - | Emi Suzuhara (note.com)