Soaked in books

By Choi Shi-yong

Reading is a process of accumulating knowledge. It leads to the collection of factual information and incurs inferential and critical views. We can also achieve creative knowledge by reading books.

Reading books gives us comfort and pleasure. When we are immersed in books, we can calm down and attain mental peace.

Besides, we can realize indirect and broad experiences through the many stories in books.

It can give us wisdom when we are confronted with problems in life. Reading books daily is like eating delicious food and it strengthens our mentality.

Young people are more accustomed to playing computer games and watching TV programs than enjoying books. In other words, they feel comfortable with computers and TV. They would be distracted by books.

While parents try to create a better environment for reading, their children are reluctant to invest their time on books.

Against this backdrop, I would like to give you some tips on how to motivate youths into reading books.

First, reading starts at home. Parents should read books to their children. Parents read fun books for children in bed. Boys and girls listen to their reading and fall asleep. The children can experience reading through their parents' behavior.

Although they don't understand what it means, they can pick up the ability to figure out and realize that reading books is fun and easy.

They are apt to read books from experiences in their childhood and willing to read more as grownups. They can pester their parents to read books because they learned how fun it was from them.

Proverbs shows us that old habits die hard. Parents should help their children begin life with books. They are obligated to make their sons and daughters know that books are their lifelong friends.

Besides, parents should take their children to the library and they can play with books like they do toys. They can acquaint themselves with books in the library.

Consequently, their memory of books in childhood impacts their lives. They will be positive and mature readers in the future.

Second, teachers at school should have an intense belief that reading books for students is useful. Classes include various activities. Students can express their feelings by sending letters to writers and perform plays. They can invite their friends and parents to class and make presentations.

“Sustained silent reading" is effective for students. They choose their favorite books daily on their own and read them voluntarily whenever time allows. It can help them make it a rule to read books.

Joining book fairs helps students to have more interest in books.

A student should introduce his books to his friends at book fairs and he can get a deeper understanding about them in the process of telling his friends about the books.

Similarly, when his friends tell him about their books, their opinions can give him more interest and excitement about the books.

Parents can try to talk to their children about books. We call it “reading discussion." The activity can lead to positive interaction between parents and children. Parents can realize what their children are worried about during the discussions and share their problems.

However, parents should induce children to read books naturally. When they promise them to do something in return, it can debase the motive for reading. Incentives for reading books don't help them get closer to books.

In my opinion, we must educate young cultured citizens and books can make them better people. Reading a variety of books makes it possible to think deeply and organize thoughts logically.

It can provide the young with imagination and creativity. I hope they keep developing reading habits and it will reward them.

The writer lives in Gwangju. He can be reached at freddd@ymail.com.