Republic Act No. 10556 declared November 27 as Araw ng Pagbasa, a day celebrated in all elementary and secondary schools in the country. This is normally signals the end of National Reading Month for the Philippines.
While it has been a little bit more challenging to celebrate this year, with education being mainly online, parents can still create an atmosphere that encourages a love for reading.
Reserve Time for Reading
Allocate a certain time of day to read to your child, even for just fifteen minutes a day. In movies, we see parents tucking their kids in with a bedtime story. With parents working from home, even a short snack break can be an opportunity to read with your child.
Do a Reading Challenge
Do you have more than one child at home? Give each child a checklist of books to read for the month of November. The child who will be able to finish his/her list gets to pick a special prize. The prize can be as simple as giving them some extra time to play, buying a new book of their choice, or throwing a pizza reading party at home.
Character Dress-up
At the end of November, have a character dress-up day. Ask your child who his/her favorite character in a book is and help him/her make a costume of this character. For extra fun, join your child and dress up as someone related to his/her chosen character.
Remember that the goal of the National Reading Month is to help children develop the habit of reading. When children see how much fun reading is, it becomes something enjoyable to do, rather than something you force upon them.