Eight Target Language Reading Tips

Berikut adalah beberapa tips yang diberikan oleh Dr. Jenn Berman dalam bukunya 'SuperBaby'; bagaimana untuk membacakan buku kepada anak untuk mengajar dia bahasa kedua (atau ketiga dsb). Alhamdulillah tips ini telah menjawab persoalan saya bila mana anak saya tidak menunjukkan minat ketika saya membacakan buku bahasa inggeris kepadanya, dan dia kerap meminta saya untuk membacakan buku tersebut dalam bahasa melayu. Sedangkan maksud asal kita adalah untuk mendedahkan anak dengan bahasa lain.

• Start with simple board books at your child's level. If you are not a native speaker, you can use these book to gauge your own language growth.
• Choose books with lots of interesting pictures. The more interested your child is in the images, the more likely she is to pay attention to the words you are reading.
• Find books that reflect your child's interest. If she likes garbage trucks, get books in the language about garbage trucks, If she likes bicycles, get books about bicycles. (This is particularly true. One of the reason why my son always asks me to read English books in Malay is because he is not interested with the topic. If he does not like the topic and the pictures, of course he wants to, at least, understand the story which I have to read it in Malay. But if I read a book about cranes or other building machines that he loves soooo much, he will definitely let me read in English as he still can try to understand it through the pictures).
• Talk about the book in the language as you read. Occasionally stop and share your observations in the language (e.g., "That is a blue flower. I have never seen a blue flower").
• Get books that your child is already familiar with in the second language. Books by authors like Todd Parr, Sandra Boynton, Eric Carle, Margaret Wise Brown, and even Dr. Seuss all have been translated into multiple languages.
• Make reading a connected positive experience. Curl up with your child and a book, create a reading ritual that you can share, and have fun book time together. Make sure you do not try to teach as you read; just have fun enjoying the pictures, words and languages.
• Let your child pick the book. Give your child a basket of books in the target language and let her pick which one she wants to read.
• Keep the language books in accessible, child-friendly place. Children who have constant access to books develop the habit of turning to them for entertainment.